Desktop Power Switch Question
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T.M.H.N.E.T
Rainbows aren't just for world champions
- Location
- Northern Ireland
It's a momentary-on SPST button (Single Pole Single throw) that completes a circuit from a permanant low voltage live feed from the PSU via motherboard
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accountantpete
OAP
As I understand it the switch on the pc feeds through to the motherboard. The motherboard then makes a simple connection to one pin that completes a circuit to the psu and the psu turns on and everything else powers up. To turn everything off the motherboard simply disconnects this pin which shuts the psu down.
So you simply have to replicate the initial on switch.
So you simply have to replicate the initial on switch.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
Put another SPST in parallel with the existing on switch?
MossCommuter
Guru
- Location
- Salford
[QUOTE 4122850, member: 9609"]without wanting to go to the hassle of dismantling my traditional desktop PC to figure out how the on off switch works. Does any one know ?
Clearly it is not a traditional on/off switch, as the machine always switches itself off on close down. So is it just a simple push button that closes the circuit whilst it is pressed then some form of relay keeps the circuit closed after the button is released?
I am intending having a remote on/off button in another room, and was just exploring the possibilities .[/QUOTE]
Read up on Wake-On-LAN (WOL).
If it's wired to a router and the motherboard supports it, WOL allows you to send a "magic packet" from another network device (PC/laptop, tablet, phone) to switch a computer on.
Doesn't work if the PC to be woken is on WiFi. The device sending the magic packet can be WiFi.
Clearly it is not a traditional on/off switch, as the machine always switches itself off on close down. So is it just a simple push button that closes the circuit whilst it is pressed then some form of relay keeps the circuit closed after the button is released?
I am intending having a remote on/off button in another room, and was just exploring the possibilities .[/QUOTE]
Read up on Wake-On-LAN (WOL).
If it's wired to a router and the motherboard supports it, WOL allows you to send a "magic packet" from another network device (PC/laptop, tablet, phone) to switch a computer on.
Doesn't work if the PC to be woken is on WiFi. The device sending the magic packet can be WiFi.
Fnaar
Smutmaster General
- Location
- Thumberland
Miss Goodbody was quite impressed with the computer repair man's magic packet the other day.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
[QUOTE 4123347, member: 9609"]and presumably when the machine is in standby / hibernating mode, this brief connection wakes it all up ?
I am presuming the switch will be 240v
Yes this is exactly what I was thinking of doing
so presumably when I come to do the job there will be just two wires running into the switch - lol[/QUOTE]
You might want to check that the existing switch only has two wires going in to it. If it does, I don't see how you can go wrong with wiring another SPST in parallel. It might be an idea to see what the voltage is across the contacts of the existing switch if you have a meter.
I am presuming the switch will be 240v
Yes this is exactly what I was thinking of doing
so presumably when I come to do the job there will be just two wires running into the switch - lol[/QUOTE]
You might want to check that the existing switch only has two wires going in to it. If it does, I don't see how you can go wrong with wiring another SPST in parallel. It might be an idea to see what the voltage is across the contacts of the existing switch if you have a meter.
