Anybody using mini-itx with XP embedded? I'm looking for a hardware/software switch to allow the MB to be always on - ie. boots up as soon as power received - i.e. headless remote operation, always on.
Mini-Itx
Started by ●May 8, 2004
Reply by ●May 8, 20042004-05-08
> I'm looking for a hardware/software switch to allow the MB to be always on - > ie. boots up as soon as power received - i.e. headless remote operation,I believe that's a CMOS setup option.
Reply by ●May 8, 20042004-05-08
"Lewin A.R.W. Edwards" <larwe@larwe.com> wrote in message news:608b6569.0405081041.3d4e6db3@posting.google.com...> > I'm looking for a hardware/software switch to allow the MB to be alwayson -> > ie. boots up as soon as power received - i.e. headless remote operation, > > I believe that's a CMOS setup option.The BIOS has an 'AC Loss Auto Restart' option. This will make the system auto-start in an event of power loss while it was on, but if someone shuts down the system properly, a power cycle will not start the system. Rob
Reply by ●May 8, 20042004-05-08
> > > I'm looking for a hardware/software switch to allow the MB to be always > on - > > > ie. boots up as soon as power received - i.e. headless remote operation, > > > > I believe that's a CMOS setup option. > > The BIOS has an 'AC Loss Auto Restart' option. This will make the system > auto-start in an event of power loss while it was on, but if someone shuts > down the system properly, a power cycle will not start the system.Ah. In that case, there's no direct way to do it, because I can tell you from (silly) experience that jumpering the power button connector doesn't make the board start up automatically. Actually, it's weird-sometimes it will, sometimes it won't. I found this out because I wired an Epia board into a custom housing with an external power button, and didn't realize that some SOB had put a NC button in the drawer where the NO buttons go. Took a LOT of head-scratching before I worked out what was going on. I would suggest making a simple active-low one-shot with a 555 powered from the 5V standby line, to ping the power button for maybe 1s when power is applied.
Reply by ●May 8, 20042004-05-08
Lewin A.R.W. Edwards wrote:>>>>I'm looking for a hardware/software switch to allow the MB to be always >> >> on - >> >>>>ie. boots up as soon as power received - i.e. headless remote operation, >>> >>>I believe that's a CMOS setup option. >> >>The BIOS has an 'AC Loss Auto Restart' option. This will make the system >>auto-start in an event of power loss while it was on, but if someone shuts >>down the system properly, a power cycle will not start the system. > > > Ah. In that case, there's no direct way to do it, because I can tell > you from (silly) experience that jumpering the power button connector > doesn't make the board start up automatically. Actually, it's > weird-sometimes it will, sometimes it won't. I found this out because > I wired an Epia board into a custom housing with an external power > button, and didn't realize that some SOB had put a NC button in the > drawer where the NO buttons go. Took a LOT of head-scratching before I > worked out what was going on.We solved this problem with our Thin Client http://www.jkmicro.com/products/thinclient.html by putting a PIC processor in the power supply. The PIC sequences the voltages, provides a watchdog function and provides a positive power on boot (depending on jumper settings).
Reply by ●May 9, 20042004-05-09
In message <141c51c3d2db5e85b91caa1006836aa0@news.teranews.com>, Jim Stewart <jstewart@jkmicro.com> writes>We solved this problem with our Thin Client > >http://www.jkmicro.com/products/thinclient.html > >by putting a PIC processor in the power supply. >The PIC sequences the voltages, provides a >watchdog function and provides a positive power >on boot (depending on jumper settings).I solved this problem with a capacitor and resistor in series, 10uf and 2.7k across the power switch jumper, worked every time for me, much simpler than silicon, of course you may want the extra functionality a small micro brings.> >-- Clint Sharp
Reply by ●May 9, 20042004-05-09
Rob Turk <_wipe_me_r.turk@chello.nl> wrote:> "Lewin A.R.W. Edwards" <larwe@larwe.com> wrote in message > news:608b6569.0405081041.3d4e6db3@posting.google.com... > > > I'm looking for a hardware/software switch to allow the MB to be always > on - > > > ie. boots up as soon as power received - i.e. headless remote operation, > > > > I believe that's a CMOS setup option.> The BIOS has an 'AC Loss Auto Restart' option. This will make the system > auto-start in an event of power loss while it was on, but if someone shuts > down the system properly, a power cycle will not start the system.There is of course no such thing as "The BIOS" in PCs any more. There's lots of variance, and one of the little details that varies is what options you have on "AC power loss restart". Quite some BIOSes offer a three-way selection: "never", "last state" and "always start". -- Hans-Bernhard Broeker (broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de) Even if all the snow were burnt, ashes would remain.
Reply by ●May 9, 20042004-05-09
Jim Stewart <jstewart@jkmicro.com> wrote in message news:<141c51c3d2db5e85b91caa1006836aa0@news.teranews.com>...> Lewin A.R.W. Edwards wrote: > >>>>I'm looking for a hardware/software switch to allow the MB to be always > >> > >> on -Wire an ATX power header to an AT power supply.> >> > >>>>ie. boots up as soon as power received - i.e. headless remote operation, > >>> > >>>I believe that's a CMOS setup option. > >> > >>The BIOS has an 'AC Loss Auto Restart' option. This will make the system > >>auto-start in an event of power loss while it was on, but if someone shuts > >>down the system properly, a power cycle will not start the system. > > > ... > > We solved this problem with our Thin Client > > http://www.jkmicro.com/products/thinclient.html > > by putting a PIC processor in the power supply. > The PIC sequences the voltages, provides a > watchdog function and provides a positive power > on boot (depending on jumper settings).This remind me of the big boys ways of solving problems. 1. Microsoft gives annoying pop-ups on internet explorer. It solves the problem with another annoying MSN adv. bar to block the pop-ups. I would prefer a configuration option to stop pop-ups. 2. Intel gives ATX power switch. You solves the problem with another micro to power sequence it. I would prefer to go back to AT power and declare that ATX power was a big mistake.
Reply by ●May 9, 20042004-05-09
Hans-Bernhard Broeker <broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de> wrote in message news:<2g6mdrF509qjU5@uni-berlin.de>...> > There is of course no such thing as "The BIOS" in PCs any more.But there are definitely preferential relationships between specific mobo or chipset vendors and specific BIOS vendors, and the context of the discussion implies that we are talking very specifically about Via's Epia series of motherboards (see http://www.viavpsd.com/product/index.jsp). These use an Award BIOS, and a specific subset of the Award BIOS at that.
Reply by ●May 9, 20042004-05-09
Edward Lee epl wrote:> Jim Stewart <jstewart@jkmicro.com> wrote in message news:<141c51c3d2db5e85b91caa1006836aa0@news.teranews.com>... > >>Lewin A.R.W. Edwards wrote: >> >>>>>>I'm looking for a hardware/software switch to allow the MB to be always >>>> >>>>on - > > > Wire an ATX power header to an AT power supply. > > >>>>>>ie. boots up as soon as power received - i.e. headless remote operation, >>>>> >>>>>I believe that's a CMOS setup option. >>>> >>>>The BIOS has an 'AC Loss Auto Restart' option. This will make the system >>>>auto-start in an event of power loss while it was on, but if someone shuts >>>>down the system properly, a power cycle will not start the system. >>> >>... >> >>We solved this problem with our Thin Client >> >>http://www.jkmicro.com/products/thinclient.html >> >>by putting a PIC processor in the power supply. >>The PIC sequences the voltages, provides a >>watchdog function and provides a positive power >>on boot (depending on jumper settings). > > > This remind me of the big boys ways of solving problems. > > 1. Microsoft gives annoying pop-ups on internet explorer. It solves > the problem with another annoying MSN adv. bar to block the pop-ups. > I would prefer a configuration option to stop pop-ups. > > 2. Intel gives ATX power switch. You solves the problem with another > micro to power sequence it. I would prefer to go back to AT power and > declare that ATX power was a big mistake.Sigh. I was happy with AT power supplies, and I don't particularly enjoy sticking processors in power supplies. The reality is that you can't outsmart anything with a couple diodes and a resistor any more so we're stuck with somewhat inelegant but cost-effective solutions.
