Custom MAME build, help me out! :D

[mgb]

You can use a smart strip.
The pc plugs into the control switch and you remote mount the pc switch where it's reachable.
Everything else gets plugged into the other outlets on the strip and when you power the pc through the remote switch.  Everything else turns on.
Look up some stuff on this, there are lots of threads on this.

[swirlee]

You can use a smart strip.
The pc plugs into the control switch and you remote mount the pc switch where it's reachable.
Everything else gets plugged into the other outlets on the strip and when you power the pc through the remote switch.  Everything else turns on.
Look up some stuff on this, there are lots of threads on this.

Thanks for the response. I'm not sure how a smart strip will work any different than a regular power strip. At least from my minimal googling I don't see much of a dif. Keep in mind I will be running MAME off a laptop that I no longer use, so I really cant think of another way to power it on other than open up the control panel and hit the laptops power button.

On another note, my monitor finally arrived and I have some setup questions for you guys! I'll make another post here in a bit once I can upload a few pics.

[jammin0]

You can use a smart strip.
The pc plugs into the control switch and you remote mount the pc switch where it's reachable.
Everything else gets plugged into the other outlets on the strip and when you power the pc through the remote switch.  Everything else turns on.
Look up some stuff on this, there are lots of threads on this.

Thanks for the response. I'm not sure how a smart strip will work any different than a regular power strip. At least from my minimal googling I don't see much of a dif. Keep in mind I will be running MAME off a laptop that I no longer use, so I really cant think of another way to power it on other than open up the control panel and hit the laptops power button.

On another note, my monitor finally arrived and I have some setup questions for you guys! I'll make another post here in a bit once I can upload a few pics.

When one thing is turned on it trips a relay and turns on all other things plugged into the power strip(ie, speakers, monitors, etc.)  If you are only using a laptop along with the laptop's display then you only have one thing to turn on already and a smart strip won't do you any good.  You can still open up that laptop and extend the power button but it will be a lot more difficult then the same mod on a regular desktop PC.

[mgb]

 a smart strip has one outlet that is the control outlet, this is where the computer gets plugged into. once the computer gets turned on. the sensing outlet then activates the other outlet, turning on your monitor, marquee light and whatever is plugged into them.
in order to avoid opening the machine to turn it on, you need to remote the laptops power switch so its like on the top of the machine or something.

There's a lot of info here on the forum about smart strips and remote mounting of the pc power switch

[swirlee]

OK, so I worked up the bravery to take the monitor out of the box and connect it up to make sure it was working ok. I was a bit nervous because I know these things are deadly if mishandled and I wasn't 100% sure where I could and couldn't touch.  I just stayed clear of everything that wasn't touching the frame. Whole thing came packaged pretty well.



So I got it connected to my laptop, which took me awhile to find the right resolution setup so the thing would accept and display a signal. I think it's running at 800x600 at like 50 or 56MHz... something like that. The booklet that came with the monitor clearly states that the monitor is capable of displaying 1024x768 but I couldn't get it to work with that resolution. Any ideas why? Documentation misprint maybe?

Anyway, I don't have MAME or any games installed on my laptop yet, so I just full screened an HD Metal Slug Youtube video. The monitor looks super nice in the center but as the picture radiates outward it gets pretty blurry. Any Ideas why? When things are in motion you don't notice it much, but it's still a bummer. I tried messing with the pot switches to see if there was a setting that would fix this. Nothing seemed to...