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  • Author Author: Former Member
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Gizmo2 - Flash BIOS to Autostart on power up

Former Member

Hi, Looking for a user friendly way to automatically start the Gizmo2 on power up. Understand its possible to change the BIOS to do this.  Anyone had any success with this?  Read various threads on adding external buttons and 3D printing a case to give a user friendly option but wondered if anyone has any advice on updating the BIOS? Thanks.

  • in reply to shabaz

    Hi Shabaz,

    Yes that's how I envisaged an external circuit would work but I have had too many distractions to try it out. At the moment it's not a priority for me anyway.

    If you look at the circuit the power and reset lines are taken to both the PCIe connector and the JTAG debug port so connections can be made to either, no real need to solder across the buttons.

  • in reply to bwelsby

    Hi Brian,

     

    I had a look at the schematic today, the power button on the Gizmo 2 is a pull-down, so could be faked with a small circuit as you mentioned in your solution #2. It could be connected to the PCIe connector, or alternatively could be soldered where the current power button is (e.g. just soldered across it, to keep the existing functionality too).

    I'll try to think of a more optimum way, but just brainstorming this is possible with a 7556 (i.e. dual 7555 ic) to generate a couple of monostable pulses, and use a MOSFET (open drain) to assert the reset after time X, and deassert after time X+Y (where X and Y are the

    monostable times). I think it should work, I'll sketch it out tomorrow if I get time (and might try to solder it up if I have a 7556). Maybe there are easier ways other than a 7556. Or other ways instead of piggy-backing onto the power button.

     

    Hi Robert,

    Does your hardware solution rely on asserting the power button, or is there an alternative method via one of the PCIe connectors?

  • in reply to bwelsby

    Brian I have developed a hardware solution that provides a instant-ON function.  It can be enabled or disabled by a simple jumper.  I can provide boards if enough people are interested. The board would connect to the low speed PCIe connector on Gizmosphere 1 or 2.  This function was a development of the iBOB1 and iBOB2 PCIe x1 breakout boards that I designed for Gizmosphere 1.

     

    Robert

  • Hello,

     

    As I see it there are two possible solutions:

    1.  Modify Bios.

         I downloaded the bios source from the Gizmosphere web site only to find that it is for the original Gizmo not the Gizmo2. I eventually got the sources from Sage Electronic Engineering LLC and have been looking into mods.

    One problem there is updating the bios flash if you don't have an SPI programmer.  You can do it from the Gizmo2 itself but if the new bios has a problem and doesn't boot then you will need an external programmer. It should be possible to use something like a raspberrypi to do this.  I haven't yet been able to take this any further.

     

    2. Additional circuit.

         Build a small reset circuit to pulse low the power signal after a short power on delay. Again I haven't had time to explore this option.

     

    I don't have a working solution yet but I haven't found anyone else that has either.

        

    Brian