mini-box M1-ATX Installation Manual

GND

+

Switch Logic 6-2430V ATX

PSU

PC ATX

power

MotherBoard
ON/OFF switch

M1-ATX

Battery

Ignition

-SW +

J6

LED

J4

J2

8bit MCU

Amplifier
Enable

J8

Reverse and

forward protection

Optional On/OFF switch

M1-ATX

6-24V Intelligent Automotive ATX Power Supply

Installation Guide

Version 1.0c

P/N M1-ATX-01

Before you start…

Please take a moment and read this manual before you install the M1-ATX in your
vehicle. Often times, rushing into installing the unit can result in serious damage
to your M1-ATX board, computer and probably your car’s electrical system.

The M1-ATX board has several wires that need to be installed in various places.
When installing, always double check the polarity of your wires with a voltmeter.

NEVER use the cigarette plug as a power source, often times the contacts are not
capable of delivering high current to your PC.

1.0 Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the M1-ATX power sequencer / vehicle ATX power supply.

The M1-ATX was designed to work with a wide variety of main boards such as the VIA
mini-ITX motherboards as well as low power Pentium-M or Celeron I, II and III systems.
Please note that powering full power P4 or AMD systems is not recommended due to
12V rail power limitations.

1.1 M1-ATX Logic Diagram

http://mini-box.com, Cool Embedded PCs

1.2 M1-ATX Connection diagram

M1-ATX, top view

Power Input Connectors
J11 Battery + (un-switched battery, positive)
J12 Ignition (switched battery, positive. Can test by connecting it to Battery +)
J13 Battery - (negative)

Controls and Settings
J2 Controls amplifier via remote ON/OFF. Left pin is RMT, Right pin is GND
J6 To motherboard ON/OFF switch
J7 User jumper settings (A,B,C,D)
J8 To external ON/OFF switch (optional, J8 is in parallel with J6)

Power Output Connectors
J3 Optional HDD power (not shown in this picture)
J5 ATX power connector (to motherboard)
J4 To LED (optional)

NOTE: “when HARDOFF is set to “never”, the M1-ATX will automatically shut down
when battery voltage is below 11V for more than 1 minute in order to prevent ‘deep
discharge’ situations.

1.2 Power challenges in a Vehicle PC

The 5V Standby Problem: One of most difficult tasks of operating a PC in a vehicle is

power consumption while the computer is OFF. Even if your computer is totally OFF, it

M1-ATX User Guide Page 2