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iPad mini Any ideas for how to control the iPad's power button mechanically? Doing car install

A

Apple!Fre@k

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 25, 2006
518
7
Hey guys, I'm installing an iPad mini in my car and replacing the OEM 7" display. Because I'm going to be mounting the iPad mini behind the OEM bezel, it's not going to be easily removable and it will hide the power button. I'd like to still be able to put it to sleep or power it off so I'm trying to think of some way I could connect something up to the power button on the iPad to operate it mechanically.

I'm leaving some of the buttons that control the original OEM display so I'm trying to figure out how I can rig one of those buttons to "push-in" on the iPad power button when it's installed. The OEM button pushes straight backwards and the iPad mini power button will be at a right angle since the iPad mini will fit facing me with the power button on the side.

Any ideas how to do it? Or would it be easier just to do it electronically somehow? What's behind the power button on the iPad mini? Does it connect into the circuit board of the iPad? If so, any way I might be able to pull the iPad's power button out and just route a wire straight from my car's OEM button to the power slot on the circuit board of the iPad mini?

Just looking for any ideas! Thanks! :)
 
Cergman

Cergman

macrumors 6502a
Jan 1, 2013
852
305
my tesla
Apple!Fre@k said:
Hey guys, I'm installing an iPad mini in my car and replacing the OEM 7" display. Because I'm going to be mounting the iPad mini behind the OEM bezel, it's not going to be easily removable and it will hide the power button. I'd like to still be able to put it to sleep or power it off so I'm trying to think of some way I could connect something up to the power button on the iPad to operate it mechanically.

I'm leaving some of the buttons that control the original OEM display so I'm trying to figure out how I can rig one of those buttons to "push-in" on the iPad power button when it's installed. The OEM button pushes straight backwards and the iPad mini power button will be at a right angle since the iPad mini will fit facing me with the power button on the side.

Any ideas how to do it? Or would it be easier just to do it electronically somehow? What's behind the power button on the iPad mini? Does it connect into the circuit board of the iPad? If so, any way I might be able to pull the iPad's power button out and just route a wire straight from my car's OEM button to the power slot on the circuit board of the iPad mini?

Just looking for any ideas! Thanks! :)
Click to expand...

Apple has an accessibility option that acts as a physical button press. Check it out at Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch.
 
G

greg555

macrumors 6502a
Mar 24, 2005
644
8
Canada
A small 12 volt solenoid might work. They generally pull in the plunger so you'd have to rig up a pivot to turn the pull into a push.
 
A

Apple!Fre@k

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 25, 2006
518
7
Cergman said:
Apple has an accessibility option that acts as a physical button press. Check it out at Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch.
Click to expand...

Wow! That just might be the ticket!

1. Doesn't appear that AssistiveTouch offers any option for powering down though, just locking the screen. Which probably makes sense because if you use AssistiveTouch to power it down, you really don't have any way to turn it back on except for the power button.

Think there's any way to configure the Home button so that it could also act as the power button? I will have access to the home button so maybe I could configure it to power down the iPad when it's held down long enough, and to power up when it's held down?

If the Home button can't do it, I might be able to live without being able to turn the iPad on or off and just being able to put it to sleep/lock the screen might be enough.

2. In that case, AssistiveTouch is great! However, I can't figure out how the custom gestures work or how to add favorites. I recorded a custom gesture but have no idea how to select the action I want to occur when I make that gesture on the screen. Any ideas?

Also, how do I add "Lock Screen" or "Rotate Screen" to the Favorites part of the AssistiveTouch menu?

Thanks for suggesting it. I've had an iPhone since 2007 and never knew about that!!

And Greg, thanks for the idea about the solenoid! There's very little room to work with though and I'd have to do serious cutting to make the solenoid fit. Which I would do... but it sounds like I can save all of that work and just utilize AssistiveTouch.
 
C

caljay

macrumors newbie
Jun 16, 2012
8
0
Assistive touch can power the device down. Touch and hold the lock screen and the shut down menu will come up.

To turn on again without the power switch, connect power to the lightning connector.

My iPhone 4s has had a non-functional power button for several months and this seems to work for me.
 
M

mikeoui

macrumors regular
Jun 29, 2011
126
2
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Apple!Fre@k said:
Wow! That just might be the ticket!

1. Doesn't appear that AssistiveTouch offers any option for powering down though, just locking the screen. Which probably makes sense because if you use AssistiveTouch to power it down, you really don't have any way to turn it back on except for the power button.

Think there's any way to configure the Home button so that it could also act as the power button? I will have access to the home button so maybe I could configure it to power down the iPad when it's held down long enough, and to power up when it's held down?

If the Home button can't do it, I might be able to live without being able to turn the iPad on or off and just being able to put it to sleep/lock the screen might be enough.

2. In that case, AssistiveTouch is great! However, I can't figure out how the custom gestures work or how to add favorites. I recorded a custom gesture but have no idea how to select the action I want to occur when I make that gesture on the screen. Any ideas?

Also, how do I add "Lock Screen" or "Rotate Screen" to the Favorites part of the AssistiveTouch menu?

Thanks for suggesting it. I've had an iPhone since 2007 and never knew about that!!

And Greg, thanks for the idea about the solenoid! There's very little room to work with though and I'd have to do serious cutting to make the solenoid fit. Which I would do... but it sounds like I can save all of that work and just utilize AssistiveTouch.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately gestures don't work that way. I wish they did too. They literally just save pinching gestures. I.E. you could create the gesture for zooming in on a map and then you select the gesture from favorites and are able to do that gesture with only one finger. You can't assign gestures to specific tasks. Another poster already remedied your power down/power up issue.

As far as I have been able to tell in my research (my home button doesn't work) the "Favorites" area is only for these custom gestures. I haven't figured out of its possible to add commands from elsewhere to this area.
 
Gav2k

Gav2k

macrumors G3
Jul 24, 2009
9,216
1,608
Why bother shutting it down? Home button to wake up. Standby on the mini is weeks
 
A

Apple!Fre@k

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 25, 2006
518
7
caljay said:
Assistive touch can power the device down. Touch and hold the lock screen and the shut down menu will come up.

To turn on again without the power switch, connect power to the lightning connector.

My iPhone 4s has had a non-functional power button for several months and this seems to work for me.
Click to expand...

FANTASTIC! Thank you!!

----------
mikeoui said:
Unfortunately gestures don't work that way. I wish they did too. They literally just save pinching gestures. I.E. you could create the gesture for zooming in on a map and then you select the gesture from favorites and are able to do that gesture with only one finger. You can't assign gestures to specific tasks. Another poster already remedied your power down/power up issue.

As far as I have been able to tell in my research (my home button doesn't work) the "Favorites" area is only for these custom gestures. I haven't figured out of its possible to add commands from elsewhere to this area.
Click to expand...

Makes sense! Thank you! I appreciate it!! :)

----------

Now what happens if the iPad freezes and I don't have access to the power button? Is there any way to do a hard reset without access to the power button?
 
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