Relocating tricky power button

[shiznannigan]

Hi all... I'm new here, and would like to start by saying that the resources here are great... I'm working on building a wall-hangable PC to put in my 2-year-old daughter's room so she can watch movies.

The PC I'm starting out with for this project is a Toshiba 1955, one of the first "desktop replacement" notebook computers. It's served me well for nearly 4 years, with three foreign tours under it's belt. But the case has formed all sorts of cracks, and the screen distorts every time I raise/lower the lid.

Now the tricky part. The 1955 is unique in that it had a pop-out wireless rechargable keyboard. That on it's own is not a problem, any USB keyboard will also work with it. Where the problem lies is that the computer's POWER BUTTON is on the keyboard... so there is no hard wiring from the power button to the main body of the laptop, it just sends it's signal wirelessly, or when the keyboard is installed in the main body, through the 9 contacts on the back of the keyboard.

Because giving the computer a new case will require me to relocate the power button, does anybody here know how I could hardwire one?

Link goes to short article about the Toshiba 1955 with pic.
http://www.forbes.com/2002/10/10/1010tentech_print.html

[Omega]

Find out which of thsoe contacts runs to the power button, desolder the button off of the keyboard, and put wires on it.

That should do it, but don't trust me, I'm a novice when it comes to electronics.

[maximan1]

Omega should be right.
My advice: desolder stuff in the computer until it fails to respond when you press the power button (this is a joke)

[shiznannigan]

I don't think the button can come off of the keyboard, it's only about a quarter-inch thick or so.

Do you think it would work to, while the computer is off, use a "jumper" wire to find out if touching two of the contacts will get the computer to power up?

[CanaBalistic]

Yes that should work. Just start with it off, that way there is less chance of frying somthing. Once you get it atarted just add some jumper wires to thoes pins and presto.

[Omega]

I don't think the button can come off of the keyboard, it's only about a quarter-inch thick or so.

Do you think it would work to, while the computer is off, use a "jumper" wire to find out if touching two of the contacts will get the computer to power up?


That's actually a marvelous idea.

Oh, by the way, you can get that button off you you really *cough*dremel*cough* try *cough*srsly*cough*.


The jumper idea is better. If all else fails, trace it to the motherboard.

[shiznannigan]

Hmm, no dice with the jumper. Strangely, regaurdless of weather or not the laptop is plugged in, the computer will turn on if you press the power button while it's out of the rest of the laptop. So I guess it's always scanning for the keyboard's signal.

I really don't want to take the keyboard apart, as I don't want to find out this simply won't work, but then have a laptop too broken to sell on eBay. And something tells me I won't find much out anyways, the circuitry for the power button probably just runs into an IC before making it to the 9 contact points.

[DaveW]

If you post a photo of this i can probably come up with some sort of solution.

Are you going to be using the laptop as a computer or as a DVD player?

-Dave

[shiznannigan]

Here are some pictures of the contacts on the back of the keyboard and on the main body of the laptop.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/shiznannigan/keyboardcontacts.jpg

I don't think I'll be using the DVD player of the laptop, it doesn't work half the time anyways. What I was planning to do is just load a bunch of movies on the hard drive, and transfer other movies to/from it with USB drives as needed.

[Cool1Net6]

Just an idea but Serial ports have 9 pins, am I correct? I dont know if that helps in your quest.

-Cool-

[maximan1]

Hi all... I'm new here, and would like to start by saying that the resources here are great... I'm working on building a wall-hangable PC to put in my 2-year-old daughter's room so she can watch movies.

The PC I'm starting out with for this project is a Toshiba 1955, one of the first "desktop replacement" notebook computers. It's served me well for nearly 4 years, with three foreign tours under it's belt. But the case has formed all sorts of cracks, and the screen distorts every time I raise/lower the lid.

Now the tricky part. The 1955 is unique in that it had a pop-out wireless rechargable keyboard. That on it's own is not a problem, any USB keyboard will also work with it. Where the problem lies is that the computer's POWER BUTTON is on the keyboard... so there is no hard wiring from the power button to the main body of the laptop, it just sends it's signal wirelessly, or when the keyboard is installed in the main body, through the 9 contacts on the back of the keyboard.

Because giving the computer a new case will require me to relocate the power button, does anybody here know how I could hardwire one?

Link goes to short article about the Toshiba 1955 with pic.
http://www.forbes.com/2002/10/10/1010tentech_print.html
Just a q:
Why?