M4-ATX 6-30V Intelligent ATX Power Supply Installation Guide
Please take a moment and read this manual before you install the M4-ATX in your vehicle. Often times, rushing into installing the unit can result in serious damage to your M4-ATX board, computer and probably your car’s electrical system. Always double check the polarity of your wires with a voltmeter. Avoid using the cigarette plug as a power source, often times the contacts are not capable of delivering high current to your PC.
Thank you for purchasing the M4-ATX power sequencer / vehicle ATX power supply. The M4-ATX was designed to work with a wide variety of main boards ranging from low power to fully fledged Intel, AMD or VIA models.
NOTE: To reset to the M4-ATX settings to the factory defaults (in case changes were made via the USB uplink), simply power off the unit, connect a jumper to JP1 and then power back up. The LED light will start to flash rapidly indicating that the factory defaults were loaded. Don’t forget to Remove jumper when done! Disconnect M4-ATX from battery for at least 10 seconds. Next time when power is applied, M4-ATX will operate from the factory defaults settings.
Power challenges in a Vehicle PC: One of most difficult tasks of operating a PC in a vehicle is power consumption while the computer is OFF. Even when your computer is OFF, it will still consume about 100mA on the 5V rail. When the computer is in the suspend mode, it will consume even more power, because the RAM needs to be powered at all times. No matter how big your battery is, you will eventually drain it if proper actions are not taken.
The M4-ATX is addressing these issues by cutting off the 5VSB rail after a pre-defined amount of time (see jumper chart, HARDOFF). During the HARDOFF if the battery level drops below 11.2V for more than one minute, M4-ATX will shut down and re-activate only when the input voltage is > 12V.
Engine Cranks, under-voltage and over-voltage situations. Another difficult task is maintaining stable power to your PC. While car batteries are rated at 12V, they actually provide voltages in between 7-11V (engine cranks) or as high as 80 volts (load dump). Most of the times, your battery will stay at 13.5V (while car is running) but extra precautions need to take place in order to prevent such situations. M4-ATX can operate as low as 6V and as high as 30V while providing strict regulation on all rails along with input voltage clamping and reverse protection.
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