Help me choose a component that will send a signal for half a second

[solrac8126]

Hello, i'm new here i just wanted to know if someone can guide me to a name or to something i can go and see if i can build this little project:

I have a gps (from china) that i need to use on the car,
the problem is that i need it to turn on when the car accessory (or engine) is on, but it has a button (like a cellular) that you need to press like for half a second in order to turn it on.

I tough i could use a relay or something like that to do this but i don't know how to send that "signal" for that half second.... and then stop.
anyways it will have to do it every time the car is turned on.

Thank you.

 

[Nick C.]

Re: Build help

If your project is going to use a microcontroller anyway, then that would be the logical thing to use to turn on the GPS.

Otherwise, how about just a simple 555 timer circuit? This one from Forrest Mims' 555 Timer IC Circuits Engineer's Mini-Notebook might be a good place to start and should be easy to tweak for your application.

Good luck with your project.

**broken link removed**​