Cube Power Button to mITX Motherboard

[walkinginfog]

I am wondering if anyone might have some knowledge regarding my dilemma. I'll be installing a mini-ITX motherboard in a G4 Cube, and cannot figure out how to attach the Cube's power button connector for the small power switch assembly circuit board (Apple P/N 922-4741, 820-1183-A; see attached photo) to an ATX compatible pin header. Obviously I would need to strip the original connector and attach the wires individually to the pin header, but have been unable to determine what each of the five individual pins at the connector head and the four individual wires they connect to represent in terms of function and voltage. (It's a five-pin header that has four wires leaving it and ends in a six-pin connector. Likely two wires are for the LED, one for power activation, and one for sleep mode). Any thoughts? Thank you.

 

P.S.: I don't know why "Microsoft Bob" is displayed on the side of my post and it's disturbing.

[user2]

I am wondering if anyone might have some knowledge regarding my dilemma. I'll be installing a mini-ITX motherboard in a G4 Cube, and cannot figure out how to attach the Cube's power button connector for the small power switch assembly circuit board (Apple P/N 922-4741, 820-1183-A; see attached photo) to an ATX compatible pin header. Obviously I would need to strip the original connector and attach the wires individually to the pin header, but have been unable to determine what each of the five individual pins at the connector head and the four individual wires they connect to represent in terms of function and voltage. (It's a five-pin header that has four wires leaving it and ends in a six-pin connector. Likely two wires are for the LED, one for power activation, and one for sleep mode). Any thoughts? Thank you.

 

P.S.: I don't know why "Microsoft Bob" is displayed on the side of my post and it's disturbing.

 

 

you could bypass the board entirely and just solder to the back of the button. Other than that I would get a meter and ceck for omentary continuity when the button in pressed.

[walkinginfog]

you could bypass the board entirely and just solder to the back of the button. Other than that I would get a meter and ceck for omentary continuity when the button in pressed.

 

Thanks for your response. Because the Cube's unique power button is designed to function with static capacitance (it senses static electricity in one's finger), it's not a typical mechanical switch (there isn't even a hole in the case). So, there isn't actually a literal "button," but rather an LED with a special plastic cover that interfaces with a gasket on the underside of the enclosure. Therefore, if I don't use the board, I don't think it will function as intended.

[sandwer]

Thanks for your response. Because the Cube's unique power button is designed to function with static capacitance (it senses static electricity in one's finger), it's not a typical mechanical switch (there isn't even a hole in the case). So, there isn't actually a literal "button," but rather an LED with a special plastic cover that interfaces with a gasket on the underside of the enclosure. Therefore, if I don't use the board, I don't think it will function as intended.

 

Have you tried www.cubeowner.com ? Theres a fair few cube hardware experts over there. In fact I'm sure someone over there has done what you are doing....

 

Are you going to run osx on it eventually? I'd be interested in what you are doing - tell us more? I've got a cube myself that I've pretty much run out of upgrade path for ;-)

 

//R

[walkinginfog]

Have you tried www.cubeowner.com ? Theres a fair few cube hardware experts over there. In fact I'm sure someone over there has done what you are doing....

 

Are you going to run osx on it eventually? I'd be interested in what you are doing - tell us more? I've got a cube myself that I've pretty much run out of upgrade path for ;-)

 

//R

 

Good idea. I have previously searched cubeowner.com's power subforum under the main hardware forum, as well as skimmed all 20 pages and read some of the individual threads. However, I did not post this question there, and your suggestion has lead me to do so, which hopefully will generate some knowledgeable responses.

 

My initial intention was to dual-boot using GNU/Linux and Windows, though since I came across this site, I've been considering triple-booting with OS X as well; alternatively, I could employ virtualization to run the additional operating systems.

 

Regarding hardware, my project is not really an upgrade but a new home-built system, as I just have a bare cube chassis and external enclosure that I bought recently, and never owned an originally configured, functioning Cube. I plan to use an x86 mITX motherboard, Intel Core 2 Duo mobile CPU (Merom), 2x 2.5" HDD as RAID1 (planned motherboard has ICH7R chipset for onboard RAID), and a passively cooled XFX 7600GS (between HDDs and optical drive; mfr. states it is under 7" long) to drive a 30" ACD. My goal is to assemble a small, yet rather powerful and practical desktop PC while maintaining very low power consumption for a silent or virtually silent system (sounds like the goals of the original Cube!). I suppose it's rather ambitious, and if you are just interested in better performance, look for any mITX motherboard that accomodates one of the more recent Intel mobile CPUs (e.g., the current Yonah or the upcoming Merom, which is due in August). If you're on a budget (as these parts aren't cheap when compared to an ATX system), you could opt for a Pentium M or Celeron M (just check the power consumption of any CPU under consideration). For the lowest cost, a VIA EPIA motherboard could be used, though some reviews have found the performance lacking for tasks beyond basic uses such as e-mail, Internet browsing, and office applications (see http://www.silentpcreview.com/article609-page1.html). One thing you need to keep in mind if you consider this is that you would need to use a drill and Dremel on your cube chassis for the internal mounting of the hardware. There are a few articles online showing how others have done something similar:

http://www.epiacenter.com/modules.php?name...le&artid=46

http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/g4pc/

http://www.gordyhand.co.uk/maccube.htm

 

Now back to the actual topic: Does anyone else have any knowledge involving attaching the Cube power button (or perhaps other Apple power buttons, as there may be similarities) to an ATX-compatible pin header? (My original post at the beginning of this thread includes the details of this issue). I definitely appreciate any thoughts others may have!

[U.C.]

Capacitive switches normally require a external power supply and based on that they judge wether contact is made.

 

This wht I would do,

 

1) Connect switch to Cube, check how much voltage is given and to which pin.

2) Find out which pins are shorted when switch is touched

 

NOW Give Switch req voltages externally and check if it is still shorting pins, if yes connect those pins to mobo power connector and enjoy.

[walkinginfog]

Capacitive switches normally require a external power supply and based on that they judge wether contact is made.

 

This wht I would do,

 

1) Connect switch to Cube, check how much voltage is given and to which pin.

2) Find out which pins are shorted when switch is touched

 

NOW Give Switch req voltages externally and check if it is still shorting pins, if yes connect those pins to mobo power connector and enjoy.

 

This approach sounds promising, but I'm not sure how it is possible. Perhaps my earlier posts did not make it clear that this is a bare Cube--I just have the external enclosure and complete chassis (which is either refurbished or an Apple Service part per the supplier, as it has no serial number), including the power and reset swiches, power switch gasket, etc. While the switch is installed in the Cube, there is no way to attach it to anything except the new motherboard (which I do not yet have but will be available before long, and in any event do not want to take a chance with), and thus there is no original Cube motherboard and PSU available for testing. Am I missing something?

[dacho]

I know this is an old post but has anyone figured out the pinout for the power switch?

 

Thanks

[walkinginfog]

I know this is an old post but has anyone figured out the pinout for the power switch?

 

Thanks

 

I was never able to figure out the pinout and abandoned the project. I tried to figure out the wiring and even contacted the Apple Developer Connection about it, but they claimed that there was no publicly available information (ridiculous). Probably the best alternative I've seen is explained at http://www.123macmini.com/macminicube/. The author provides some detail on how he built his own similar switch from parts available from electronics suppliers (see especially p. 3; it's not that involved). An alternative is to set the BIOS so that the system can be powered on by a keyboard or mouse. If someone eventually figures out how to use the original power switch with a mini-ITX motherboard, an explanatory post would be great.

[neil43]

Take a look at this link. The fellow has it documented. My project is not far enough along to tell you for sure that this works.

 

neil