DIY "smart power strip" for $4.50 (repost)

[spystyle]

OK, try following the first post, only use your chosen relay. It's really that simple.

As far as I can tell, the relay you've chosen can just drop right in as seen in the first post.

So connect the relay's AC side to the hacked power strip's wires (the wires from the negative rail that has been cut).

http://postimg.org/image/62a4diir3/

Then run wires from the relay's DC side to the computer's power supply. As if you were wiring a fan, one positive and one negative. 

http://postimg.org/image/hhb6vvkhb/

[Rick]

OK, try following the first post, only use your chosen relay. It's really that simple. As far as I can tell, the relay you've chosen can just drop right in as seen in the first post. So connect the relay's AC side to the hacked power strip's wires (the wires from the negative rail that has been cut). Then run wires from the relay's DC side to the computer's power supply. As if you were wiring a fan, one positive and one negative.

Thank you! It sounds simple enough. I wonder how I can screw it up.



Thanks again! I really appreciate it. (I read through the original post in more detail, and with this info above, I think I've finally got it.)

[spystyle]

OK good luck

[IG-88]

OK. I realize this post is way old but I have a question. Why go to all the trouble of this power strip hack for a 1 button shut off? Why not just put the on\off switch on the 110v line that is coming in from the wall and kill the power before the power strip? You could do this inside the cab of course. I've been doing this for years. Am I missing something obvious here?

[spystyle]

Because it can be a "one button power solution" for an arcade machine

Extend the computer's power button to the outside of the cab, and when you press it, the computer powers on, it trips the relay, and everything else turns on as well.

Back when I first did it I used CRT TV's, and I had to "jam" the power button to make it automatically power on when power became available. But the last cab I built had an LCD that automatically powered on without modification.

It's simply convenient on an arcade machine to have one momentary switch to power all of it's components on and off.

Even my home computer has a 3 button start sequence = I turn on the computer, I turn on the monitor, and I turn on the audio amplifier. Likewise 3 buttons to turn it all off. 

Here is my originally chapter on the subject in my old tutorial : http://tinyurl.com/c5drk2z

I used to use CRT TV's, and a big lame relay from Radio Shack LOL. I really need to re-do my tutorial.

Anyway, have fun
Criag

[keilmillerjr]

I used a smart strip from www.ecostrip.com (not cheap) and a cheap usb to molex adapter I found somewhere online. Easiest solution.

[IG-88]

Oh I totally understand having a one button power startup. And all mine do.    Every one that I have done using a pc comes on when power is supplied to the motherboard. 90% of mobo's I have seen have a setting in the bios that makes them power back on from a power loss. PC CRT's and LCD's will power back on when power is applied to them as will most TV's. That leaves speakers/amps which do the same. Plug all these into a strip or splitter, apply power to said strip or splitter and everything comes on or goes off at the push of a button. I usually use a regular arcade button on the top or back someplace. 

I'm not trying to dog on your hack Craig, I think it's awesome and way cool. I'm just trying too see if what I've been doing all these years was wrong. We seem to be accomplishing  the same thing in the end. 

[pbj]

It's so you can have a Windows machine go through the shutdown sequence.  Otherwise you may as well use a toggle switch.

[spystyle]

Yeah it's assumed most of us are using Windows. But I suppose if one was using DOS, and abrupt power on and power off would be OK.

I used a smart strip from www.ecostrip.com (not cheap) and a cheap usb to molex adapter I found somewhere online. Easiest solution.

Some computers send power to their USB ports all the time, even when the computer is turned off. So a usb to molex adapter wouldn't work in that situation.

[IG-88]

I have one machine that ia DOS. That was the first one I ever built and I still have it. The rest of the ones I've done (and I'm talking dozens here) have all been windows either 98 or XP. I've never had a single hardware or software failure on any of them because of a abrupt power off. Frankly, I think it's a bit of an urban myth that has been carried over from the "iron box" days of old...

[pbj]

You're probably right.  Thanks.

[IG-88]

Yeah maybe, I don't know. It's not like these machines of mine get powered on and off a couple times a day everyday for years on end. I guess then maybe you would have or could have some hardware failures. But now with the advent of solid state drives, that would eliminate the hard drive out of the failure equation...

[spystyle]

LOL, I find that Windows complains if I don't shut it down properly. But, whatever works.

Have fun
Craig

[keilmillerjr]

I used a smart strip from www.ecostrip.com (not cheap) and a cheap usb to molex adapter I found somewhere online. Easiest solution.

Some computers send power to their USB ports all the time, even when the computer is turned off. So a usb to molex adapter wouldn't work in that situation.

This was my case. No bios option to turn off full time power to usb. The adapter would work in that situation. The psu wouldn't apply power to molex when the motherboard is in a "off" state, thus the smart strip would shut down other accessories. It works perfectly.

[bluelight]

LOL... like others.. I already bought my $30 smartstrip so I wish I knew sooner.. but then again, I doubt I have the skills to do the electrical work without something that will end up causing my cabinet to go up in flames. haha

[jkpmp4life]

LOL, I find that Windows complains if I don't shut it down properly. But, whatever works.

Have fun
Craig

Hello Craig,

Could I pick your mind about this? I have the same relay but couldn't get the same power strip since Walmart no longer sells it.

I am making a bartop arcade with raspberry pi and a computer monitor I have laying around. My goal is to have all the monitor buttons hidden so a smart power strip ideally should allow for me to accomplish this.

Would this still work if I soldered this into the the wires between the power strip and a fused switch?

Thank you in advance!