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Task: I was asked to design a setup for a PC to play video file via projector on a display in the museum. The PC would be placed in the hard to reach area and stay on during the opening hours.

Problem: The PC should turn on whenever there is power. It will be switched off during the night via power cut-off (they switch off the breakers when closing)

Possible solutions:

  1. Relay on BIOS power-on after power cut-off function. The problem with this method is that the PC would stay turned off when someone shuts it off manually, for example by accidently pushing power off button when doing cleaning/maintinance.
  2. Set up an app that would frequently send wake-on-lan requests over the internet. The problem with this option is that it requires proper configuration of the router, which is a divice outside the scope of my task. I could ask them to let me configurate it but in the event that they'd replace it or do something with it, this solution would stop working.
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  • Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 9:51
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    You're looking for a consumer solution to an industrial problem. I'd look into dedicated hardware players, which would probably be far cheaper than a computer, or even a DVD player with hardware on/off switch. I used to deal with thousands of this sort of device used in retail advertising. No-one would dream of using anything as delicate as a computer for this task.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 10:01
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    As Tetsujin says there are better solutions and a full PC may be overkill. Rasberry Pi type devices are perfectly capable of playing video files and being configured as a kind of fire and forget system or configured remotely via ssh. The Pi will turn on when power is applied. It would cost a lot less than a PC, only require a marginal amount more effort and have far lower power requirements.
    – Mokubai ♦
    Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 10:16
  • Look up "digital signage media player". This is big business now. Back in the day [I worked in this industry from 2000-2015] we designed our own & had them built to spec in China - now everybody sells them. Looks like about $£€ 100 entry-level. Plug n play.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 10:29
  • As i described the set up, you are right. However i simplified it for clarity of the issue. It is a dinamic 3d mapping projection that will be taking user inputs via the Wi-Fi so a simple plug & play solution is sadly out of the question.
    – LDV
    Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 10:54

1 Answer 1

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The BIOS setting for this behavior usually has three states: stay off, restore last state or always power on. You're describing the middle state. Set it to always power on and you're done. Before buying a particular motherboard check in its manual whether this settings is available.

Your solution may be overkill though. @Tetsujin mentioned a couple options in his comment. I'd like to add that Raspberry Pi may work for you. They power on immediately when power is provided.

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  • The motherboard in question only has an option to power-on after power-cutoff. But after discussing it, it will suffice. The device will be on a separate power circut, so if they somehow turn it off, they will be able to start it up with a separate power-cutoff.
    – LDV
    Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 11:02

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