VIA Technologies | EPIA-M Mini-ITX | User manual | Mini-ITX Power Solutions

Mini-ITX Power Solutions

Micro DC-DC Converters

&

Automotive Applications

Andrei Bulucea

Ituner Networks Corp http://www.ituner.com

[email protected]

v,1.1 07/14/2003 ab

Mini-ITX Power Solutions

Automotive Solutions

Andrei Bulucea

Ituner Networks

Contents

Contents .............................................................................................................................. 2

ITX, the Ultimate Form Factor ........................................................................................... 3

The mini-ITX Form Factor ................................................................................................. 3

Low Power Consumption ................................................................................................... 3

Performance ........................................................................................................................ 4

Embedded or Consumer PCs? ............................................................................................ 4

Power Requirements for Small Computer Design.............................................................. 5

Peripherals Power Facts...................................................................................................... 5

Power Rails Description ..................................................................................................... 7

Power Consumption Charts ................................................................................................ 7

DC-DC Converters............................................................................................................ 11

Power Solutions for Automotive Use ............................................................................... 13

ITPS Software................................................................................................................... 17

Stuff List ........................................................................................................................... 20

Installing the ITPS in a Car............................................................................................... 20

Compact Flash to IDE Adapters ....................................................................................... 22

Concluding Comments...................................................................................................... 25

Acknowledgments............................................................................................................. 25

Resources .......................................................................................................................... 25

DC-DC converters - 2 - Automotive Applications



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Introduction

This article covers a series of mini-ITX micro power supply solutions focusing on operating VIA’s mini-ITX boards in car environments. To be more precise, the ITPS power sequencer and regulator are described in greater detail. Such power sequencer devices are vital in automotive applications. Also, the article covers some Compact Flash embedded solutions, suitable for environments where high vibrations and low power consumptions are a must.

Several schematics, and the micro-controller code are being released as Open Source for the

Mini-ITX community. We hope this will shed some light onto one of the most interesting and challenging computing areas, the general-purpose automotive computing.

First, for the readers that are unfamiliar with the mini-ITX products, here is a brief introduction.

ITX, the Ultimate Form Factor

In late 1999, Via Technologies took the computing industry by storm with the introduction of the mini-ITX form factor motherboards. The Mini-ITX main board is the ideal platform for an almost unlimited variety of Extreme Value PC, Information Appliance, Set Top Box, Personal Video

Recorders, and Industrial PC designs. By using high level of integration previously available only in embedded computers, and the ultra low power x86 processors VIA was able to break through several frontiers at once:

The mini-ITX Form Factor

Measuring just 170 x 170 mm2, the mini-ITX is the smallest mass produced.

Fig 1.0 - The Mini-ITX form factor

Low Power Consumption

Consuming only 10 W, the EPIA boards broke the x86 power consumption records, while running cooler than ever. For more information on power consumption measurements, please see the

Power Consumption Charts chapter.




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Fig 1.1 - Power consumption chart

Performance

While reducing the footprint of a motherboard, performance of a motherboard usually decreases.

However, this is not the case with VIA’s mini-ITX mainboards. By providing high levels of integration, the Mini-ITX boards often challenge and in some cases exceed the performance of full sized motherboards. Overall, VIA’s “Per Clock” clock performance is better than that of word’s leading CPU manufacturer.

Fig 1.2 - Winstone Performance per Clock

Embedded or Consumer PCs?

While Intel’s and AMD’s processors are getting bigger and hotter and National’s Geode is stagnating at about 300Mhz, VIA's x86 CPUs are getting smaller, faster and cooler, thus providing a real solution for today’s challenging computing environments. Consumer PC OEMs and system Integrators love it. The embedded projects developers love the Mini-ITX platform for its flexibility, low cost and low power requirements.

In an unprecedented move, VIA technologies is blurring the line between the worlds of consumer

PCs and embedded systems. Both worlds benefit from this move (smaller, better PCs and embedded systems at very low costs).




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Power Requirements for Small Computer Design

Along with availability of low-power processors and main boards, one of the main challenges of building a small computer is peripheral size and power consumption. The computer industry has provided many solutions in the storage arena such as miniature 2.5” Hard Drives, Slim-CD

CDROMs and DVDROMS and lately Compact Flash disk storage solutions used to store operating systems and content. For more information on Compact flash adapters, please see the final portion of this article.

NOTE: If you are planning to develop a car PC application, use 2.5” disk drives, as they are rated for greater shock protection and lower power consumption. While the cost per MB on a 3.5” might seem appealing, keep in mind that 3.5” drives are not designed for mobile applications.

Peripherals Power Facts

Q) How much power does a 7200 RMP drive needs?

A) A 7200 RPM drive consumes 10-15 W, mostly from the 12 V rail. A 5400 RMP drive consumes less.

Please refer to the manufacturer product spec for detailed power consumption charts. If you plan on using multiple 3.5" drives, use the PW-60a and the PW-70a dc-dc converters. See more information below.

Q) How much power does a laptop drive consume?

A) Peak power consumption is only 5 W with an average power consumption of 2.5 W. All dc-dc adapters can handle laptop drives.

Q) How about CD-ROMS and DVD-ROMS and slim-CDs?

A) Depending on CD-ROM type, your unit can consume anywhere between 5 and 20 W. Very fast

CDROMS (48X) tend to draw a lot of power from the

12 V

rail at spin-up time. Slim-CDs consume an average of 5 W. When not in use, the power consumption drops to 0.1 W.

Q) How about USB devices?

A) Usually USB devices consume 5 W or less by design. If more power is required by the device, an external adaptor is used.

Q) What is the power consumption of a CF disk?

A) Less than 0.5 W! CF disk are ideal for embedded applications. See the “Compact Flash to IDE” section of this article for more information on Compact Flashes.

Q) What is the power consumption of an 2x20 or 2x16 LCD display?

A) Depending on model and type, the power consumption is less than 2.5 W. Larger LCD displays tend to consume more power.

PSU, the Ultimate Challenge for Small PCs

While hard drives, CDROMS and Flash storage units are getting smaller, power supplies seem to lag behind in the small footprint race. Higher power required by faster processors have driven the power supply industry into a race for bigger and more powerful solutions.

With the introduction of the mini-ITX platform, the power requirements have dropped, but the power supply size remained the same. Fig 1.3 shows a typical ATX power supply with dimensions of W150 x H86 x D140 (mm). As you can see, this power supply is almost as big as the mini-ITX board!




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Carefully look at the EPIA-M main board. See the green ‘snap-in’ module? This is the PW-70 micro power supply from mini-box.com. Find below for more information.

Fig 1.3 - Typical ATX power supply next to an EPIA-M with a micro PSU.

The ATX Power Supply Standard

The ATX power standard provides manufactures with a way to use the same power supplies across many main board designs. All mother board manufacturers and power supply companies agreed on this particular standard. The latest addition to the ATX power standard was made in early 2002 (ATX power standard version 1.2). A special 12 V power connector (see +12 V power connector) was introduced so that it can deliver more power for P4 (ATX12 V). A dc-dc power supply design must follow the ATX power standards.

DC-DC converters

Fig 1.4 - ATX connector and voltages.

- 6 - Automotive Applications



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Power Rails Description

All ATX power supplies have several power outputs. Please see below a matrix indicating the uses for each power rail along with comments related to the power consumption.

Rail Circuit Type Board Type Comments

+12 V

3.5", 5.25 motors, fans, P4 power

Mostly P4 boards (lots of power), FET drive on all boards (little power).

Use PW-60a or PW-70a only when using

3.5" drives or P4s.

+ 5 V

General M/B and disk circuitry, memory, laptop drive motors.

All Boards

All our DC-DC converters have adequate power on this rail

+ 3.3 V

-12 V

- 5 V

+5 V SB

CPU core, memory

Some (older) serial ports chipsets

Obsolete

Memory, vital sleep functions.

EPIA-5000, 800, V, M-

1000, M-2, CL, etc

EPIA-M, EPIA-M2 (EPIA-

5000/800/V does not use the –12 V for serial ports)

NONE

ALL

PW-60/PW70 DC-DC converters have adequate power on this rail in all cases.

Check the serial driver chipset. Modern serial chipsets do not use the –12 V rail.

No longer needed on any boards.

Uses little power.

Power Consumption Charts

The EPIA boards consume different amounts of power in different situations. When idle, the boards consume little power, when in use by highly demanding applications they tend to consume more. Please see below the power consumption charts for various mini-ITX boards.

Hint: It seems that the mini-ITX boards consume the most power when the computer is in the

BIOS administration pages. Do not ask why this happens, it is a fact! If you want to check the thermal design of your enclosure without having to run intensive applications, just put your PC in the BIOS mode.

To measure the total power consumption of your system, connect a digital Amp Meter in series with the 12 V in of your DC-DC power converter. (Do not try to measure the current consumption of your AC power supply as this operates at high voltages). Multiply the reading from your Amp

Meter and multiply it by 12 to get the total power consumption. For example, if your EPIA-5000 current consumption is 0.7 A, then the total power consumption is 8.4 W.

EPIA 5000 Power Consumption

Playing DVD

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

4.97 V

5.04 V

12.28 V

Actual Current, I

2.43 A

1.21 A

0.038 A

0.064 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

8.19 W

6.01 W

0.19 W

0.79 W

Total Power: 15.18 W

Playing MP3

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

4.97 V

5.04 V

12.28 V

Actual Current, I

2.01 A

1.15 A

0.038 A

0.065 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

6.77 W

5.72 W

0.19 W

0.80 W


Running Network Applications




Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

4.97 V

5.04 V

12.28 V

Actual Current, I

1.80 A

0.86 A

0.038 A

0.064 A

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Power, P = V

A

x I

6.07 W

4.27 W

0.19 W

0.79 W

Total Power: 11.32W

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

Idle

3.37 V

4.97 V

5.04 V

12.28 V

Actual Current, I

1.64 A

0.63 A

0.038 A

0.064 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

5.53 W

3.13 W

0.19 W

0.79 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Running Office Applications

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

Actual Current, I

2.016 A

4.97 V

5.04 V

12.28 V

1.22 A

0.038 A

0.065 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

6.79 W

6.06 W

0.19 W

0.80 W


EPIA 800 power consumption

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

Playing DVD

3.37 V

4.90 V

4.95 V

12.54 V

Actual Current, I

2.43 A

2.07 A

0.52 A

0.11 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

8.19 W

10.14 W

2.57 W

1.38 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

Playing MP3

3.37 V

4.90 V

4.95 V

12.54 V

Actual Current, I

1.99 A

1.71 A

0.41 A

0.107 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

6.71 W

8.38 W

2.03 W

1.34 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V


Actual Voltage, V

A

Actual Current, I

3.37 V

4.90 V

4.95 V

1.88 A

1.13 A

0.23 A

12.54 V 0.105 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

6.34 W

5.54 W

1.14 W

1.32 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

Idle

Actual Current, I

4.90 V

4.95 V

12.54 V

1.57 A

0.74 A

0.11 A

0.105 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

5.30 W

3.63 W

0.54 W

1.32 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3V

+5V

5VSB

+12 V


Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

Actual Current, I

4.90 V

4.95 V

12.54 V

1.85 A

2.05 A

0.49 A

0.107 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

6.23 W

10.05 W

2.43 W

1.34 W





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EPIA M E6000 power consumption

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Playing DVD

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

4.92 V

5.02 V

12.40 V

Actual Current, I

3.36 A

1.69 A

0.14 A

0.164 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

11.32 W

8.33 W

0.70 W

2.03 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

Playing MP3

Actual Current, I

3.37 V

4.92 V

5.02 V

12.40 V

3.06 A

1.50 A

0.14 A

0.164 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

10.31 W

7.40 W

0.70 W

2.03 W

Total Power: 20.44 W

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Running Network Applications

Actual Voltage, V

A

Actual Current, I

3.37 V

4.92 V

5.02 V

12.40 V

2.99 A

1.08 A

0.14 A

0.163 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

10.08 W

5.37 W

0.70 W

2.02 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

Idle

Actual Current, I

3.37 V

4.92 V

5.02 V

12.40 V

2.79 A

0.83 A

0.14 A

0.162 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

9.40 W

4.09 W

0.70 W

2.01 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3V

+5V

5VSB

+12 V

Running Office Applications

Actual Voltage, V

A

Actual Current, I

3.37V

4.92V

5.02V

12.40V

3.10A

1.77A

0.14A

0.164A

Power, P = V

A

x I

10.447W

8.7261W

0.7028W

2.0336W


EPIA M 9000/10000 power consumption

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

Playing DVD

Actual Current, I

3.37 V

4.89 V

5.02 V

12.51 V

3.38 A

2.52 A

0.14 A

0.164 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

11.39 W

12.32 W

0.70 W

2.05 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

Playing MP3

3.37 V

4.89 V

5.02 V

12.51 V

Actual Current, I

2.98 A

2.05 A

0.14 A

0.162 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

10.04 W

10.02 W

0.70 W

2.03 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V


Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

4.89 V

5.02 V

12.51 V

Actual Current, I

2.92 A

1.35 A

0.14 A

0.161 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

9.84 W

6.60 W

0.70 W

2.01 W


Idle




Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

4.89 V

5.02 V

12.51V

Actual Current, I

2.73 A

0.98 A

0.14 A

0.161 A

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Power, P = V

A

x I

9.20 W

4.79 W

0.70 W

2.01 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V


Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

4.89 V

5.02 V

12.51 V

Actual Current, I

3.12 A

2.51 A

0.14 A

0.163 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

10.51W

12.27W

0.70W

2.04W


Intel 845 chipset-based main board - Pentium 4 1.8G power consumption

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

CPU 12 V

Playing DVD

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

5.06 V

5.04 V

11.96 V

11.99 V

Actual Current, I

2.82 A

0.77 A

0.058 A

0.179 A

3.10 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

9.50 W

3.90 W

0.29 W

2.14 W

37.17W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

CPU 12 V

Playing MP3

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

5.06 V

5.04 V

11.96 V

11.99 V

Actual Current, I

2.62 A

0.77 A

0.058 A

0.179 A

2.015 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

8.83 W

3.90 W

0.29 W

2.14 W

24.16 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

CPU 12 V


Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

5.06 V

5.04 V

11.96 V

11.99 V

Actual Current, I

2.55 A

0.77 A

0.058 A

0.18 A

0.91 A

Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

CPU 12 V


Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

Actual Current, I

5.06 V

5.04 V

11.96 V

11.99 V

2.61 A

0.77 A

0.058A

0.178 A

4.67 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

8.59 W

3.90 W

0.29 W

2.15 W

10.91 W


Nominal Voltage

+3.3 V

+5 V

5 V SB

+12 V

CPU 12 V

Actual Voltage, V

A

3.37 V

Idle

Actual Current, I

5.06 V

5.04 V

11.96 V

11.99 V

2.53 A

0.76 A

0.058 A

0.18 A

0.796 A

Power, P = V

A

x I

8.53 W

3.85 W

0.29 W

2.15 W

10.91 W


Power, P = V

A

x I

8.80 W

3.90 W

0.29 W

2.13 W

55.99 W


EP




IA 5000

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DC-DC Converters

Another alternative to traditional ATX power supplies is the use of several DC-DC converters to provide power to all the necessary rails from a singe input, usually running at 12 V. This is not a new concept, laptop computers have been using DC-DC converters for a long time.

However, with the introduction of low power mini-ITX boards DC-DC conversion is the natural choice, especially when the designer does not have enough room for a traditional ATX power supply.

Another advantage of using DC-DC converters is that they are 100% silent. The internal oscillators of an DC-DC converter operate at 300-600Khz, therefore they do not produce any audible noise. By using highly efficient ‘step down’ BUCK converters (linear regulators are very inefficient), the heat dissipation is small. For example, a 60 W DC-DC converter does not require any active cooling and it can operate at 40-50 Celsius with no heat sinks.

A single 12 V input is used to step down to 3.3,and 5 V and invert to -12 V and -5 V (if needed).

Also, 5 V SB power is provided for sleep functions. The 12 V output can be regulated by boosting

5 V to 12 V or simply switching ON/OFF with a P-channel FET (see below for more information on car applications).

There are several DC-DC converter manufacturers. However, the DC-DC converters developed by mini-box.com are designed specifically for the VIA mini-ITX boards:

A unique snap-in daughter-board design allows you to plug the DC-DC converter directly into the mother board’s ATX connector, thus reducing space and not using the messy ATX power cable extenders. At this time, mini-box.com provides 2 types of snap-in power modules. The PW-60 was designed for the EPIA-5000, EPIA-800, EPIA-V while the PW-70 was designed for the EPIA-

M form factor.

These DC-DC ATX power converters operate from 12 V and are highly efficient. Applications range from portable to automotive and small form factor embedded robotics, or solar powered computer systems.




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Fig 1.5 - PW-60 snap-in micro PSU from mini-box.com

The PW-60 snaps in the ATX connector. Enough clearance is provided for the IDE0 and IDE1 hard disk sockets. The total mini-ITX and PW-60 assembly was designed to be under 1U (1.75”) so that it can fit in rack mounted equipment. More information regarding PW-60 can be found at http://www.mini-box.com

Fig 1.6 - PW-60 snapped into an EPIA-800 board




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Fig 1.7 - PW-70 designed for EPIA-M series

The PW-70 snaps into the ATX connector of an EPIA-M, fitting in between the CPU and the back connectors. The PW-70 is a credit card sized power supply and it is the smallest DC-DC snap-in

ATX power supply in the market. Details about PW-70 can be found at http://www.mini-box.com

Fig 1.8 - PW-70 snapped into an EPIA-M board (in between CPU and keyboard connector)

Power Solutions for Automotive Use

This section describes in detail a LDO regulator + power sequencer design to be used with off the shelf DC-DC converters. Schematics and microcode are provided free of charge for readers’ reference implementation without providing development support for designs incorporating them.

However, fully working units along with car wiring kits are available from mini-box.com. Please visit http://www.mini-box.com

for more details.




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DC-DC converters - 14 -

Fig 2.0

Automotive Applications



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ITPS Mode of Operation

Switched and un-switched battery goes into J1 via F1 (6A polyfuse). D2 and D3 provide reverse and forward protection. The power is controlled by U2 microcontroller (PIC 12C508). GPIO 1 controls the 12 V in via the Q1 and Q2 (power P-channel FET). GPIO 2/4 are connected to the

Motherboard button (open drain) to turn OFF/ON the board. For more information on how the power sequencer works, see the “Power Sequencing” chapter.

The output of Q2 goes into U4, and the 12 V/5V LDO LM-1084-12 into your DC-DC converter.

For more information on regulation, see “Regulation for Automotive Use”

Microcode and timing charts are available below.

Fig 2.1, ITOS photo (board size 120x16mm)

Regulation for Automotive Use

While many DC-DC converters can operate directly from a 12 V source, it is a good idea to regulate the car 12 V output prior to applying it to the input of the DC-DC converter. Cars do have voltage regulation. However, in some instances the voltage can spike up as high as 18-20 V, activating over-voltage protection circuitry on the DC-DC converter as well as on your motherboard.

Since a typical car voltage is in between 13.4-14.5 V, an LDO (low dropout) regulator can be used to provide a clean 12 V output. Proper heat sinks must be used with LDO circuits. The power dissipation on the LDO regulator is

P

D

= (V in

-V out

) x I in

, where V in

is the input voltage, V out

P

D

is the 12 V regulated voltage, and I in

is the total current consumed by your mini-ITX board. Here is an example:

= (13.8 V – 12.0 V) x 2A = 3.6 V, indicating that you do need a heat sink! Look up www.digi-key.com

for more information on TO-

220 heat sinks. A good heat sink model used in the ITPS power sequencer project is Digi-Key

HS104-2-ND – TO220 PWR CLR 1.45” 10 W.




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The LDO used in this project is National’s LM1084, 12 V 5A LDO regulator. For more information on this 3pin IC, check http://power.national.com

or lookup Digi-Key LM1084IT-12-ND (U4).

Please note that in some transient situations, car battery voltages can drop below 9-10V, causing a reset of PW-60/PW-70. A simple way of preventing voltage dips is to have a small sealed acid battery in parallel with your un-switched battery terminals, isolated by a diode. The capacity of the

SLA battery does not matter because these transient situations occur only for few seconds. A good example of a voltage dip situation is when leaving your car at the gas station with ignition turned on. When starting the car, the 12V source could drop below 10V.

Power Sequencing

Another important design consideration for a car application is power sequencing. While the LDO regulator ensures that regulated power is fed into the PW-60 or PW-70 dc-dc converters, power sequencing is necessary to turn on, turn off and shut down the power in a predefined order. This design ensures that both soft and hard power shutdown signals are sent your motherboard and

DC-DC converter so that your PC gracefully turns off. Also, the power will be cut off when the car is not running to prevent battery discharge. When the car is not running, the power sequencer is still on, consuming just few mW of power, far less that your alarm system or your radio.

ON

5s

OFF

Ignition

ON/OFF

3s

ON

45s

Power to dc-dc

OFF

System board on/off button

1s

Starting sequence

Running sequence

Rapid engine start/stop sequence

Shutting down sequence

Fig 2.2 - Power sequencing diagram

The self-documented power sequencer assembler code is described in the ITPS Software box.

To burn the software, you can use a Needhams EMP-21 programmer. The assembler used was a

Microchip MPASM.




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ITPS Software

;

; Ituner power sequencer

;

; pd 030611 initial code

LIST p=12C508A ;Target processor

#include "P12C508A.INC" ;Header file for target processor

; GP0 = VSW12 input 1 = ignition turned on

; GP1 = ON output 1 = turn power on

; GP2 = MBON# o.d. 0 = power button pressed

; GP3 = n.c. input

; GP4 = MBON2# o.d. 0 = power button pressed (parallel out,

; makes connector flip-tolerant)

; GP5 = n.c. output 0 = terminate unused pin

; Equates

PWR_OFF equ 0x00 ;power off state

PWR_ON equ 0x02 ;power on state

SW_ON equ 0x09 ;direction for switch on

SW_OFF equ 0x1d ;direction for switch off

ONDELAY equ .15 ;power on delay 3 seconds

ONDELAY2 equ .5 ;wait 1 second until push button

BUTTON equ .2 ;push button for 400 ms

OFFDELAY equ .25 ;shut down 5 s after ignition off

HARDOFF equ .25;&&&225 ;hard off after 45 seconds

; Register variables

cblock 0x10

cntr ;state counter

cntr2 ;state counter

waitl ;delay counter low

waitm ;delay counter mid

waith ;delay counter high

endc

; ORG 0x1FF ; processor reset vector

; Internal RC calibration value is placed at location 0x1FF by Microchip

; as a movlw k, where the k is a literal value.

; Reset entry

org 0 reset movwf OSCCAL ;set oscillator calibration

movlw PWR_OFF ;set initial state

movwf GPIO

movlw SW_OFF ;set pin directions

tris GPIO

movlw b'11001101' ;set option register (pg. 17)

;disable wake-up on GP pin change

;disable weak pull-ups

;timer0 internal clock, positive edge

;prescaler -> WDT, 1:32 -> ~0.5s

option

clrwdt ;clear watchdog

; initial state - wait until ignition is on for ONDELAY initial movlw ONDELAY ;initial power on

movwf cntr initwait call delay200 ;wait

btfss GPIO,0 ;ignition on ?

goto initial ;no: clear counter

decfsz cntr,f ;initial time-out

goto initwait

; turn power on, wait ONDELAY2



Automotive Solutions turnon movlw PWR_ON

movwf GPIO

movlw ONDELAY2 ;wait for ONDELAY2

movwf cntr turnon1 call delay200 ;wait

decfsz cntr,f

goto turnon1


goto reset ;no: turn off again

; push the system board power button

movlw SW_ON ;push the button

tris GPIO

movlw BUTTON ;wait for BUTTON

movwf cntr button1 call delay200 ;wait

decfsz cntr,f

goto button1

movlw SW_OFF ;release the button

tris GPIO

; power on state - shut down if ignition off for OFFDELAY onstate movlw OFFDELAY

movwf cntr onstate1 call delay200

btfsc GPIO,0 ;ignition on ?

goto onstate ;yes: reset timer

decfsz cntr,f

goto onstate1

; shut down - push the system board power button

movlw SW_ON ;push the button

tris GPIO

movlw BUTTON ;wait for BUTTON

movwf cntr button2 call delay200 ;wait

decfsz cntr,f

goto button2

movlw SW_OFF ;release the button

tris GPIO

; turn-off state - turn off power after HARDOFF

; go back to restart after ONDELAY

movlw HARDOFF

movwf cntr

movlw ONDELAY

movwf cntr2 shut1 call delay200


goto shut2 ;:no

decfsz cntr2,f

goto turnon ;go turn-on if ignition on for ONDELAY

goto shut3 shut2 movlw ONDELAY ;ignition off - restart on timer

movwf cntr2 shut3 decfsz cntr,f

goto shut1 ;keep waiting

goto reset ;do hard power off

; 200 ms delay routine delay200 clrwdt ;tickle the watchdog

movlw .2 ;note count is +1 (decfsz !)

movwf waith

movlw .0

movwf waitm

clrf waitl del1 decfsz waitl,f ;delay loop - 3 us per iteration

goto del1

decfsz waitm,f

goto del1

decfsz waith,f

goto del1

retlw 0

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; define configuration bits

__config _MCLRE_OFF & _CP_OFF & _WDT_ON & _IntRC_OSC

;_MCLRE_ON EQU H'0FFF'

;_MCLRE_OFF EQU H'0FEF'

;_CP_ON EQU H'0FF7'

;_CP_OFF EQU H'0FFF'

;_WDT_ON EQU H'0FFF'

;_WDT_OFF EQU H'0FFB'

;_LP_OSC EQU H'0FFC'

;_XT_OSC EQU H'0FFD'

;_IntRC_OSC EQU H'0FFE'

;_ExtRC_OSC EQU H'0FFF'

end

As you can see, there are several variables that can be changed if you wish to tune the power sequencer:

ONDELAY: The delay before aping power to the DC-DC converter. This is required so that the battery voltage will rise above 12 V. This usually happens very fast, but it is always good to have a safety margin in place.

ONDELAY2: The delay in between applying power to the DC-DC converter and actually turning the motherboard ON. This is required so that the DC-DC passes the start sequence.

BUTTON: How long the motherboard power-ON” button will stay ‘pushed’

OFFDELAY: This is the delay after then ignition has been turned off. After the OFFDELAY, the motherboard will receive an power-OFF command.

HARDOFF: After the HARDDOFF delay, the power to the DC-DC converter will be cut off. In some instances (especially when running Windows) the operating system might not respond to power-OFF commands, therefore it is necessary to cut off the power to the entire system so that your car battery won’t drain.

Fig 2.3 ITPS mounted in the mini-box M-100




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Fig 2.3 shows the ITPS module mounted inside the mini-box.com M100. All M-100 units have mounting space for ITPS, thus making the M-100 a perfect candidate for automotive applications.

Stuff List

This is the list of components required to build the ITPS power sequencer.

All components are available for on-line purchasing from Digi-Key.com. The DigiKey heat sink part number is not included (see specification above).

Stuff list for ITPS1A Options:

SMT resistors:

2 #9 R4 R5 R 10kR 5% 0.1W 0805

2 #17 R1 R2 R 1kR 5% 0.1W 0805

1 #40 R3 R 4.7kR 5% 0.1W 0805

SMT capacitors:

2 #114 C1 C2 C 0.1uF 20% 50V Z5U 0805

SMT active:

1 #56 D1 BAV99 dual diode SOT-23

1 #823 D2 Schottky diode MBRS340 3A 40V SMC

1 #853 Q2 FET IRFR5305 p-ch DPAK

1 #290 U3 IC 78L05M SO8 regulator

1 #856 D3 TVS SMBJ18A

1 #31 Q1 Transistor 2N3904 SOT23

1 #850 D4 Zener BZX84C15 15V SOT23

Through hole:

2 #849 C3 C4 C 47uF 50V elyt. 6.3 x 11 mm

1 #70 J2 Header 2x1 polarized

1 #852 J3 Header 3x1 0.156" pol. no pin 2

1 #851 J1 Header 3x1 0.156" polarized

1 #855 F1 PolyFuse RUE600 6A PTH

1 #185 U2 Socket DIP8

Second hand load:

1 #186 U2 IC PIC12C508A DIP8 Uc

Installing the ITPS in a Car

Switched and un-switched battery can be easily found in a car. Remove the keys from ignition and, using a voltmeter, look for the continuous 12 V. Usually, the alarm system as well as your radio/CD unit use un-switched (continuous) power. Using a T-TAP (see fig 4.0) and a “fast disconnect male” connector, wire the continuous 12 V to the +12 V pin on your ITPS and the ground to GND. Use 12-16 AWG cables.

If uninterrupted 12 V cannot be easily found inside the passenger compartment, you can always wire it directly from the car battery. You just need to find a hole into the car’s firewall, usually covered by a removable plastic cap. If a removable plastic cap is not found, you can use existent holes to bring is your wires from the engine compartment inside your car.




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Fig 4.0 - T-TAP connector from 3M, PN-06153

Fig 4.1 - Quick disconnect male

Follow the same procedure to find the switched battery outlets, this time switching the ignition off and on to ensure that you are indeed using a switched battery outlet. Since the switched battery input does not require high current (it is used to read only ignition status) any type of wire gauge can be used. Alternatively, a cigarette lighter adapter, can be used to sense the ignition status

(Digi-Key APP-001-ND).

Note that most 12 V car wirings are 12 V switched.

Good luck with your car project. A fully built ITPS power sequencer and DC-DC converters such as the PW-70 and PW-60 are available for on-line purchasing from http://www.mini-box.com

.

Fig 2.4 M-100 operating inside a Volvo 850




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Compact Flash to IDE Adapters

A good choice for automotive and small enclosure design is the use of Compact Flash Adapters.

The IDE to Compact Flash adapter enables OEMs to replace hard disk drives with economical, rugged Compact Flash cards. This is a convenient interface that allows Compact Flash modules to be used in any system that includes a standard IDE 40 pin connector. Once the platform starts with the adapter and the CF card attached, the compact flash module appears to the system as a standard disk drive. Unlike other flash storage systems such as DiskOn-Chip modules, this solution does not require drivers or additional software to run the unit. The CF card can be the primary boot device containing the OS and application.

The uniqueness of this particular Compact Flash to IDE adapter is that it does not require any

IDE cables, it snaps directly into the EPIA-5000/800/V motherboard!

Other Compact Flash form factors are available. See more pictures below. These compact flash adapters are available at http://www.mini-box.com

and http://www.epia-power.ch

, as well as at other few more sites.

Fig 3.1 - CF adapter “daughterboard” for EPIA-800

DC-DC converters

Fig 3.2 - CFDISK 1C, 40pin IDE

- 22 - Automotive Applications



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Fig 3.3 - CFDISK 2D, 44 pin adapter, Laptop drive replacement.

Fig 3.4 - ITCF top view with USB snap-off board.




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Fig 3.5 - ITCF schematic

Fig 3.1 shows the CF adapter “daughterboard” for EPIA-800.

Fig. 3.2 shows the CFDISK 1C, 40pin IDE.

Fig. 3.3 shows the CFDISK 2D, 44 pin adapter, Laptop drive replacement.

Fig. 3.4 shows the top layout of this Mini-ITX Compact Flash adapter along with a snap-off USB mini-board.




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Fig 3.5 shows a typical Compact Flash to IDE adapter implementation. Please note that this implementation does not permit hot swapping. This particular implementation is set to act as a

Master device and it can plug in either IDE0 or IDE1. C2 is used for power filtering, 0.1

µF.

For a complete set of schematics and PCB layout, please contact [email protected].

Concluding Comments

This article has provided useful information for developing a car PC application. In the world of mass-produced mainboards, the VIA mini-ITX platform is the most suited car PC computing platform. I personally love the mini-ITX products. For years, until VIA come up with the mini-ITX boards, I have been looking for the ideal small PC board that is reasonably priced and not underpowered. I can only hope that VIA will come up with more mini-ITX and nano-ITX boards in the future. Not knowing anything about the nano-ITX form factor (announced at CE-Bit 2003) I visit almost every day http:/www.mini-itx.com to keep up with the latest mini-ITX projects, news and rumors.

Acknowledgments

VIA Technologies EPIA-M Operating Guidelines.

National Semiconductor’s power.national.com web site

Mini-itx.com web site

Mini-box.com web site

Resources

Forums: http://www.epia-forums.com

Auto forums: http://www.epia-forums.com/auto

Via’s web site: http://www.via.com.tw

Mini-ITX resources: http://www.mini-itx.com


VIA Technologies | EPIA-M Mini-ITX | User manual | Mini-ITX Power Solutions

Mini-ITX Power Solutions

Micro DC-DC Converters

&

Automotive Applications

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