multistage/Staggered startup

[DYNAGOD]

lets begin by saying Electronics is not my forte....

when i power up my cabinet , the lights in my house go dim briefly cause the power on switch turns on EVERYTHING.. monitor , computer, lights, the works..
this is just too much stuff to turn on at once..

what i would like to do is have a staggered startup sequence.
for example:
 i hit the power switch,
the marquee light comes on,
2 seconds later the pc boots up,
2 seconds later the monitor kicks on,
etc etc..
in this way im not drawing too much current at once ..

what would i need to achive this effect?
thanks all

[DYNAGOD]

found what i was looking for if anyone else is interested.
would be very professional looking having your cab boot up in sequence.
its called a power sequencer.
guess being a guitarist finally paid off

http://www.furmansound.com/pro/pwr_cond_seq/cond/cond3.htm





 
FEATURES
 
 Power-up in three delayed outlet groups  
 Power-down reverses sequence  
 Triple-mode varistor spike and surge suppression  
 RFI filtering with multi-stage pi filter
 Power Status LED's indicate which outlets have power
 Mains Wiring indicators monitor wiring integrity, show Normal and five kinds of faults  
 Rated 15 amps  
 Remote option allows turn-on and turn-off at a distance simply by connecting either a momentary or maintained-contact switch (and LED if desired)  
 Multiple units may be daisy-chained using PS-REL relay  
 Three unswitched outlets (one front, two rear)
 Circuit breaker
 
 think i might buy one of these for my rig as well

[Brad Lee]

Whats the price range on these? Features sound real cool for a cab application, especially the remote power button

[paigeoliver]

Over in my friend's apartment his lights dim ever so slightly each and every time you hit the flippers on his Dr. Who pin.

[DYNAGOD]

about 250$,
pricey!
but considering its something no one will ever see cause it inside your cab ,id recomend getting a used one from either ebay or some other musicians used gear forum.
who cares i its used, as long as it works and price is right

[Wade]

That's a lot of money just to turn your stuff on in sequence.  Surely there is a cheaper solution out there.

Wade

[SpamMe]

Not as fancy (but for $240 less...), but why not have a small bay of toggle switches for the components?

[paigeoliver]

And actually, that is really a problem with your power in your home, not with it being "too much", as a cabinet doesn't draw THAT much power. I can power on several games with a single switch with no problem at all.

Meanwhile my buddy (same apartment complex), turns on ALL 5 of his games with a single power strip (one of which is a dual monitor game, and another is a pin), with no problem at all, but then the lights dim everytime he hits the flippers.  

[DYNAGOD]

youll get no arguments from me ,
the wiring in my house is ancient  
theres still some of those unshielded wires running thru ceramic insulators on the walls in some rooms.
(not live)

so the solution is really two fold.
yes, the wiring in my house blows so i need something to keep my wires form turning my 150 yr old aprt into a towering inferno,
but i really have a vision of seeing my cab boot up in a predermined sequence ,and likewise shutdown in reverse sequence. just think it would look kickass.

[paigeoliver]

Hmmm, do they make AC capicitors? (AC in, and AC out), of so then that could possibly be a solution.

Hmmm, a much easier solution might be a simple UPS. The cab should take its initial jolt out of the UPS rather than out of the wall.

[Wade]

Paige,

   Your apartment must have some unusually killer electrical service to run all those games!  I only have a few games and I have problems sometimes.  I wouldn't even consider turning all of them on at once.

   My house is relatively newer (35 yrs) and has 12 gauge wire in most places.  But most circuits only have 15 amp breakers (*IF* I can verify ALL the wiring is 12 ga then I can go up to a 20 amp breaker on these circuits).  I already added several circuits to my basement (gameroom is in the basement) and I still have electrical problems.  

   My VR Twin has a 10 amp fuse in it, and somewhere in the manual I read that it typically drains about 7 amps.  Maybe more (closer to 10) on startup.  I only have 2 other games on that circuit (a pinball and a 27" mame cabinet) and it will trip on me occasionally when powering something up.

   Relatively soon, I'm going to have to add 2 or 3 more circuits (definitely will be all 12-gauge, 20 amp breaker) in the same room.  I'd like to add some wall sconces and a pool table light as well as couple more game circuits.

   I'm really surprised I don't see more talk on the game groups and forums about upgrading electrical service.  I'm just thankful I have drop ceilings in the basement and plenty of room in my panel box (200 amp).

Wade

[Stingray]

Not as fancy (but for $240 less...), but why not have a small bay of toggle switches for the components?

I gotta agree here. $250 or a row of toggle switches. No brainer to me.

-S

[paigeoliver]

Paige,

   Your apartment must have some unusually killer electrical service to run all those games!  I only have a few games and I have problems sometimes.  I wouldn't even consider turning all of them on at once.

Hee hee. I am actually truly surprised the gameroom can handle 10 or 11 games on a single circuit, but it does. Then there are several more plugged into the living room circuit.

I think my friend's problem is that his "gameroom" is the smaller bedroom in his place, which probably doesn't have nearly as much juice to it as the larger bedroom. I use the larger bedroom in my place as my gameroom. Also, several of my games are 13" games, and my pin is an older one (less power), while all his games are 19" ones (one dual screen), his pin is newer (more power), and he has a super strike, which also has a ball feed mechanism which probably eats power too.

[Wade]

Yeah 10 or 11 average games is too many for a 20 amp circuit for sure.  Some of your games must have very low power requirements or possibly your apartment was designed for more than 20 amps?  You could check your panel box and see what size the breakers are.  Maybe they are setting up some apartments with 30 amps or something?

Regardless, you are really lucky about that!  Like I said, I feel pretty lucky that I am able to upgrade mine relatively easily (drop ceiling), some people would have major problems with this.

Wade