)If you missed Part 1 of this story, you can catch up here:
Voodoo FBVC14DGU Digital Fused Distribution Block, Pt 1
Using an 8AWG copper terminal connector, I crimped a short section of the 8AWG power cable and attached it to the positive terminal of the battery...
)If you missed the first part of this story, you can read it here:
Running the System Wires, Pt 1
Continuing with the wiring run, wires were fed down the length of the centerline of the car. These wires provide:
The main RCA Audio cable is a 4 meter length of triple-shielded oxygen free RCA cable, and was run down the passenger side of the vehicle, keeping it as far as possible from the assorted power cables.
)The photos shown in this post represent work that was performed over the last few evenings, and are compiled here into one set which will be easier to follow. First, the rear seats were removed to provide access to the trunk, and to make running wires under the carpet an easier process.
The seat bottoms required over 100lbs of force to lift up, but once the pressure housing gave way they were easily lifted out and set aside...
)If you missed Part 1, you can catch up here:
Building a kill-switch for the Acura ITX, Pt 1
Once the wiring to the dashboard was run, 3 separate 1/4" spade connectors were crimped onto 4 separate lengths of wire. One length is connected to the under-dashboard 12v power tap, which will provide the incoming 12V power from the battery. That wire was connected to the 'Power' terminal on the switch. The second length of wire was connected to the 'Ground' terminal on the switch, and added to an existing ground-point under the dashboard. It's a good idea to add a new ground wire to an existing ground-point rather than to select some random screw in the vehicle chassis to use as a ground.
)The Acura ITX car computer project is being designed so that the mini-itx computer system will operate in as hands-free a manner as possible. Since the mini-itx system will be mounted in the trunk, we don't want to have to open the trunk and press the power button on the carPC each time we intend to drive anywhere.
By using the OPUS 120 mobile PSU, we can essentially hardwire the mobile computer into the ignition system of the Acura CL. Hence, there is no longer any need for an ON/OFF button on the computer system. Simply turning the key to start the car will cause the computer system to boot up as a normal computer would. Likewise, turning the car off will trigger the computer system to shutdown gracefully (or go into standby, suspend, or hibernate modes).
Since both the car computer and the MTSVO-SC retractable LCD touchscreen will be wired directly into the 12V ON battery tap under the dashboard, the computer will always start when the key is turned to start the car. But what about those times when we just want to pull the car out of the garage to wash it, change the oil, or drive two miles to the grocery store? There's little sense in having the computer boot up when it will just be shut down five minutes later, right? So why not place a "killswitch" inline on the ACC wires which lead from the ignition to the mini-itx system and the MTSVO-SC touchscreen?
I removed one of the unused "slug" spacers from the Acura CL dashboard (similar to the one below), and took a quick trip to a local auto parts store, where I found a simple SPST (Single Pole, Single Throw) switch with a 30Amp max load. True, 30Amps is pretty much overkill for this particular situation, since the ACC leads on the OPUS 120 and the MTSVO-SC LCD draw only approximately 5mA each, but 30Amps were the lowest switches I could find and it didn't make sense to drive all over town trying to hunt down a smaller switch with the oil companies jacking the price of gas the way they are... So... we'll use a 30Amp SPST switch with a pretty blue LED light built into it.
Taking the empty slug and a hole cutter, we cut a hole as carefully as possible for a manual cutting job, and slid the switch through. The fit is pretty tight, though the switch can be rotated with enough force, so a drop or two of epoxy or cyano-acrylate might do well to hold the switch securely in place.
The underside of the SPST switch reveals the Power, Load, and Ground plugs onto which the series of spade connectors will be attached to provide power from the ignition and to pass it on to the ACCessory sensing circuitry of the OPUS 120 and the MTSVO-SC touchscreen. I think it turned out pretty well.
Continue on to Part 2 of this story:
Building a Kill Switch for the Acura ITX, Part 2
This post is the creative work of Yours Truly and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
)I found a local car electronics shop which I never knew existed, and picked up a fused digital distribution block made by Voodoo. It cost only $19 which was a pretty good deal, considering it's an alarmed digital distribution block with onboard voltmeter. The guy at the shop threw in a set of fuses and also cut me a deal on 15' of automotive-grade 8AWG power cable which will be used to connect the Acura CL battery to the mini-itx car computer mounted in the trunk.
The Voodoo distribution block has a nice chromed plastic finish which attracts fingerprints like a magnet. The faceplate has 4 red LED lights and a digital readout which displays the current voltage being fed from the vehicle battery, which is constantly monitored by the distribution block's onboard circuity.
Outside view of the Voodoo FBVC14DGU Fused Digital Distribution Block.
Admittedly, this distribution block is a little more than I need strictly for running a mini-itx car computer, but it'll provide extra outputs for future electronic additions to the car, like in a few years when I can install the VR Goggles and drive by thought. ;)
Inside view of the Voodoo FBVC14DGU Distribution Block.
All four fuses must be installed, even if all four outputs are not being used. The distribution block will sound a confusing alarm signal without the presence of all four fuses. Since the block comes with no manual, it can be difficult to figure out what the alarm is actually signaling. Once all four fuses are installed, the alarm ceases beeping and all is well in the land of car computers.
Here are the basic specs:
Voodoo FBVC14DGU Chrome Digital AGU Distribution Block
- High End Platinum Finish
- Fuse Status Indicator
- Alarm beeps when voltage is wrong
- LED Digital Voltage Display
- High Current Wire Receptacle
- 8 or 4 AWG inputs
- 4 Outputs / (1) 4AWG output and (3) 8AWG outputs
- Uses 4 AGU fuses
Continue with Part 2 of this story:
Voodoo FBVC14DGU Fused Distribution Block, pt2
This post is the creative work of Yours Truly and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
)The M2-ATX (and apparently the M1-ATX, since it uses the same firmware) has a set of undocumented jumper settings for customizing the shutdown timing. These custom timings add a degree of flexibility for the everyday use of the M1-ATX and M2-ATX power supplies for those users who find the documented settings to be, well, unfriendly. The undocumented jumper settings are as follows:
ABCD OFFDELAY / HARDOFF
0001 10 minutes / 1 hour
1001 15 minutes / 2 hours
0101 1 hour / 1 hour 15 minutes
Personally, assuming I end up going with the M2-ATX and not an Opus or DS-ATX power supply, I'll probably choose to use the 0001 setting.
Additionally, (at the time of this writing), the firmware is available for download directly from epiacenter.
If anyone discovers additional undocumented jumper timings, please leave a comment.
This post is the creative work of Yours Truly and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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