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Author Topic: Can a Pandora's Box power switch be sued with a Raspberry Pi?  (Read 1424 times)

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FormulaFox

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Can a Pandora's Box power switch be sued with a Raspberry Pi?
« on: January 19, 2022, 09:06:17 pm »
Hey all, I'm building a retro arcade control panel for a friend and ran into a surprise when I acquired the control panel kit. I bought one of those two-player control panel units you often see Pandora's Boxes contained in(this one here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08B8FPJBF/ ) and to my surprise it came with a power switch on the back of it. I was wondering if it is possible to connect a Raspberry Pi to this switch, and if so what do I need to do so? I have attached a photo to show what kind of prongs it has to connect to.

It pops out easily so it's not a big deal if this is a no go, but it'd be nice to be able to use the part that's designed to fit the unit if I can.

Thanks for the info/help!

PL1

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Re: Can a Pandora's Box power switch be used with a Raspberry Pi?
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2022, 12:07:12 am »
I was wondering if it is possible to connect a Raspberry Pi to this switch, and if so what do I need to do so?
Option 1:
If you can make reliable connections, the easiest way is to ger a RasPi power supply with an inline rocker or latching (push-on-push-off) switch like one of these.

 

If you open up the switch, the ground line goes straight through and the 5v line is switched like in this picture.



Connect the 5v in and out wires to the switch in your case using female Quick Disconnect (QD) connectors or solder the wires to the tabs.
- Measure the width of the tabs on the switch.  They are probably either 0.250" or 0.187"
- You'll probably want red ones for 22-18 gauge wire.



Make sure you have mechanically-solid, low-resistance (<2 Ohms) connections.
- If you aren't comfortable with making these power supply connections, go with Option 2.

Option 2:
If you're not-so-good at making good connections, replace the rocker switch on the case with a momentary switch and wire it like this.



Either way, make sure you include some sort of mechanical strain relief so you dont stress/break the power wires/connections during routine handling/moving of the case.   :cheers:


Scott

FormulaFox

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Re: Can a Pandora's Box power switch be sued with a Raspberry Pi?
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2022, 12:13:34 am »
Do those QD connectors come in varieties that are crimped onto the wire or do they have to be soldered? I can do the former without concern, but my soldering skills are lacking considerably(though this doesn't exactly look like the kind of precision soldering you need to be fairly skilled to do right)

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Re: Can a Pandora's Box power switch be used with a Raspberry Pi?
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2022, 12:57:13 am »
Do those QD connectors come in varieties that are crimped onto the wire or do they have to be soldered? I can do the former without concern, but my soldering skills are lacking considerably(though this doesn't exactly look like the kind of precision soldering you need to be fairly skilled to do right)
QDs are crimp connectors intended for stranded wires.  Use ratcheting crimp pliers FTW.
- When using QDs with solid-core wire, I recommend also drilling a through-hole for the wire and soldering it.

 

As you observed, soldering wires onto the switch tabs is not exactly a high-precision job.   :lol
- Tin the wire.
- Slip some heat-shrink on the wire for later.
- Bend the wire.
- Thread the wire through the hole in the switch tab.
- Solder the wire to the tab.
- Cover the connection with the heat-shrink and hit it with a heat gun. (Don't be Bozo with a Bic.   :embarassed:)


Scott

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Re: Can a Pandora's Box power switch be sued with a Raspberry Pi?
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2022, 04:51:42 pm »
Okay, my dad actually has some of those quick connectors, but he only has two sizes. Both are a bit bigger than the prongs on the switch, but they do slide on and stay in place while making contact with the prongs. Should I look into getting a smaller pair, or can this be made to work?

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Re: Can a Pandora's Box power switch be sued with a Raspberry Pi?
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2022, 06:09:28 pm »
Okay, my dad actually has some of those quick connectors, but he only has two sizes. Both are a bit bigger than the prongs on the switch, but they do slide on and stay in place while making contact with the prongs. Should I look into getting a smaller pair, or can this be made to work?
If it was just a momentary signal drawing a few mA like Option 2 above that would be fine.

For a continuous 3 Ampere power connection like Option 1 above you need to use the right size QD to ensure a low-resistance connection that has a large enough cross-section to pass the current without a voltage drop and converting the power loss into heat.

Some not-great QD connections at the power switch will likely send your RasPi into "yellow-thunderbolt" (low power warning) territory.   :badmood:


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Re: Can a Pandora's Box power switch be sued with a Raspberry Pi?
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2022, 06:57:24 pm »
Got it, thanks. I may have more questions in the future and I'll be back if I do. It might be a while before I can get the Pi for this project since the chip shortage is now affecting their availability....