powering a PC with an arcade button

[knightrdrx]

 I see on my empty case wires coming from the power button that would go to a motherboard...Do the other end of these wires come off the power button and slip onto the contacts of the arcade button?  Is it that easy?  Is there an easier way?

[Louis Tully]

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[knightrdrx]

Thanks ...there's a bear in my apartment! help!

[zebidia]

Seems to me I read somewhere that many modern motherboard bioses have a setting that tells the PC to automatically start up when it sees power to the board, and if you toggle this setting on, then all you need do is turn on the power strip that the PC is plugged in to.

[keilmillerjr]

Purchase this 2 wire .100 header wire and make your life easy. Trace the power button back to the motherboard and unplug it. Plug this new little harness on in place and connect your arcade button. You may need to extend it if it's too short, but making an extension wire with the quick disconnects is easy.

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/jamma-harnesses/302-2-wire-100-header-wiring-harness.html

[ChanceKJ]

Thanks ...there's a bear in my apartment! help!

[DaOld Man]

Thanks ...there's a bear in my apartment! help!

As long as it's not a Man-Bear-Pig.
Where's Al Gore?

[Saneless]

The wires above from arcade shop would do the trick, but I just took the existing wires coming from the connection on the motherboard that went to the button on the case.  Snipped the wires, connected the orange to the NO on the switch, white to the COM/Ground, and it works perfectly.

[dkersten]

Keep in mind that an arcade button is very easy to press, and makes a poor choice for a power button for your system if it ends up anywhere it can be bumped, pressed, or even just brushed up against.  The last thing you want is your computer going to sleep or starting the shut down sequence because you got a little excited while playing a game and got too close to the button.  Any momentary switch will work, and there are a number of switches that are not as easy to press, smaller in size, and more discrete than an arcade button that you could use.  A popular choice is "vandal" switches which have a bezel around the button that prevents accidental presses even if you hit the switch with a body part.  They wire up the same exact way as an arcade button and are fairly easy to come by.

[DeLuSioNal29]

I have my power button the top of my arcade machine (away from kids).  I had a button for ages up there (was never an issue) but I did eventually change it to a more professional looking momentary power rocker switch.

Also, it doesn't matter which wire you connect the microswitches to.  If you snip and strip the wires, try putting the two together, the computer will start up (similar to pressing the power button).  The button or switch does the same thing, but a lot "neater".

Good luck!

D

[IAmDotorg]

I used an RGB arcade button on the back of my cabinet. I just made a five conductor harness that wired the switch into the button, the power LED into the blue LED and the HDD LED into the red. So when the cab is on, you can sort of see the blue glow, and you can see the HD activity when it flashes magenta. Works great.

If your computer supports power-on-USB-keyboard, you may not even need one. Pushing any button on your encoder would turn it on. Unfortunately my mobo only supports power-on-PS2-keyboard.

[yotsuya]

If your computer supports power-on-USB-keyboard, you may not even need one. Pushing any button on your encoder would turn it on. Unfortunately my mobo only supports power-on-PS2-keyboard.

Yeah, but that would be a pain in the ass if you had a cat or small children. 

[IAmDotorg]

Depends where you put it, I suppose.

[yotsuya]

Depends where you put it, I suppose.

You just said "pushing any button on the encoder would turn it on." Would that not include any and all pushbuttons as well as joysticks?

[IAmDotorg]

Ooooh, I thought you meant what I actually did (the button behind the cab)

Yeah, I suppose that'd be a problem with cats and kids. Thankfully no kids and my cat is WAY too fat to get on it. But I couldn't do it anyway.

[yotsuya]

Ooooh, I thought you meant what I actually did (the button behind the cab)

No, that's solid. I did the same thing.

The concept of any button turning on the cab isn't a bad one until it gets applied to real life. 

[Vigo]

In the past, I have soldered wires on the PC button directly. Not pretty, but I like being able to still power on and off the computer directly from the case when tinkering with everything.

[dkersten]

You can get the ipac to have a wake key, and while I didn't try it, the firmware I was sent also had a power on key (which as noted I believe requires bios support), and by default with the ipac this is a shifted function only.  So unless your cat is adept at pressing the shift button you programmed plus the power button you chose to use, it isn't getting turned on by mistake.  Then again, according to youtube some cats are playing the piano now, so for all you know, your cat might not just be powering up your arcade, but playing a few games of Mouse Trap....

[knightrdrx]

I would put it on the back somewhere closer to the top away from little hands...and you are right..i said arcade button..but it doesn't really matter what it looks like.

75 cents for that wire ?  no problem!  do they have that style switch on that site too?

Keep in mind that an arcade button is very easy to press, and makes a poor choice for a power button for your system if it ends up anywhere it can be bumped, pressed, or even just brushed up against.  The last thing you want is your computer going to sleep or starting the shut down sequence because you got a little excited while playing a game and got too close to the button.  Any momentary switch will work, and there are a number of switches that are not as easy to press, smaller in size, and more discrete than an arcade button that you could use.  A popular choice is "vandal" switches which have a bezel around the button that prevents accidental presses even if you hit the switch with a body part.  They wire up the same exact way as an arcade button and are fairly easy to come by.

[knightrdrx]

oh..this site has one already wired ..more expensive of course..but...

http://www.performance-pcs.com

[SavannahLion]

my cat is WAY too fat to get on it. But I couldn't do it anyway.

Like Norm?


I see him every other week and that video is the most I've ever seen him move. I seriously thought he couldn't navigate the stairs until I saw that video.

As a joke, I drew a chalk outline around him in the morning. He was still inside the chalk when I came by in the afternoon.

Someone told me he actually lost weight in the past year. Personally, I think he finally took a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.

[knightrdrx]

It plugs in without soldering??

Purchase this 2 wire .100 header wire and make your life easy. Trace the power button back to the motherboard and unplug it. Plug this new little harness on in place and connect your arcade button. You may need to extend it if it's too short, but making an extension wire with the quick disconnects is easy.

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/jamma-harnesses/302-2-wire-100-header-wiring-harness.html

[keilmillerjr]

It plugs in without soldering??

Purchase this 2 wire .100 header wire and make your life easy. Trace the power button back to the motherboard and unplug it. Plug this new little harness on in place and connect your arcade button. You may need to extend it if it's too short, but making an extension wire with the quick disconnects is easy.

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/jamma-harnesses/302-2-wire-100-header-wiring-harness.html

Yep. I'm going to place this button inside the coin door, so there is no unauthorized play. I have everything plugged into an ecostrip (smart strip), so this is the one button to rule them all.

[knightrdrx]

That's what I want to do too. But I'll put it in the back so no one says..hey..what does this button do?  Do you use the tripp lite power strip?
I have 2 of those and they work great.
Can anyone tell me how to make the wire harness longer in case i need to.

[keilmillerjr]

That's what I want to do too. But I'll put it in the back so no one says..hey..what does this button do?  Do you use the tripp lite power strip?
I have 2 of those and they work great.
Can anyone tell me how to make the wire harness longer in case i need to.

I am using the ecostrip brand product. My motherboard doesn't have a bios option to disable power over usb on shutdown, so I found a female usb to female molex adaptor and connected it to my power supply.

http://www.ecostrip.com

To extend the power button wires, the ends of the paradise arcade harness are normal spade connectors. You need to buy them to attach your other buttons to your controller anyways, so make two female spade to male spade wires.

[knightrdrx]

My computer guy made me a 4 foot power switch which would normally connect to a computer case.
Anyone have any suggestions on how to mount it on the back of the cabinet.  I really don't want to drill into the wall.  Not sure really strong tape would hold it.
Maybe I can put a bracket or clip under it and mount it facing up on a shelf inside...reach around the back and hit it....would like a bigger button over it so it is easier to press....is some sort of housing available for this

[DaOld Man]

You can use a happ type pushbutton, just cut that button off and attach the wires to NO and Common on the happ switch.
They are easy to mount, just drill a hole, but they are kinda big for a power button. (Oh, wait you don't want to drill a hole in the cabinet).
But you could use just about any type of pushbutton and mount it to an L bracket.
You could even use a micro switch with a lever (like whats on a joystick), use two small wood screws to attach it to the inside of the cab and flick the lever to power it up.
Its only limited by your imagination.
The requirements for the switch or button are:
A normally open contact (not made when button is not pressed).
Momentary. (Switch is made when button is pressed, not made when released.)
Of course you could just hot glue the small button to the inside of the cab.

[knightrdrx]

thanks.
i don't want to cut this wire now...
thought perhaps could find a bigger button that has no connectors to place over this button and when you push in..the small button gets pressed.

[kane916]

It plugs in without soldering??

Purchase this 2 wire .100 header wire and make your life easy. Trace the power button back to the motherboard and unplug it. Plug this new little harness on in place and connect your arcade button. You may need to extend it if it's too short, but making an extension wire with the quick disconnects is easy.

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/jamma-harnesses/302-2-wire-100-header-wiring-harness.html

Yep. I'm going to place this button inside the coin door, so there is no unauthorized play. I have everything plugged into an ecostrip (smart strip), so this is the one button to rule them all.

May I ask where you got the arcade button with the power symbol on it I just have a plain white one since I never saw one like that before.

[keilmillerjr]

It plugs in without soldering??

Purchase this 2 wire .100 header wire and make your life easy. Trace the power button back to the motherboard and unplug it. Plug this new little harness on in place and connect your arcade button. You may need to extend it if it's too short, but making an extension wire with the quick disconnects is easy.

http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/jamma-harnesses/302-2-wire-100-header-wiring-harness.html

Yep. I'm going to place this button inside the coin door, so there is no unauthorized play. I have everything plugged into an ecostrip (smart strip), so this is the one button to rule them all.

May I ask where you got the arcade button with the power symbol on it I just have a plain white one since I never saw one like that before.

Email byoac forum member slammedniss@gmail.com. He can custom make vinyl for you to apply to your buttons. I have seimitsu ps14-kn buttons. Disassembled the buttons, applied vinyl on the white park of button, reassembled, and whola!

[DaOld Man]

thanks.
i don't want to cut this wire now...
thought perhaps could find a bigger button that has no connectors to place over this button and when you push in..the small button gets pressed.

Well you might be able to hotglue that button to a happ PB??