RetroBlast Review: Bits Limited Smart Strips

[KevSteele]

Another week, another video and review, this time of the "next generation" Bits Limited Smart Strips, a great solution for powering everything in your MAME cab:

http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/smartstrip2-1.html

Be sure and stick around to the end of the video preview, as this video marks the return of the Patent-Pending RetroBlast "Final Pointless Demo"  

http://www.retroblast.com/video.html

Kevin

[Lilwolf]

What seems like a cool feature to this is that you can pick the easiest item to turn everything on for.

For instance.  If you have a floresant light in your marquee with a pull tab on / off... you could extend that down below your marqee out a whole... and use that to turn on / off your entire cabinet.  (this example might not be all that good... but I could see having a speaker button which is easier to hack, and in a better location then your computer or monitor).

Like always, nice review!

[patrickl]

Another great review!

Does anyone know of something similar for the european market?

[KevSteele]

Lilwolf,

The only "gotcha" with picking another device for the "trigger" is that you'd need to set the PC to auto-start, something not all PCs can do (most modern BIOSes do have some sort of "auto resume after power loss" option).

Using the PC as the trigger also allows your PC to go into hibernate mode, automatically shutting down the rest of the cab after a preset period of inactivity.

With the keyboard tray on my cab it was a cinch to just use a keyboard that had a power key, but in my original MAMEframe I actually extended the PC's power button so that it reached the coin door (with two small boys, I still wanted a "lockable" power solution  )

patrickl,

Someone mentioned a European equivalent in the forums recently - I've forgotten the thread already, but if you search on Smart Strip I'm sure it'll come up.

Kevin
Kevin

[steve_pss]

I picked up a bits strip a few weeks back. Worked perfectly without tweak right out of the box. Great product.

[Industen]

Great product. I had to adjust the sensitivity on mine because everything would say on after the computer shut down.

I'm now wiring into my motherboard "power on" wire and placing a large Happ LED pushbutton on top of the cabinet. I've cut myself on my coin door for the LAST TIME trying to turn the machine on.

[spauldingd]

Here is another vote for this smart strip.  I just finished my cabinet this weekend and I really like how the smartstrip allows me to essentially shut down the whole cabinet by putting my PC into sleep mode.  Well worth the price, perhaps it will save enough electricity to pay for itself.

Dave

[Zathras]

How does one adjust the sensitivity?

Mine has worked great for a month or so but suddenly it has started staying on for long periods of time afterwards.  I haven't made any changes to the PC.

After emailing them they said it was a Windows problem so I tried reinstalling/updating etc .  That didn't help.  I experimented and found that it shut off quicker if I leave the side of the PC case so I don't know what that means....

[Industen]

How does one adjust the sensitivity?

There is a little button that turns on top of the unit. Put a flathead in there and turn it. Test it in different positions until you get the results you seek.

[RecycledPast]

I had mixed results with the company but in the end everything worked out. I received the unit with a regular cord but I had paid for a black cord.  I contacted them and they gave me several options (another one at a discount, refund, or exchange).

Then I actually tried the unit out and it wouldn't shut the other items down after turning off the computer.  Their suggestion was to adjust sensitivity by turning it all the way left (or right).   Which didn't help.

They eventually sent me a different model (still with the wrong color cord) and it had the same problem.  

Here's how I got it working;
I plugged everything in, turned it on, turned the computer on, the peripherals turned on.
Then I turned off the computer. The peripherals stayed on, so then I very slowly adjusted the sensitivity and stopped when the peripherals turned off.  
Then I turned the computer on again and turned it off.  The peripherals didn't turn off so I turned the potentiometer a tiny bit more and then it worked perfectly.

I returned the original one and had to remind them about the credit they owed me.  
I think the first unit would have worked if they would have given me better instructions on how to adjust sensitivity.  In the end it works and I got a credit because they never sent me one with a black cord like I had originally asked for.