Main > Main Forum
BYO Auto-Switching Power Strip
crashwg:
I remember seeing sometime in the recent past on these boards something about a powerstrip that connected to a USB port and when it sensed power would then turn on the rest of the powerstip. Only problem if I recall correctly was that it was not a US product and therefore had different curent/plug and would not be useable by those in the US.
So, I got to thinking... Shouldn't it be easy to duplicate the same results with off-the-shelf parts and ultimately have a working product?
Here's my thoughts. Just let me know if I'm not on the right track.
Ok, so you've got a power strip, you would:
Open it up
Cut 1 wire that feeds the left/right side of all the outlets
Insert 5v/110v relay between cut (110v part obviously)
Attach 5v part to the end of a USB cord
Close it all up
Attach USB cord to PC
Done!
Does this make sense to anyone other than myself?
It seems to be a simple solution to a common problem.
Only thing that bothers me is posibly frying my USB ports. :-\
Is there any advice those with electrical experience would give me to avoid doing such a thing? It would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your time, and if you feel like going ahead with this design feel free to do so as I wouldn't have to experiment on my computer. ;D
krick:
Sounds like it would work.
In theory, you can tap 5V off of a USB port:
Pin 1 is +5V
Pin 4 is ground
I use an amplifier from a set of USB powered speakers in my mame cab.
Works like a charm.
The only problem that I see is that on some motherboards, the USB ports continue to remain powered even after the PC is off. I don't know why, it may be a design problem or something.
crashwg:
--- Quote from: krick on June 23, 2004, 01:12:02 am ---I use an amplifier from a set of USB powered speakers in my mame cab.
Works like a charm.
--- End quote ---
Would you care to elaborate on exactly what it is you're doing with the USB powered speakers? I'm not exactly following you. Have you done the relay/powerstrip thing with the speakers?
krick:
--- Quote from: crashwg on June 23, 2004, 01:18:15 am ---
--- Quote from: krick on June 23, 2004, 01:12:02 am ---I use an amplifier from a set of USB powered speakers in my mame cab.
Works like a charm.
--- End quote ---
Would you care to elaborate on exactly what it is you're doing with the USB powered speakers? I'm not exactly following you. Have you done the relay/powerstrip thing with the speakers?
--- End quote ---
No there's no relay involved. I was mentioning that things (like speakers) can be powered off of the 5V supplied by a USB port simply as an illustration.
I'm just doing the standard "speaker amplifier hack" that most people do. You know, buy a set of cheap computer speakers and gut them for the amplifer board inside. However, the twist is that I've chosen a set of speakers that are powered off of a USB port instead of a power brick that you have to plug into a power strip.
See these threads for more information...
http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=16381
http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=20839
koolmoecraig:
Why not just buy a SMART STRIP? They are under $30
http://www.bitsltd.net/smartstrip/buy.htm