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

[danny_galaga]

i should just point out here for any who arent familiar with electronic parts is that a capacitor wants to absorb energy instantly. its like a battery that instantly charges or discharges. so when its not charged it behaves like a short. once it has charged up to the applied voltage its voltage potential is the same as the applied voltage and so it behaves as if its open circuit. its not often desirable to have it charge or discharge instantly (for instance, my watch is a seiko kinetic. its powered by a capacitor which is charged up by a swinging weight). luckily adding resistance to the circuit slows it down proportional to the resistance.
just mentioning this in case anyone wondered how it works. there are no moving parts.

[independentthread]

its not often desirable to have it charge or discharge instantly

This once again begs the question, is it not disrable for for JUST the capacitor, or will it harm the motherboard in time?  I live in an apartment complex where people consistently buy replacement electronics and have the decency to leave the old ones NEXT to the dumpster.  I have an endless supply of junk television sets and broken radios and the like.  If the capcitor is the the only thing that is going to be damged, the only tears I might cry will be from sweat dripping in my eye as I rip apart a 30 year old TV cabinet.

[SirPeale]

No damage will come to the motherboard.  It's just releasing the current (which is miniscule) which was built up in it.  Really, the cap is so tiny.  Just make sure you use a cap that's rated small (like 10uF)

[independentthread]

Awesome, I'm taking mine that route then.

[danny_galaga]

i guess this is why im not a college lecturer!! Im always forgetting things in my explanations. The two reasons its not desirable is that you usually want to have a timed charge or discharge, and yes in some cases the second reason is that it might cause damage somewhere else. Its safe  in the situation on the motherboard because 1) there is already a high effective resistance in that circuit and 2) as Peale said you are using a fairly small capacitance. The time is effected by capacitance x resistance. Capacitors have very small ratings. This keeps the formula simple since it is ohms x farads = time in seconds. The measurements for resistance and time (ohms and seconds) already existed when capacitance was first measured, so that means a farad is quite large. I think a 1 Farad cap would be roughly the size of a filing cabinet and would probably discharge through a brick wall!!

edit: i've since found i was way off on the cap size. it seems a 1 farad cap is about the size of two cans of beer end to end (low voltage rating for stereos).

[Nefesis]

if i was using one of these switches from happs, does anyone know which i would use? they're under Amusement-Accessories-On/Off Switch (sorry, but i'm not sure how to put a link to happ's pages   )

[General Zod]

PEALE :  


Following the diagram you made, and trying also to keep everything simple and authentic ... How do I make sure everything is grounded properly?

I mean, do I run the EarthGround wire throughout my cab? Same applies to the E.ground wire from the PC cord, and the little piece hanging off the ISO ( in the diagram )... Where does all that go to?

Also, shouldn't something attach to the monitor frame for grounding?


Any help you could/would provide will be taken like scripture. Thank you in advance.

Mike

[SirPeale]

Following the diagram you made, and trying also to keep everything simple and authentic ... How do I make sure everything is grounded properly?

I mean, do I run the EarthGround wire throughout my cab? Same applies to the E.ground wire from the PC cord, and the little piece hanging off the ISO ( in the diagram )... Where does all that go to?

Also, shouldn't something attach to the monitor frame for grounding?

Yes, all the metal pieces should be connected to earth ground.  Not a *gospel* requirement, but it's a good way to prevent equipment damage in the event of a static buildup.

I just checked the diagram, and surely the monitor and other items are connected to earth ground.  See the little connector with the green thing hanging off?  That's the earth ground.  Should likely redraw the diagram, but this was just a quicky using Bob Roberts diagram as a template.

[General Zod]

Very Good !!    

Thank you Peale. I appreciate your help.


mike

[General Zod]

One more dilemma ...  

In the picture, the main AC cord is fused before going into the filter ..... what amp fuse is acceptable for that block?

Also ... is it safe to run additional fuses for the monitor and PC? If so, same amps? Would the fuse for monitor go to the top wires or the bottom?

Thanks in advance for your help...

Michael

[SirPeale]

I asked that same question once, and never got an answer.

[General Zod]

I asked that same question once, and never got an answer.

I see .... and since there are only a select few who even choose to power their cab by this method instead of the SmartStrip .... chances are, nobody knows!  

Perhaps a 2amp might work, as does in a normal game.  

Thanks anyway...

Mike

[SirPeale]

Quite likely that would work.  I wouldn't fuse the computer, but everything else should be.  It's those components that I was concerned about fusing, that no one knew what rating fuse to use.

[marcus.]

Ive only just seen this thread tonight and have to add to peales comment on grounding.  
It is important that all of the cabs metal parts that have some sort of continuity into the inside if the cab (via screws/fixtures or wiring etc) are grounded. not ony for peales static reasons, but also for your safety.
If a live wire were to come off you monitor or PSU or wiring and touch an ungrouded control panel bolt(for instance), that CP would be live when you touch it...human fuse. Dont count on paint as a good insulator.
A general rule as peale says, IMO a necessay one.

[General Zod]

Okay ....  

Here's my progess thus far, but I think I've run into a situation. My wiring is almost finished with the exception of one problem....(if in fact this is a problem)

Wiring everything to the DistributionBlock as shown in the diagram , I am down to three simple connections ... but only two available on the block.

I'd like to save the IsolationTransformer for one connection, but that still leaves the marquee ( home depot special ), and my hacked speakers to connect.

Is it safe to wire those together and connect them to the last position on the PowerBlock? This is where I'm probably also going to need a fuse ... do ya think?  

Again .... thank you in advance for your help.


Michael

[SirPeale]

I don't see why not.  That's what I did.

[General Zod]

I don't see why not.  That's what I did.

Whooohooo!!  

I just wanted to say a quick word of thanks to you Peale !! Without your help I don't think I could have wired this cabinet the way I truly wanted. Hats off to ya , my friend !!

I've helped a few people with their MAMEcabs, but I was always doing the pc-side of it .... definitely a little different  when it comes to doing the entire haul.

I tried making the wire job as neat as possible, or at least in order. I learned you can never have enough clamps & tie-wraps.  

Anyhow ... I don't have a website to host any pictures, but I at least wanted to show you this one .

Thank you again for your help.

Michael

[SirPeale]

Looks good!  Just about what mine looks like, but yours is nicer.  I haven't had the time to get it 'sparkly' yet.

[Mameotron]

Well, good job on getting the problem solved!  If I need to do any of this, I know right where to go.

Just as an afterthought, I realized recently that the mobo in my cab DOES power on when the power switch is pressed, not when it is released.  It is a Dell Optiplex GX100, rescued from the trash at work.  This tidbit may come in handy to someone someday.

[danny_galaga]

just an update on my set up. no one will probably remember but i used a relay on my system. i had noted that once in a while the system just wouldnt start up and i promised id give an update on whether it became more or less frequent. well it seems to start every time now. i suspect that as the relay 'wears' in (or out) the speed it takes to switch off has decreased (i think, it's been so long since i set it up i cant remember!)

[SirPeale]

My cap trick is still working great as well.  I do need to make a slightly better solution, as sometimes the legs from  the cap pull out just a little bit, and it doesn't boot.  Not a technical problem, but an assembly issue.