ADB "keyboard-on" switch?

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tmtomh's picture
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ADB "keyboard-on" switch?

Problem: How to power on a Mac from a keyboard with no power-on switch on the keyboard. (Particularly a Color Classic, which can't be powered on without a keyboard power switch.)

I guess if one were good with soldering and electronics, one could solder a switch to an ADB connector, which would short to grown and simulate the power-on from keyboard.

My questions are:

(1) Does anyone have specific info on how to do this, and
(2) Does anyone know of a source of pre-made ADB power-on switches?

TIA,
M

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I never actually tried it, bu

I never actually tried it, but I've always heard all you have to do is short the power switch cable to ground. This would make a nice Applefritter hack...

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Look in the old "hack forums"

Look in the old "hack forums" for ADB Hack. It has been done.

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Can't find?

Thanks for the tip, flipy. I found the thread here:

http://www.applefritter.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl?board=hacks;action=display;num=1075162029

However, it doesn't contain an actual hack, and consists mostly of discussion of how it would be tough to make a wireless ADB solution from scratch.

So anyone with more input, please give it! Thanks!

Speaking of which, I'm thinking that perhaps one could just get a momentary switch from Radio Shack and wire it inline on an ADB cable -- pressing the switch would short power to ground, doing the trick. Once one isolated the correct two wires in the ADB cable, it would be almost as easy as wiring an inline lamp cord switch, yes?

Matt

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If you're working with a colo

If you're working with a color classic, why fiddle with ADB at all? Just rig up a momentary switch button that, when pushed, connects the ADB (analogue board connector pin 5 from the takky diagram) to ground. You'll need to extend the two wires to put the switch wherever you want it, but that should be easy.

If you really want to use an ADB cable, you could take that same button switch and figure out which wires from the "Ports and Pinouts" manual on Gamba's site ("Mac Schematics, Logic Board Layouts, Ports & Pinouts" is the name of the link on the front page). That will tell you which ADB pins do what.

Hope that helps. Perhaps I don't understand your project, but I would imagine which avenue you chose depends on whether you want your switch to be external or somewhere on case.

I've always thought a neat trick would be to rig a CC so that the colored Apple in the middle of the front, or the name plate at the bottom, would be the power button.

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great ideas

thanks dead_elvis, those are some great ideas!

FYI, there's actually a thread on these issues in this forum, from a couple of months ago:

http://www.applefritter.com/node/view/2414

Oops... Blush

A case switch for a CC would be very nice -- I hadn't thought of that.

What I have is a CC and a wireless ADB keyboard. The KB has no power-on key (I assume because a lot of work an expense would've had to have been put in to incorporate the necessary switching functionality in the IR receiver unit). But the IR receiver's ADB cable has a second, short, female-ended ADB connector coming out of it, presumably meant for attaching a mouse (since the KB itself has no ADB ports for a mouse).

Anyway, I figure it'd be convenient to just wire a spst momentary pushbutton switch to that female ADB port -- that way I wouldn't have to reach around all the way to the back of the CC.

But making the Apple logo an on/off switch would be even cooler!

Will update when I get started...

Matt

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ADB Hack

Older than that done by Panther G4 Kid

http://www.applefritter.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl?board=hacks;action=display;num=1060873832

My evil twin created a USB version it looks like. What ever happened to Flip?

A quick search! Whoa, Banned!

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