Jump to content

Power button help! laptop based cabinet - Dell 1545


Mamelaa

Recommended Posts

Hello everyone!

This is my first post, so apologies for having to ask for help without first being able to give something back. I have made a few MAME cabs and have recently fixed a friend's chassis on his MVS system and thought it was about time I built a bartop one... so not entirely useless :)

I am using a laptop and want to run another momentary power switch so the outside of the cabinet. I've taken the laptop apart and can see this power board on the Dell 1545....

http://img2.parts-people.com/products/1545powerbutton1.jpg

This little pushbutton has three wires all covered in some kind of glue so I was thinking, expose the wires and short them until I find which combination of left, middle and right turns the machine on...

However I thought there is probably an easier way of doing this, but have no idea what that might be. Are you able to make any suggestions/tell me how you do it, or was I right? if I am it's going to be fiddly but probably possible.

Thank you

(I'll upload pics when and a build diary when done. So far I've only made a template from card and a massive sheet of MDF sitting in the front room)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello everyone!

This is my first post, so apologies for having to ask for help without first being able to give something back. I have made a few MAME cabs and have recently fixed a friend's chassis on his MVS system and thought it was about time I built a bartop one... so not entirely useless :)

I am using a laptop and want to run another momentary power switch so the outside of the cabinet. I've taken the laptop apart and can see this power board on the Dell 1545....

http://img2.parts-people.com/products/1545powerbutton1.jpg

This little pushbutton has three wires all covered in some kind of glue so I was thinking, expose the wires and short them until I find which combination of left, middle and right turns the machine on...

However I thought there is probably an easier way of doing this, but have no idea what that might be. Are you able to make any suggestions/tell me how you do it, or was I right? if I am it's going to be fiddly but probably possible.

Thank you

(I'll upload pics when and a build diary when done. So far I've only made a template from card and a massive sheet of MDF sitting in the front room)

Hi, just use a multimeter and check for continuity. Much better than shorting the lines running into the laptop. http://www.ladyada.net/library/metertut/continuity.html

Thanks,

Ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Ron, I'll try this...

So I just push the button and it beeps when I'm on the two correct wires? sounds too simple!

The hard bit will be trying to solder wires to the existing ones that are as thin as a few sheers of paper... will probably use a soldering iron to burn away the plastic and expose the wires, and at different points on the ribbon so less chance of them touching accidentally. That is the plan anyway...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Ron and anyone else who might find this useful,

It seems I was looking at this all wrong, soldering onto tiny metal ribbon cables would have been hard work so thought about it and decided to solder one wire to the gold plated back on the PCB and one to the right hand wire, where it solders onto the button side of the board. Removed the hard glue with a knife and burnt the rest off with the soldering iron to expose the contact. You can see the trace on the back of the board so thought it was worth giving it a go, and it works!

Much easier when you don't try to over complicate things..

Thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...