Command Reference

pcu-cli is the command-line tool for reading and configuring In-CarPC vehicle PCs. This page lists every command that ships in the release build, with the exact output each one produces. For flags, JSON output, and scripting, see Scripting and Automation.

Running pcu-cli

Run a command as pcu-cli <command>. Hardware commands need elevated access:

• Windows: run status, ign, and dio from an elevated (Administrator) terminal. help, version, and driver work without elevation. Without Administrator rights, a hardware command stops with a terse error:

  ERROR: This program must be run as Administrator.
  Hardware access requires elevated privileges (PawnIO kernel driver).

• Linux: run with sudo, or set up unprivileged access once with pcu-setup.sh. See Install on Linux. SMBus platforms (CQ20, CQ40N series, and CQ50S series) use the i2c group; digital I/O on the CQ40 series needs CAP_SYS_RAWIO. The CQ40 series uses both: its ignition timers go over SMBus and its digital I/O over port I/O.

Run with no arguments to open an interactive numbered menu, which is handy when launching by double-click:

$ pcu-cli
Commands:
  [1] Status        All available readings
  [2] Ignition      Timer configuration
  [3] Digital I/O   DI/DO read and control
  [4] Driver        PawnIO driver management
  [h] Help          Show CLI usage
  [0] Exit

Select:

A short banner is printed above the menu. The [4] Driver entry appears on Windows only. Passing flags but no command (for example pcu-cli --json) runs status.

The [2] Ignition sub-menu offers viewing the timer summary, setting a timer, and [3] Delay unit (minutes or seconds, where supported).

Help and the menu match your machine

pcu-cli help and the interactive menu adapt to the machine they are run on. On hardware pcu recognises, they list only what that platform actually has:

• help prints a Detected platform: line naming the machine, then only that platform’s commands and only its timer table.
• The menu hides the entries that do not apply. [3] Digital I/O does not appear on a CQ20, CQ40N series, or CQ50S series machine. A CQ40 series machine shows both [2] Ignition and [3] Digital I/O.
• On Linux, the Requires: footer prints only the line that applies: the i2c group note on an SMBus machine, the CAP_SYS_RAWIO note on a machine with digital I/O. A CQ40 series machine gets both lines.

The menu numbers do not shift when an entry is hidden, so you will see gaps. That is deliberate: a number means the same thing on every machine, and any guide or note that refers to [3] stays correct.

Detection reads the board identity the BIOS reports. It needs no driver, no elevation, and no hardware access, so pcu-cli help gives you the tailored list even from an ordinary terminal.

Hiding is cosmetic only

A command that is hidden is not disabled. Typing it, or typing a hidden menu number, still runs it and still gets the normal “feature not available” answer with exit code 2. Nothing changes about what the hardware can do; only the reference list gets shorter.

On a machine pcu does not recognise, such as a development PC, nothing is hidden and the full command list and every platform’s timer table are shown. That is also what the examples on this page show, so you can see the whole surface in one place.

status

Read-only overview of the connected hardware. On a platform with ignition timers this includes the MCU identity and the timer summary.

Command	Description
pcu-cli status	Show platform, MCU identity, and all current hardware readings.

$ pcu-cli status
pcu v1.2.1  - In-CarPC CQ20 Status
----------------------------------------
  Platform            : In-CarPC CQ20 (Intel Atom x6425E)
  MCU Identity        : CQ20 MCU
  Hardware Rev        : DTB-IGN-MCU VER:10
  Firmware            : 12

  MCU Firmware        : 12
  Ignition Mode       : On
  Anti-Crank Delay    : 6s           anti-crank filter before DC power
  Boot Delay          : 3s           DC rails stable before power button
  Shutdown Delay      : 3s           IGN off to ACPI shutdown command
  Force Off Timeout   : 15m          hard power cut if OS hangs
  Timers Stored       : Yes, kept when DC power is removed

The firmware version appears twice: once in the platform block and again in the MCU readings. That is expected.

On a CQ50S series machine the MCU readings also include the ignition input and two UPS lines:

$ pcu-cli status
pcu v1.2.1  - In-CarPC CQ50S series Status
----------------------------------------
  Platform            : In-CarPC CQ50S series (Intel Core (CQ53S/CQ55S/CQ57S))
  MCU Identity        : CQ50S Ignition MCU
  Hardware Rev        : n/a
  Firmware            : V0.5.0-0.4

  MCU Firmware        : V0.5.0-0.4
  Ignition            : On
  UPS Mode            : Normal
  UPS Voltage         : 12.29 V
  Ignition On Delay   : 3s           Wait after the ignition switches on before the system starts
  Ignition Off Delay  : 3s           Wait after the ignition switches off before the shutdown starts
  Force Off Timeout   : 15m          Time after the shutdown starts before the MCU cuts power anyway
  UPS Off Delay       : 1m           Time on the UPS battery after the supply is lost before the shutdown starts
  Timers Stored       : Yes, kept when DC power is removed

UPS Mode is Normal or On. UPS Voltage is the voltage the MCU reports, shown as Unknown when the reading is out of range. Both are read-only. If a timer holds a delay longer than pcu can set (18h 12m 15s), an extra line such as Ignition Off Delay On Unit shows the real value; see Ignition Timers.

On a platform with ignition timers, the last line, Timers Stored, says that timer writes are kept when DC power is removed. On a CQ20 this needs pcu 1.1.1 or later; see Ignition Timers. It describes the platform and is not a live check. --quiet leaves it out, and a platform without ignition timers does not print it.

ign

Read and write the ignition power-sequencing timers. Available on the CQ20, the CQ40 series, the CQ40N series, and the CQ50S series. The timer names, how many there are, and the unit they are counted in all come from the connected platform, so ign on a CQ20 lists four seconds-based timers, on a CQ40 series or CQ40N series machine lists five, and on a CQ50S lists four seconds-based timers.

Older models: use CQUtils for now

pcu is new, and we are still backporting support for older In-CarPC models, including ignition management. More models will be supported soon. 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.

Command	Description
pcu-cli ign	Show all ignition timer values.
pcu-cli ign get <timer>	Read one timer. Shorthand: pcu-cli ign <timer>.
pcu-cli ign set <timer> <value>	Write one timer in the platform’s unit (asks to confirm). On a CQ20 and a CQ50S the value is also stored in the MCU.
pcu-cli ign unit	Show the delay unit the timers are counted in (platforms with a selectable unit).
pcu-cli ign unit <minutes|seconds>	Change the delay unit (asks to confirm). Stored timer values are plain counts and are not converted.

The timer names differ by platform:

Platform	Timer names
In-CarPC CQ20	ign-on-delay, sw-on-delay, sw-off-delay, pw-off-delay
In-CarPC CQ40 series	ign-on-delay, ign-off-delay, pw-off-delay, ups-off-delay, ups-pw-off-delay
In-CarPC CQ40N series	ign-on-delay, ign-off-delay, pw-off-delay, ups-off-delay, ups-pw-off-delay
In-CarPC CQ50S series	ign-on-delay, ign-off-delay, pw-off-delay, ups-off-delay

See Ignition Timers for each timer’s range, default, and what it controls.

$ pcu-cli ign
pcu v1.2.1  - In-CarPC CQ20 Ignition
----------------------------------------
  MCU Firmware        : 12
  Ignition Mode       : On
  Anti-Crank Delay    : 6s               IGN on to DC power
  Boot Delay          : 3s               DC on to power button
  Shutdown Delay      : 3s               IGN off to ACPI shutdown
  Force Off Timeout   : 900s (15m)       Hard power cut if OS hangs

On a CQ40 series or CQ40N series machine the same command lists that platform’s five timers instead, and adds a Delay Unit line showing whether they are currently being counted in minutes or seconds. On a CQ50S it lists four timers, all counted in seconds:

$ pcu-cli ign
pcu v1.2.1  - In-CarPC CQ50S series Ignition
----------------------------------------
  MCU Firmware        : V0.5.0-0.4
  Ignition On Delay   : 3s               Wait after the ignition switches on before the system starts
  Ignition Off Delay  : 3s               Wait after the ignition switches off before the shutdown starts
  Force Off Timeout   : 900s (15m)       Time after the shutdown starts before the MCU cuts power anyway
  UPS Off Delay       : 60s (1m)         Time on the UPS battery after the supply is lost before the shutdown starts

Read one timer. The get keyword is optional, so pcu-cli ign sw-off-delay reads the same value:

$ pcu-cli ign get sw-off-delay
  Shutdown Delay: 3s

Writing a timer asks for confirmation, writes the value, then reads it back. On a CQ20 and a CQ50S the write also stores the value in the MCU, before the readback. A good result reads “verified and stored”:

$ pcu-cli ign set sw-on-delay 3
Write Boot Delay = 3s? [y/N] y
  Boot Delay: 3s - verified and stored

On a CQ40 series or CQ40N series machine the same command reports Ignition Off Delay: 2m - verified and stored, with the value in the unit the timers are currently counted in. Those MCUs save timers by themselves, so they have no separate store step.

Writing ign-off-delay can switch the settings source

On the CQ40 series and the CQ40N series the MCU can take its settings from the BIOS. Writing ign-off-delay switches the settings source from the BIOS to the MCU’s own settings. When the source is not already the MCU’s own, pcu-cli prints a warning on stderr, before the confirmation prompt if there is one, and after the write it prints a notice that the source was switched. The other timers do not cause a switch. With --yes, --quiet, or redirected input the prompt is skipped but the warning is still printed. Under --quiet the notice goes to stderr too, so stdout stays the bare value. Under --json the notice is the notice key; see Scripting and Automation.

After switching, pcu reads the setting back once. If the MCU does not confirm the change, the timer is still written and the notice says pcu could not confirm the change, so the timer may still be governed by the BIOS (or, if the source was an unrecognised value, may not be using the MCU’s own settings). pcu does not repeat the switch.

If a CQ20 does not confirm the store within 5 seconds, or a CQ50S does not accept the save command, pcu warns and exits with code 1. The value is in place but will be lost when DC power is removed, so run the command again. See A timer was set but not stored.

  WARNING: Boot Delay was set to 3s but was not stored. The MCU did not confirm the store within 5 seconds. The value will be lost when DC power is removed. Run the command again.

A value outside the timer’s range is rejected before anything is written, and the tool shows the default (exit code 1):

$ pcu-cli ign set sw-on-delay 99
ERROR: Boot Delay must be 1-60s. Got: 99
  Default: 3s

Every supported platform has ignition timers. A CQ40 series machine whose ignition half cannot be reached exits with code 1; see A CQ40 with only one half connected.

ign unit

The CQ40 series and the CQ40N series count four of their five timers in a unit you can change between minutes and seconds. pcu-cli ign unit reads that setting, and pcu-cli ign unit minutes or pcu-cli ign unit seconds changes it. The value words are flexible: m, min, mins, minute, and minutes are all accepted, as are s, sec, secs, second, and seconds.

Reading it prints one indented line, Delay unit: minutes or Delay unit: seconds. With --quiet you get the bare word on its own line, which is the form to parse in a script.

Changing the unit does not convert the stored timer values

The MCU stores those four timers as plain counts. Switching the unit changes what the counts mean and nothing recalculates them, so a Force Off Timeout of 15 becomes fifteen seconds instead of fifteen minutes. ign unit warns about this and asks you to confirm before writing, then reminds you to re-check the timers with pcu-cli ign. Always do so. See The delay unit.

The confirmation prompt spells out the consequence before asking, and the prompt is printed to stderr like every other pcu confirmation. After a successful change pcu reads the setting back and reports it as verified, then prints a reminder that the timer values were not converted.

On a platform with no such setting (the CQ20 and the CQ50S series), the command reports that and exits with code 2:

ERROR: This platform has no delay unit setting. Its timers are always counted in seconds.

dio

Monitor digital inputs and the ignition line, and switch digital outputs. Available on the CQ40 series only. A CQ40 can connect with only one of its two halves; see A CQ40 with only one half connected.

Older models: use CQUtils for now

pcu is new, and we are still backporting support for older In-CarPC models, including digital I/O. More models will be supported soon. 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.

Channel	Direction	Description
di1, di2	Input (read-only)	Digital inputs.
do1, do2	Output (read/write)	Digital outputs.
ign	Input (read-only)	Ignition / accessory sense line.

Command	Description
pcu-cli dio	Show all digital inputs, outputs, and the ignition line.
pcu-cli dio get <channel>	Read one channel. Shorthand: pcu-cli dio di1.
`pcu-cli dio set <do#> <0	1>`

$ pcu-cli dio
pcu v1.2.1  - In-CarPC CQ40 series Digital I/O
----------------------------------------
  DI1                 : High
  DI2                 : Low
  DO1                 : Low
  DO2                 : Low
  Ignition (IGN)      : On

  Note: outputs reset to off on reboot or power loss; the state is not saved.

Read one channel. The channel keyword is optional, so pcu-cli dio di1 reads the same value:

$ pcu-cli dio get di1
  DI1: High

Setting an output warns that outputs drive real hardware, asks to confirm, then reads the state back:

$ pcu-cli dio set do1 1
WARNING: digital outputs drive connected hardware (relays / switches / lamps).
Set DO1 = High? [y/N] y
  DO1: High - verified

Note

Output state is not saved across a restart. On reboot or power loss the outputs return to off. To assert an output at startup, run pcu-cli dio set from a boot script. See Digital I/O.

On a platform without digital I/O (the CQ20, the CQ40N series, and the CQ50S series), the command reports that the feature is unavailable and exits with code 2:

$ pcu-cli dio
ERROR: Digital I/O is not available on In-CarPC CQ20.

A CQ40 with only one half connected

A CQ40 series machine has two halves: ignition timers over SMBus and digital I/O over port I/O. If only one half opens, the commands for the other half print the reason to stderr and exit with code 1, not 2, because the hardware has the feature but this connection cannot reach it. status shows the reason on an Ignition Timers or Digital I/O line. For example, with the i2c-dev module not loaded, ign and ign unit print:

ERROR: The ignition timers are unavailable because the i2c-dev kernel module is not loaded; load it with 'sudo modprobe i2c-dev', or run 'pcu-setup.sh install' to load it at every boot.

driver

Manage the PawnIO kernel driver. Windows only. See Install on Windows for the full driver setup.

Command	Description
pcu-cli driver [status|install|uninstall]	Check, install, or remove the PawnIO driver.

With no sub-command, pcu-cli driver shows status:

$ pcu-cli driver status
  PawnIO driver: v2.2.0 (2026-03-15)
  SmbusI801 module: 2025-05-05
  Status: Installed

On Linux there is no PawnIO driver; the kernel i2c-dev module is used instead, so the command exits with code 2:

$ pcu-cli driver status
PawnIO is a Windows-only driver. Linux uses the kernel i2c-dev module.

The --json and --quiet flags have no effect on driver; its output is always the text form shown above.

version and help

Command	Description
pcu-cli version	Show version, driver, and supported platforms.
pcu-cli --version, pcu-cli -V	Same as version. Runs without elevation.
pcu-cli help	Show command help, timer ranges, flags, and exit codes.

version prints the tool version and build stamp, the driver and module versions (Windows), and the supported-platform list with validated configurations. Add --json for a machine-readable form; see Scripting and Automation. help prints the command reference, including each timer’s range and default. On recognised hardware it covers just that platform; on an unrecognised machine it lists every platform’s timers under a model heading. See Help and the menu match your machine. Timers whose unit is selectable are listed without a unit, because a printed reference cannot know what ign unit is currently set to.

Confirmation prompts

Commands that change hardware ask before writing:

• pcu-cli ign set <timer> <value> prompts Write <timer> = <value>? [y/N].
• pcu-cli ign unit <minutes|seconds> explains that the stored values are not converted, then prompts Set the delay unit to <unit>? [y/N].
• pcu-cli dio set <do#> <0|1> warns about connected hardware, then prompts Set <channel> = <High|Low>? [y/N].
• pcu-cli driver install / uninstall prompt before running the installer.

Answering anything other than y aborts with exit code 1. If the delay unit changes while ign set waits for your answer, pcu prints The delay unit changed to <unit> while waiting. Nothing was written. and exits with code 1. Prompts are printed to stderr, so they never mix into piped output. For ign set, ign unit, and dio set, a prompt is skipped when you pass --yes (or -y), when you pass --quiet, or when input is redirected from a pipe or file. For driver install / uninstall, only --yes (or -y) or redirected input skips the prompt; --quiet has no effect on driver. See the redirected-input caution on the scripting page before automating writes.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success.
1	Error, including a rejected value, an aborted confirmation, a write that did not read back as expected, or a CQ20 or CQ50S timer that was written but not confirmed as stored, or a CQ40 half that could not be reached.
2	Feature not available on this platform or build.