Need wiring help on/off switch and LED lights in speakers

[Jerry98vert]

First want to say hi newbe here and also if this topic was already covered then sorry, so.......here I go!

I am building an X-arcade cabinet, for now it will have an original Xbox and a PS3 and I would like to have a arcade button somewhere on the front of the cabinet hooked up to a power strip where there is a main on so it turns on all the devices.   Does anyone know how to do this?  I have searched hi and low and found nothing, I have found on YouTube how to start the Xbox with a arcade button but I don't want the Xbox on all the time.  I also have seen where people have the arcade button hooked up to the on/off from the motherboard of a computer but that will not work for me what can I use so I can plug something in the power strip and have the arcade button work?

So next question I bough car speakers with LED lights as part of the speaker and since I need to get power for the LED I need some sort of 12 DC to 120 volt transformer , is this correct?  I looked on eBay does one of these work

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271285791042?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/361193994067?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

So any advice or help or even questions on my loooong post would be great thanks to all here.

[bobmoo79]

Hi there, I don't know of any arcade button that can handle mains electricity, but something like this could work:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SW18-CIRCULAR-25mm-LATCHING-ON-OFF-MAINS-SWITCH-RED-NON-ILLUMINATED-ROUND-BUTTON-/141350362675

You might find something that looks closer to an arcade button by searching the net....this just the first thing that caught my eye.


For the LEDS you need a 120v to 12v dc converter (Assuming they're 12v LEDs). I guess either of the options you provided could work but they're pricey. If you have a mains power strip inside your cabinet you could use any mains 'wall wart' type plug that outputs 12vdc, as long as it can also meet the current requirements of your LEDs. My guess is that will be quite low.

If I were you I'd buy something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-AC-Adapter-Charger-Cord-Power-Suply-for-Innotek-ADV-1000P-ADV-1000-Trainer-/350938130306?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51b58ae782

Cut the round jack plug off the end of the cable, strip the cable and attached it to the LED power leads. You could either solder it all together or use a screw connection block like this.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TERMINAL-BLOCKS-12-WAY-STRIP-ELECTRICAL-WIRE-BLOCK-CONNECTION-3-6-10-15-30-60AMP/191039290530?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D29117%26meid%3D66177f59b4064919bc3224224a02aed3%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D221686698271


As I said though, CHECK the voltage and current requirement for the LEDS. The wall wart MUST have the SAME voltage output, and a HIGHER current rating than the LEDS you want to power.

[Jerry98vert]

First thanks for the reply bobmoo79, the instuctions say 12v dc for car use so what you you linked can work and if yes then can I hook up both speakers to the one plug?

As far as the on/off button I need to somehow hook the arcade button to the power strip can your link to ebay also work with the arcade button stip and plug into the power strip, I don't want to blow anything up here.

thanks

[BobA]

Low power switching of 120V with a DIY smart strip

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,128892.msg1317131/topicseen.html#msg1317131

[bobmoo79]

LED speakers:

Yes, I plug like the one I suggested would work, and you should be able to hook up the LED power wires for both speakers to the same plug. Just make sure the combined current required for the LEDs is LESS than the current output of the plug you use.

I did a quick search for LED car speakers and couldn't find any information about current rating, nor the power rating for the LEDs. the sites only appeared to provide the LED voltage and the power rating of the speaker cone itself. I also couldn't find any wiring diagrams or manuals so can't work it out for you.

I would guess that if you can find a 12v wall wart plug with a current output of say 1.5Amps or more that should be plenty (and there are loads around). BUT if you can, please check the speaker box or manual carefully. If it's not stated anywhere then you should contact the speaker manufacturer.
Because the LED speakers are designed to be powered from the 12V car battery which can supply much more current than the LEDs would ever need, the manufacturer may not provide the information anywhere. You only need to know the information because you're using them for a different application and need a different power source.

This one provides 12V with max current of 2Amps.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-2A-AC-Adapter-Power-Supply-Transformer-for-5050-5630-3528-LED-Strip-24W-/291346868315?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d5a0685b

The last one I posted was 1Amp and would probably work, but this one gives you more headroom (just in case).



The power strip hack would also work very well for you, but please make sure you are competent to do it. Using the mains plug as I have suggested is easier and safer if you're not sure what you are doing.



Mains switch:

I would like to state that I am NOT a qualified electrician. This information is guidance only.

This switch can be hooked up to 250V mains supply and can handle a max current of 16Amps.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SW18-CIRCULAR-25mm-LATCHING-ON-OFF-MAINS-SWITCH-RED-NON-ILLUMINATED-ROUND-BUTTON-/141350362675

Assuming you're based in the USA you should be able to find something similar on a US website. You need to make sure that it is rated for mains electricity. If you're in the USA it should be rated for at least 120V (AC). Having a switch rated higher is fine. You also need to make sure that it can handle the maximum current requirement for the system that you're hooking up.

You need to check the current draw for each of your components. So as an example, this would be your PC power supply, monitor, amplifier, LEDs etc.

So for this switch, the TOTAL current draw for your system should be less than 16Amps. If it is more then you need a higher rated switch. In my opinion, 16Amps is probably fine) BUT PLEASE CHECK!)

IF you were to use this switch (or one similar), then you would connect your mains inlet power to mains inlet contacts using either 6.3mm crimps, or perhaps solder (Using crimps is preferred IMO). You would then connect the cable for your mains strip in your cab to the outlet pins of the switch, so that when the switch is activated it provides power to your power strip. This particular switch latches, so maintains the connection when you have stopped pushing the button. You need to press it once to turn the power on, and a second time to disconnect the power.

Finally, you need to make sure that the whole system is fused. Make sure the fuse is rated at an appropriate level - i.e. LOWER than the mains switch rating, cable rating etc, to ensure that if there is a problem you blow the fuse and so do not melt the switch, mains cable etc. If the fuse is  too  high then you could cause a fire.
In the UK, common mains fuses are 5Amp or 13Amp. I would choose 13A with a 16Amp switch, unless I was confident that the total current draw of the system is less than 5Amp (in which case I would use a 5Amp fuse).

[Jerry98vert]

Thanks again for both replys, I am in the US and will double check my instructions on the LED power need because I really like the idea.

For the main power switch (this is an example of what I am thinking now) I have in the past, for a standard light, I added an on/off switch in the middle of the power cord like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-6-Amp-Mini-Thumb-Wheel-Cord-Switch-Brown-R50-00423-03K/100356970?N=5yc1vZc33wZ1z117hn

Now that being said I do not want to use that one but if the on/off arcade style button works like the link above I can tap into the Marquee light that would be pluged into a power strip with a main all on I think this would work.

Thanks again