Remote switch-on PC project
 

Since a while I was puzzling my mind on how to remotely turn on my PC.
I've come across a few solutions online, none of which is applicable
or really useful, especially in my case.

Eg:
- infrared remote control (short distance)
- "wake on LAN" technology (non working with wireless LANs)

I have small wireless LAN of linux clients and servers, I travel a lot
and I use to manage most of the computers remotely.

Yesterday I decided to build a small device that is able to do the
trick. I will use a mobile telephone with a new SIM card and new
number. The telephone will be phisically connected to the computer
motherboard. I'm planning to mod the telephone PCB to switch on one of
the PCs when the telephone is called.

I still have no blueprint and before starting the project I'd love to
have your opinions/ideas about it. I think it can be a very useful
little device for many people.

- which of the telephone's circuits can be used to power on the PC
(the speaker circuit maybe)?
- is it possible to build a small bypass between the real PC switch
and the motherboard?
- how would you build this or improve my idea?

Thanks a lot to everybody.

Mauro

Remote switch-on PC project
 

On 12 Feb 2007 00:59:35 -0800, "Chrom_"
wrote:

Since a while I was puzzling my mind on how to remotely turn on my PC.
I've come across a few solutions online, none of which is applicable
or really useful, especially in my case.

Eg:
- infrared remote control (short distance)
- "wake on LAN" technology (non working with wireless LANs)

I have small wireless LAN of linux clients and servers, I travel a lot
and I use to manage most of the computers remotely.

Yesterday I decided to build a small device that is able to do the
trick. I will use a mobile telephone with a new SIM card and new
number. The telephone will be phisically connected to the computer
motherboard. I'm planning to mod the telephone PCB to switch on one of
the PCs when the telephone is called.

I still have no blueprint and before starting the project I'd love to
have your opinions/ideas about it. I think it can be a very useful
little device for many people.

- which of the telephone's circuits can be used to power on the PC
(the speaker circuit maybe)?
- is it possible to build a small bypass between the real PC switch
and the motherboard?
- how would you build this or improve my idea?

---
That's a commonly used technique and there are devices called
"paging data receivers" which will do the job properly instead of
hacking a mobile phone.

Google "paging data receiver" for hundreds of thousands of hits.


--
JF

Remote switch-on PC project
 

Google "paging data receiver" for hundreds of thousands of hits.


Usually very expensive - buy a junk phone off ebay for $20 and its a lot
easier though less neat. I'm using it the other way round - my car alarm has
a phone hacked onto it and it dials me when the alarm is triggered.

Remote switch-on PC project
 

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:41:29 -0000, "Coyoteboy"
wrote:


Google "paging data receiver" for hundreds of thousands of hits.


Usually very expensive - buy a junk phone off ebay for $20 and its a lot
easier though less neat.

---
True.
---

I'm using it the other way round - my car alarm has
a phone hacked onto it and it dials me when the alarm is triggered.

---
Thanks. :-)


--
JF

Remote switch-on PC project
 

On Feb 13, 12:41 pm, "Coyoteboy" wrote:
Google "paging data receiver" for hundreds of thousands of hits.

Usually very expensive - buy a junk phone off ebay for $20 and its a lot
easier though less neat. I'm using it the other way round - my car alarm has
a phone hacked onto it and it dials me when the alarm is triggered.

Nice, and how do you do that? Do you have any advice?

I've been wondering how to switch on the PC properly. I'm thinking on
the following points:

- of course I need a relay that closes the circuit and switches on the
PC
- I need an accumulator before the relay because I don't know how fast
the speaker current oscillates and I don't wanna fry the PC
motherboard.
- maybe I need a relay that closes the circuit for x seconds _when_
the current stops flowing. This involves a accumulator that I expect
to be built in the stock relay.
- I'm considering to use the vibration motor circuit insted of the
speaker because I'm not sure the speaker has enough voltage to close
the relay

Any further idea for a better design? Thanks.

Mauro

Remote switch-on PC project
 

On Feb 12, 2:11 pm, John Fields wrote:
On 12 Feb 2007 00:59:35 -0800, "Chrom_"
wrote:
Google "paging data receiver" for hundreds of thousands of hits.

Thanks John, I've been googling and I've also came across some GSM
remote controls used to swith on - for example - heaters in an holiday
house or open gates, though they are expansive (also because they do
much more than I need), and not as fun at all! :-)

I still hope for yours and other's suggestions. Thanks.

Mauro

Remote switch-on PC project
 

Get an old cassette type telephone answering machine at a thrift store.
These have dial tone decoders to play back messages when you punch in your
playback code from a remote phone.
Hack into the answering machine and find the playback signal and use it to
latch a relay controlling your pc.



"Chrom_" wrote in message
oups.com...
Since a while I was puzzling my mind on how to remotely turn on my PC.
I've come across a few solutions online, none of which is applicable
or really useful, especially in my case.

Eg:
- infrared remote control (short distance)
- "wake on LAN" technology (non working with wireless LANs)

I have small wireless LAN of linux clients and servers, I travel a lot
and I use to manage most of the computers remotely.

Yesterday I decided to build a small device that is able to do the
trick. I will use a mobile telephone with a new SIM card and new
number. The telephone will be phisically connected to the computer
motherboard. I'm planning to mod the telephone PCB to switch on one of
the PCs when the telephone is called.

I still have no blueprint and before starting the project I'd love to
have your opinions/ideas about it. I think it can be a very useful
little device for many people.

- which of the telephone's circuits can be used to power on the PC
(the speaker circuit maybe)?
- is it possible to build a small bypass between the real PC switch
and the motherboard?
- how would you build this or improve my idea?

Thanks a lot to everybody.

Mauro

Remote switch-on PC project
 

"Chrom_" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Feb 13, 12:41 pm, "Coyoteboy" wrote:
Nice, and how do you do that? Do you have any advice?
Simplest hack in the world - small picaxe microprocessor that waits for a
signal on the alarm line (alarm has a specific output) and then shorts one
of the keys on the phone- this then speed-dials my number. I leave it with
the charger hard-wired into it.


Any further idea for a better design? Thanks.

I'd go back to a simple cheap microprocessor - monitor the LEDs for voltage
(1 line of code) and latch an output until you ring it again when it turns
off or monitor the PC for status to know whether its on or off. You can
communicate with them using a serial port too.


Mauro

Remote switch-on PC project
 

On 2007-02-14, Chrom_ wrote:
On Feb 13, 12:41 pm, "Coyoteboy" wrote:
Google "paging data receiver" for hundreds of thousands of hits.

Usually very expensive - buy a junk phone off ebay for $20 and its a lot
easier though less neat. I'm using it the other way round - my car alarm has
a phone hacked onto it and it dials me when the alarm is triggered.

Nice, and how do you do that? Do you have any advice?

I've been wondering how to switch on the PC properly. I'm thinking on
the following points:

- of course I need a relay that closes the circuit and switches on the
PC
- I need an accumulator before the relay because I don't know how fast
the speaker current oscillates and I don't wanna fry the PC
motherboard.
- maybe I need a relay that closes the circuit for x seconds _when_
the current stops flowing. This involves a accumulator that I expect
to be built in the stock relay.
- I'm considering to use the vibration motor circuit insted of the
speaker because I'm not sure the speaker has enough voltage to close
the relay

Any further idea for a better design? Thanks.

there's no need to butcher the phone:
make a vibration sensor and set the phone to vibrate, or a light sensor and
detect the display lighting up when it rings.

ASS-U-MING an ATX powersupply you'll only need a small relay to switch the
power button wires

you may want to look into settings that can be used to make the phone only
ring if called from your phone....

Bye.
Jasen

Remote switch-on PC project
 

On 14 Feb, 13:51, "Jack" wrote:
Get an old cassette type telephone answering machine at a thrift store.
These have dial tone decoders to play back messages when you punch in your
playback code from a remote phone.
Hack into the answering machine and find the playback signal and use it to
latch a relay controlling your pc.

Jack, i like your thinking - clever use of existing technology.

Remote switch-on PC project
 

Jasen,

there's no need to butcher the phone:
make a vibration sensor and set the phone to vibrate, or a light sensor and
detect the display lighting up when it rings.

I don't mind slaughtering the phone if I can save money :-) It's old
and useless as it is now. I could attach the relay directly to the
vibration motor, but in this case I nees an accumulator before the
relay switch. How do I decide the size of the accumulator and of the
relay?

ASS-U-MING an ATX powersupply you'll only need a small relay to switch the
power button wires

Yes, it's a normal ATX.

you may want to look into settings that can be used to make the phone only
ring if called from your phone....

Absolutely yes.

Thanks a lot.

Mauro

Remote switch-on PC project
 

On 2007-02-15, Chrom_ wrote:
Jasen,

there's no need to butcher the phone:
make a vibration sensor and set the phone to vibrate, or a light sensor and
detect the display lighting up when it rings.

I don't mind slaughtering the phone if I can save money :-) It's old
and useless as it is now. I could attach the relay directly to the
vibration motor, but in this case I nees an accumulator before the
relay switch. How do I decide the size of the accumulator and of the
relay?

if the phone is charged from an isolated source
(ie not from an earthed source like USB or the pc's powersupply)
you don't even need a relay. this circut will do it:

it's probably best to use the led for the signal as hopefully
it won's switch on and off many times retriggering the power
switch,


you'll have to get it the right way round both ends.
if you have a voltmeter the more positive terminal
is top both ends, if not it won't be damaged
if connected backwards


.------ to power switch
10uF /
+|| |/ BC547 /
----+-----||-+--[1K]----| (or 2n3904 etc)
| || | |\|
from LED [100K] -+- ~\
| /A\ 1N914 |
| | |
-----+--------+------------+------

(needs to be viewed with a fixed font
hit view source under options to align the text)

Bye.
Jasen

Remote switch-on PC project
 

.------ to power switch
10uF /
+|| |/ BC547 /
----+-----||-+--[1K]----| (or 2n3904 etc)
| || | |\|
from LED [100K] -+- ~\
| /A\ 1N914 |
| | |
-----+--------+------------+------

Thank you very much Jasen, I'll look into that. I hope to have a
working prototype for this weekend (especially if I don't need the
relay).

Mauro