matapan Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Turning a PC on using Insteon and the ISY may be useful if you are using a PC as a media hub. Imagine setting up a Keypadlinc button as a macro for turning on a PC, which boots without a login screen and runs your favorite media application (e.g. iTunes and Airtunes, in my case). This is probably straightforward to implement. In looking at the way the switch on an ATX computer case works, it looks like an Insteon-compatible I/O controller like EZIO2X4 or the IOLinc can be used as a means to close the momentary contact circuit signalling the PC power supply to turn itself on. The ISY program mapped to the Keypadlinc button could also used to turn on an audio component and set it up in the correct mode for the playback of audio from the computer. Link to comment
Brian H Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Sounds interesting. Since the momentary switch is normally open you could even add the modules output in parallel with the case switch and both would work. Going off may need a longer time depending on your motherboards SETUP. Mine needs the power switch held for four seconds to go off if the software doesn't turn it off. Link to comment
Scottmichaelj Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I too have been actually looking for some way to turn my PC on or off via remote, be it IR or some other way. This maybe another good avenue to look into. For me I have a Home Theater PC located in my Home Theater room with a blu-ray player in it. I have a Phillips Pronto remote with RF so it would be nice that I could sit down hit a button and then the computer would turn on. I don't need off because in Vistas Media Center (which is only want I use) has a "shutdown" button from the menu. So when I am done with the movie I can just hit shutdown and it will power off. So I have been looking for some way to be able to turn it on from the remote. Let me know how you make out. Link to comment
MikeB Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 You can setup your PC to power down into S3 standby mode. When in this mode, your PC can be woken up via remote control. I know this from first-hand experience - I have 4 home theater PCs in my home configured in this way. I power them down with a MediaCenter PC power button, and power them up with the same. While S3 standby is not technically OFF, it's close enough. No noise, no fans, etc. Link to comment
Scottmichaelj Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 You can setup your PC to power down into S3 standby mode. When in this mode, your PC can be woken up via remote control. I know this from first-hand experience - I have 4 home theater PCs in my home configured in this way. I power them down with a MediaCenter PC power button, and power them up with the same. While S3 standby is not technically OFF, it's close enough. No noise, no fans, etc. Which remote are you using the Microsoft MCE remote like this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage ... %20Control If so what button are you pushing to turn it back on with? If memory serves me right the USB is powered down in S3 - did you have to make it wake from USB in the device manager for the remote to work? What button are you pushing to tun it on ? The top right one where it says PC? Link to comment
Scottmichaelj Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 You can setup your PC to power down into S3 standby mode. When in this mode, your PC can be woken up via remote control. I know this from first-hand experience - I have 4 home theater PCs in my home configured in this way. I power them down with a MediaCenter PC power button, and power them up with the same. While S3 standby is not technically OFF, it's close enough. No noise, no fans, etc. Its my fault that this thread is falling off topic but MikeB I just tried your suggestion and your right that remote works with the PC in S3. However you need to make sure that the USB will wake the computer from S3 and also on my motherboard you need to make sure the settings are set to allow the PC to wake on USB too. My old PC was having issues with waking up automatically somehow and I never figured it out so I was always shutting it down and pressed the power button to get it back on was the only fix and I never looked back into this after upgrading it. See how easy it is to get stuck in your old habits! You made my day today MikeB! Thank you! Back to the original topic of adding the feature to turn on a server would be nice for watching videos that are stored on a server or listening to music which I do, would great to be able to do it with the ISY! Link to comment
MikeB Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Yes, your motherboard needs to support 'wake on USB'. Pretty much any fairly modern motherboard should I would think. Glad it worked for you! Link to comment
matapan Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 Does anyone know anything on the ATX PC motherboard that can be used for state checking to determine if the PC is on or not, using an IOLinc? This is my first project using a device like this - the momentary contact part is pretty straightforward, but the state determination isn't as easy as I thought it would be. At first, I thought all you had to do was to measure the voltage across some circuit for the presence of +5 or +12V DC. Apparently, this isn't what the IOLinc inputs work off of. One has to look for something else, the presence of a "closed" circuit (how is that different from looking for 0V or 5V?). This is the part I'm a bit fuzzy on. Anyone with more electrical experience than I (probably most people!) care to take a shot at this? I'd be much obliged! Link to comment
G W Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Does anyone know anything on the ATX PC motherboard that can be used for state checking to determine if the PC is on or not, using an IOLinc? This is my first project using a device like this - the momentary contact part is pretty straightforward, but the state determination isn't as easy as I thought it would be. At first, I thought all you had to do was to measure the voltage across some circuit for the presence of +5 or +12V DC. Apparently, this isn't what the IOLinc inputs work off of. One has to look for something else, the presence of a "closed" circuit (how is that different from looking for 0V or 5V?). This is the part I'm a bit fuzzy on. Anyone with more electrical experience than I (probably most people!) care to take a shot at this? I'd be much obliged! Resistance and voltage aren't the same. I will take a guess and suggest the IOLinc is looking at resistance. 5 VDC can have a very large resistance, so it won't see it as closed. Now, if you put a very small 5VDC relay on the 5V bus, then you could use that relay to supply the closed contacts. Link to comment
edfinley Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Pretty much all BIOSs have a setting on what to do after a power interruption(stay off, turn on, or go to last state). I set mine to turn on after an interruption and plug it in to an appliancelinc. If it's off I can cycle the appliancelinc and the computer comes on. I shut it down through remote desktop if I'm not at home. Ed Link to comment
Quixote Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Out of curiosity, could we use a transistor as well? I just discovered them a few months ago and I like them a lot better for most similar applications because they are completely silent. I hate the clicking noise of relays for some reason. Link to comment
jasonl99 Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Have you guys considered buying the Networking Module for the ISY? It has a wake-on-LAN function. You could then wake any computer in a program. Link to comment
Quixote Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Have you guys considered buying the Networking Module for the ISY? It has a wake-on-LAN function. You could then wake any computer in a program. Even better idea. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.