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get ADB performa keyboard power button to turn on G4 quick silver...

Ncc74656

Well-known member
just when i think im nearing the end of this build... one more road block.
i need my Performa keyboard (from a 6300CD with the single mouse port in the center) to turn on my G4 867Mhz quick silver.
i do not have an ADC video card, from what i have read pins 3/11 on AGP are in some way used to supply power BUT i cant find any info on HOW the ADC connector allowed the cinema monitors to power on the computer.

I have a wombat ADB to USB adapter. it has that side power button and allows use of the keyboard power button to turn on some computers. perhaps the wombat is reading the power button key press and that is something i could use? the QS has 25V stand by power, i could step that down to 5V and run the wombat internally - allowing for it to read the button press.

from there - what does the wombat do? it must be sending a signal down USB as its designed to turn on G3/G4's right? so if i put a usb sniffer in line off a daughter board, a separate PLC, i could wait for that packet to come down - when the daughter board's chip sees that packet - it could activate a transistorized relay which in turn could manually close the circuit for the front panel power button - thus allowing the keyboard to power on or off the QS.

what do you guys think, has anyone done this before?
an easier way?
maybe use an arduino in line to handle the relaying?
 

al kossow

Active member
At some point in the G4 life cycle, Apple removed the power on through USB functionality because
it violated the USB spec.
 

Ncc74656

Well-known member
Yeah I've come to realize that, somewhere around 2001 is where they dropped it. So I'm building a logic controller that will sniff the bus and the encapsulate the packets, from there I can set a transistorized output to trigger a relay and manually close the power switch on the front IO panel.
 

Ncc74656

Well-known member
I think you're going to find it did something gross like short the D+ D- lines when you pushed the button.
lol! we will see... but maybe
im going to work on it sunday, just got my sata card in the mail so thats the next step - then i get my new welder next week and can finish the video card/power supply/sata card mounts.
fiberglass for a new fan shroud and speaker enclosure i hope will be done next weekend - its finially warm enough that i can glass with out running the heater all day. (we hit 54F today! winter is finially over)
 

sfiera

Well-known member
I think you would find it much easier to bypass the Wombat for power-on. ADB power-on works by shorting pin 2 (PSW) to ground. The front panel power button probably does the same or the reverse. If you intercept pin 2 between the keyboard and Wombat, you should need minimal circuitry.
 

LaPorta

Well-known member
At some point in the G4 life cycle, Apple removed the power on through USB functionality because
it violated the USB spec.
Is that why? For twenty years, I have wondered why Apple did away with the one most convenient feature they ever had.
 

Ncc74656

Well-known member
Is that why? For twenty years, I have wondered why Apple did away with the one most convenient feature they ever had.
could be i guess, it would surprise me. apple seems fine to go against 'standards', its sorta their thing. why choose this one time to follow them? o_O
 
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