Question about "turning on computer" without a case.

[purbeast0]

I'm working on this arcade game that is just running on a motherboard with a CPU that boots a HDD into linux and boots a game up. It requires an ATX PSU to power the motherboard on top of the PSU for the arcade game case.

In general, for me to get the game to work I have to turn on the arcade game, then turn on the ATX PSU and jump the PWRSW pins on the mobo in order to get the ATX PSU to start actually running and the computer starts up and the game loads.

I now have it wired up right now so that when I power on the arcade game, I have a relay hooked to the ATX PSU that turns the ATX PSU on. You can see all the lights on the mobo turn on, the CPU fan spins, etc..

However, the actual computer doesnt "turn on" and start loading.

If I jump the PWRSW it will then load up.

I have found a BIOS setting called "Restore on AC power loss" and it's disabled by default and I turned that on. I thought that would have made it "turn on" when it gets power, although as mentioned the PSU actually gets power and it looks like it's turning on, however I have to jump.

My goal is to NOT have to do that so I am wondering if anyone has any idea why the computer wouldn't be "turning on" even though it has power going to it and why I have to jump those pins.

FWIW, the mobo in question is ASUS M3N78-VM which is an old mobo but this is old hardware.

Any ideas?

 

[Iron Woode]

I know little about this but is there any way to tie the arcade power switch to jump the PWRSW?

I am sure someone has a solution for this.

 

[purbeast0]

I know little about this but is there any way to tie the arcade power switch to jump the PWRSW?

I am sure someone has a solution for this.

That is kind of what I did with my relay. I don't know much at all about relays and am doing what someone basically told me to do, and I have the ground and +12v from my arcade cabinet wired to the coil of the relay. Then I cut the green switch wire on the ATX PSU and hooked that to the other side of the relay, and I have the the common ground on the relay hooked to a non-used ground wire from the ATX PSU as well. The green wire on the ATX connector is doing nothing because I just cut it and routed it to the relay.

 

[lxskllr]

Maybe it's just wonky. You could hookup a power button. It's just one more thing to press when starting it.

 

[purbeast0]

Maybe it's just wonky. You could hookup a power button. It's just one more thing to press when starting it.

Yeah I don't want to have to do that.

Is there anyway that I could just create my own jumper? Like when the power comes on, there is some signal sent from the PSU to the jumper? I have connectors and wires to do this I just don't know anything about it.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I have found a BIOS setting called "Restore on AC power loss" and it's disabled by default and I turned that on. I thought that would have made it "turn on" when it gets power, although as mentioned the PSU actually gets power and it looks like it's turning on, however I have to jump.

My goal is to NOT have to do that so I am wondering if anyone has any idea why the computer wouldn't be "turning on" even though it has power going to it and why I have to jump those pins.

The restore power setting only works when power is interrupted, and will not work when using a normal shutdown/power down cycle.

If you have this system connected with ethernet cable, you can use a program like teamviewer to have it wake on LAN. Some boards have it always on and no bios settings, some do not support it, and some you can turn it on or off.

The least elegant solution is to buy a power switch and mount it somewhere. https://www.amazon.com/HDE-Power-Button-Computer-Switch/dp/B009CWY8PA

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Yeah I don't want to have to do that.

Is there anyway that I could just create my own jumper? Like when the power comes on, there is some signal sent from the PSU to the jumper? I have connectors and wires to do this I just don't know anything about it.

May take longer to get replies, but post in the power supply forum, someone may have just the trick for that.

 

[purbeast0]

The restore power setting only works when power is interrupted, and will not work when using a normal shutdown/power down cycle.

If you have this system connected with ethernet cable, you can use a program like teamviewer to have it wake on LAN. Some boards have it always on and no bios settings, some do not support it, and some you can turn it on or off.

The least elegant solution is to buy a power switch and mount it somewhere. https://www.amazon.com/HDE-Power-Button-Computer-Switch/dp/B009CWY8PA

See if I do all that then I might as well not have the relay turn the power on/off when the cabinet is turned on/off.

Could I somehow hook the relay up so that instead of going to the green wire (switch for ATX) it instead acts exactly as that button you provided?

Again I just don't know dick about relays and stuff and just did exactly what this guy told me to do.

 

[purbeast0]

Hmm looking at that Power Switch above the the pinout in the manual, it looks like the PWRSW is just a ground and power wire, which I'm assuming is +12v.

So could I just keep what I have right now, and then run a ground and +12v wire to the PWRSW? And then once the ATX PSU turns on, that ground and +12v would get power and flip it on? Or is that not right?

EDIT:

Or it might be +5v since it's a red wire and looks like yellow wires are +12v?

 

[lxskllr]

I think it's doable with another relay, but I couldn't say how. @Red Squirrel might have a clever idea.

 

[lxskllr]

Hmm looking at that Power Switch above the the pinout in the manual, it looks like the PWRSW is just a ground and power wire, which I'm assuming is +12v.

So could I just keep what I have right now, and then run a ground and +12v wire to the PWRSW? And then once the ATX PSU turns on, that ground and +12v would get power and flip it on? Or is that not right?

EDIT:

Or it might be +5v since it's a red wire and looks like yellow wires are +12v?

That doesn't seem right to me if I understand correctly. The power is already at the pins, and you jump them momentarily to complete the connection. I don't think you want constant power there.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Is it possible to leave the asus on in sleep mode when you are done with the cabinet?

That doesn't seem right to me if I understand correctly. The power is already at the pins, and you jump them momentarily to complete the connection. I don't think you want constant power there.

My thought as well.

 

[purbeast0]

That doesn't seem right to me if I understand correctly. The power is already at the pins, and you jump them momentarily to complete the connection. I don't think you want constant power there.

Yeah that is probably right. I also tried putting a jumper on the PWRSW and it just goes on/off constantly so yeah that makes sense.

And no there is no way to put it in sleep mode.

I do have more relays though if there is a suggestion with a relay.

 

[sdifox]

Do you know what version of atx psu?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjADegQICxAJ&usg=AOvVaw3vT0lei_tmjHKKGVFLYfUq

[/URL]

https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/blog/convert-atx-psu-to-bench-supply.html

 

[purbeast0]

Do you know what version of atx psu?

It is this one right here.

Solid Gear SDGR-400BX 400W ATX Non-Modular Power Supply - Micro Center

Get it now! Affordable and Reliable Solid Gear Basix SDGR-400BX deliver efficiency 400W power to your system. It provides efficiency and affordable power to your system. It also produce better airflow. This entry level power supply cosumes less energy.

www.microcenter.com

 

[sdifox]

It is this one right here.

Solid Gear SDGR-400BX 400W ATX Non-Modular Power Supply - Micro Center

Get it now! Affordable and Reliable Solid Gear Basix SDGR-400BX deliver efficiency 400W power to your system. It provides efficiency and affordable power to your system. It also produce better airflow. This entry level power supply cosumes less energy.

www.microcenter.com

The link I added to my post should show you how to apply an load to two pins so that the psu safely mechanism is happy.

A relay is just a signal controlled switch.

Never mind I am solving a different problem.


Let me think about how to send a delayed power on signal.

Which relays do you have? You need a timer relay.

 

[purbeast0]

The link I added to my post should show you how to apply an load to two pins so that the psu safely mechanism is happy.

A relay is just a signal controlled switch.

Never mind I am solving a different problem.


Let me think about how to send a delayed power on signal.

Which relays do you have? You need a timer relay.

I have electromechanical relays and got them just because that is what the other guy told me to get for turning on the ATX PSU, which is working as expected.

SRA-12VDC-CL Ningbo Songle Relay | C60169 - LCSC Electronics

SRA-12VDC-CL Ningbo Songle Relay $0.4004 - 125V@AC 12V 10A SPDT (1 Form C) Plugin,12.4x16mm Power Relays ROHS datasheet, price, inventory C60169

lcsc.com

 

[sdifox]

So all you need to do now is to trigger the power switch right?

 

[lxskllr]

So all you need to do now is to trigger the power switch right?

Once. If I were to design it, I'd have it wait a couple seconds, then fire the relay once to switch it on. I think it would be pretty simple for someone that knew what they were doing.

 

[sdifox]

Once. If I were to design it, I'd have it wait a couple seconds, then fire the relay once to switch it on. I think it would be pretty simple for someone that knew what they were doing.

The issue is you are only sending a pulse of x ms. So the circuit cannot just be a relay since relay stays closed when the inputs are closed.

A switch is the simplest solution lol.

Let me think about it a bit to see if I can figure out an elegant solution.

How are you turning on the game board? Using a switch?

 

[purbeast0]

Once. If I were to design it, I'd have it wait a couple seconds, then fire the relay once to switch it on. I think it would be pretty simple for someone that knew what they were doing.

The problem is, well, I don't know what I'm doing.

I am very good at following instructions though, so @sdifox I will await your instructions!

 

[sdifox]

The problem is, well, I don't know what I'm doing.

I am very good at following instructions though, so @sdifox I will await your instructions!

How are you turning it on and turning it off? Which of the two boards is the master?

 

[purbeast0]

How are you turning it on and turning it off? Which of the two boards is the master?

It's kind of complicated but not really.

It's a JAMMA cabinet that just has a JAMMA harness. I just turn the whole cabinet on with a switch to turn it on and off. It's just a PSU of the whole arcade cabinet turning on/off with a switch that turns everything on.

However I have a switcher in there, and basically the way the switcher works, is that it simply routes power to whatever board is selected and makes it active. And each board has this interface board that works with the switcher. There are 8 games in there, but only 1 is powered/active at a time so 7 are basically acting as if they are just turned off.

So right now i have the relay hooked up to the interface board that I'm using for this specific game, so once that board gets activated, the interface boards ground and +12v (and other pins) become active, and that is what tells the relay to turn the ATX PSU on.

That make sense?

 

[sdifox]

It's kind of complicated but not really.

It's a JAMMA cabinet that just has a JAMMA harness. I just turn the whole cabinet on with a switch to turn it on and off. It's just a PSU of the whole arcade cabinet turning on/off with a switch that turns everything on.

However I have a switcher in there, and basically the way the switcher works, is that it simply routes power to whatever board is selected and makes it active. And each board has this interface board that works with the switcher. There are 8 games in there, but only 1 is powered/active at a time so 7 are basically acting as if they are just turned off.

So right now i have the relay hooked up to the interface board that I'm using for this specific game, so once that board gets activated, the interface boards ground and +12v (and other pins) become active, and that is what tells the relay to turn the ATX PSU on.

That make sense?

But the switcher doesn't have pin for sending the power on signal? Weird.

 

[purbeast0]

But the switcher doesn't have pin for sending the power on signal? Weird.

Nah most games don't use another PSU. 7 out of the 8 (that I have connected) I have are just boards that connect to a JAMMA harness and are powered by that. I'm trying to do more than it was designed for. The creator of the switcher is who told me how to hook the relay up.

Here's a pic of 7 and the 8th actually doesn't use another PSU either, but I've since removed one of those boards and am trying to get this to work. The little card with the blue edge plugs onto the JAMMA connector. And the ribbon cable and power cable on each one connects to the switcher. The little card with the blue edge is the interface board I was talking about.

I'm taking (trying to) this to a level it wasn't really designed for and I'm trying to keep one of the 8 slots on the switcher external so I can "plug and play" games without opening up my cabinet and pulling it out from the wall. And these ones with external PSU's will be in this external slot.