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Starting the cabinet all at once. It works! And here's how...

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rsoandrew:

OK, I think this time you didn't understand me.

The timed relay or normally closed relay would be hooked into where you want the momentary contact to occur. Since the relay is normally closed when you apply power, the relay would open and stay open until the power shut off. It would not turn off the computer because the circuit would remain open until you powered off the main switch (simulating the normally open switch) The main problem I forsaw is making sure that the circuit remained closed long enough to get the "turn on" signal. That's why I suggested the timing circuit or stacking a few relays to build a "delay" into the circuit.

Relay position when power off

pc momentary wire 1-----|        |---------------relay ground
                                   |        |
                                   |        |
                                   |        |              
pc momentary wire 2-----|         |--------------relay power


Relay position when power on

pc momentary wire 1-----|        |---------------relay ground
                                        /    |
                                       /     |
                                     /       |              
pc momentary wire 2-----|         |--------------relay power


Note that you can use much heavier relays than you'd actually need. You'll just want to get some that are powerd by either ac voltage or stick a transformer in your cabinet to drive the relay.

SirPeale:

Ah, now I see.

And you're right...it would have to be tripped by 110VAC.

rsoandrew:

Actually, I just had another idea. Try getting a NC relay that works on one of power leads from the PC Power supply. Then when the power supply comes up, it would energize the relay and the circuit would open. That way, you know the relay would stay closed until the power supply came up.

I think ATX power supplies have +12v in them. If you figure out which wire that is, you could get away with using a cheap automotive relay (but make sure it has a NC position).

Good luck.  

SirPeale:

Uh...that definitely wouldn't work.  I want the relay (or circuit, or whatever) to turn on the power supply, not for it to turn on other stuff when it itself is powered.

rsoandrew:

That's what it would do.

When you provide your cabinet power using your master switch, the power supply (suddenly getting electricity) would sense that the power on button is depressed telling it to start up and provide juice to the motherboard. This is because the because the NC relay is simulating the momentary contact switch (power on) being pushed.

Now if you wire the relay to the power supply output side at the correct voltage for the relay, when the power supply supplied voltage to the motherboard, hard drive, cpu (you get the idea) your tap into one of these lines would get power and send it to the relay.  

The relay would then open because it's normally close and opens when it gets power which would simulate that the power on momentary contact switch was released. The relay would stay open until the power was shut off.

Off course this would all happen virtually simultaneously but it should do what you want.




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