Ignition Page

The Ignition page configures the power-sequence timers on platforms that have an ignition MCU: the CQ20 and the CQ40N series. On hardware without ignition timers, such as the CQ40 series, the page is greyed out. This page covers the app itself; for what the timers do, their safe ranges, and the power sequence in full, see Ignition Timers.

The page reads its whole layout from the connected hardware, so what you see depends on the machine. A CQ20 shows four timers in two groups; a CQ40N shows five timers in three groups plus a Delay Unit card. Nothing needs configuring to switch between them.

Older models: use CQUtils for now

pcu is new, and we are still backporting support for older In-CarPC models, including ignition management. If your machine is not yet supported, use the CQUtils program preinstalled on the desktop in the meantime. Not sure which applies to your machine? Contact In-CarPC support.

The power sequence

The “Power Sequence” card at the top draws a timeline of the startup and shutdown paths, with each timer’s current value shown on the stage it controls. The stages come from the connected platform, so a CQ20 shows Ignition On to DC Power to PC Running, while a CQ40N shows a shorter Ignition On to System Start. Select “How does the power sequence work?” underneath for an explanation written for that platform.

The full description lives on Ignition Timers.

Changing a timer

The timers are grouped into cards by what they control:

Card	Contains
Startup Sequence	The timers between turning the key and the PC booting
Shutdown Sequence	The timers between turning the key off and the PC powering down
UPS and Power Loss	The timers that apply when running on the UPS battery (CQ40N only)

Every timer shows its description, its Recommended / Default / Range, and what happens if you set it too low or too high.

To change a timer (for example the Shutdown Delay on a CQ20):

1. Open the “Shutdown Sequence” card and find “Shutdown Delay”.
2. Choose a value: either a “Quick select” preset (for example “5 min (default)”) or type a number into the custom value box.
3. Select “Save”.
4. In the confirmation dialog, check the value and select “Confirm”. The dialog is titled “Confirm Timer Write” and reads, for example, “Write Shutdown Delay = 120s (2m)?”.
5. pcu writes the value, reads it back, and shows “Set to 120s” once the hardware confirms it. The current value updates to the verified reading.

Presets and typed values are checked against the timer’s range before the write, so an out-of-range value is rejected before anything is sent to the hardware. The presets offered are the ones that suit the connected platform, so the same timer name can offer different presets on a CQ20 and a CQ40N.

Caution

Timer writes change how the vehicle PC powers up and shuts down. Confirm each value against your installation. The dialog reminds you: “MCU writes directly affect hardware power sequencing. Incorrect values may affect vehicle PC boot behavior.” The timer meanings, the recommended values, and the edge-triggered ignition behaviour are covered in full on Ignition Timers.

Delay Unit (CQ40N series)

On a CQ40N the page shows a “Delay Unit” card above the timers. Most of that platform’s timers are counted in this unit; the Ignition On Delay is always in seconds.

The card shows the current setting as “Timers are counted in minutes” or “Timers are counted in seconds”, with “Minutes” and “Seconds” buttons to change it. It reads the setting from the hardware each time the page loads, so it stays correct even if the unit was changed outside pcu, in BIOS setup or with the manufacturer’s own utility.

Changing the unit does not convert the stored timer values

The MCU stores those timers as plain counts, so switching the unit changes what the counts mean and nothing recalculates them. A Force Off Timeout of 15 minutes becomes a 15 second timeout, which can cut power before the operating system has finished shutting down.

The app says so on the card, and the confirmation dialog (“Confirm Delay Unit Change”) repeats it before the write. After the change, re-check every timer value below.

Unit changes and timer writes cannot overlap. While the unit is being written the timer cards are disabled, and while any timer is saving the unit buttons are disabled, so the two can never race on the same MCU.

Ignition mode (CQ20)

On a CQ20, an “Ignition Mode” card between the power sequence and the timer editors shows whether ignition power sequencing is currently on (“Ignition is On”) or off (“Ignition is Off”). It is read-only.

Ignition mode is read-only

The CQ20 MCU firmware does not support changing the ignition mode from software, so the app shows the current mode and explains that the mode is changed with the physical switch on the ignition module board. There is no toggle to enable.

Cards you do not see

The Ignition Mode and Delay Unit cards appear only on hardware that has the underlying setting. A CQ20 has an ignition mode and no delay unit; a CQ40N has a delay unit and no ignition mode. The card that does not apply is hidden rather than greyed out.

This is deliberate, and it differs from how the rest of the app behaves. Elsewhere pcu greys out an option and explains why, because the action is temporarily unavailable. A missing hardware setting is not a temporarily unavailable action, and showing a greyed-out control would imply the machine has a setting it does not have.