Are surge protectors recommended for arcade games?

[2PacMan]

Does most everyone here plug their arcade games into surge protectors??

Right now i just have my game plugged into the wall.  It has a grounding plug, but do i still have to worry about power surges?

Also, how many games can i have plugged into a standard wall outlet without shorting something out....i know this will vary depending on the game, but just a rough estimate.  For example, if i get a 6 outlet surge protector, can i have six games plugged into that and then put it in my standard household wall outlet and be OK??

[Shape D.]

almost anything you plug in should be on a surge protector.
I'm not sure how many amps each arcade game would use but your standard wall circuits are 15 amps.

[RayB]

The average old arcade machine draws 3 amps.

[paigeoliver]

They only draw 3 amps the moment they are turned on, after that it is less. At one point I had 2 pins, and 10 uprights all in the same room, and it was a 10 AMP circuit, it handled them all just fine.

[ChadTower]

Mmm, initial monitor chargeup draw.

[cholin]

Hard to believe that it's actually safe hooking all that up to one socket   I was at a local arcade a few days ago and I was pretty impressed how much crap they had on each socket -- they probably had a ton of equipment for surge protection and stuff considerring theyre a business, but it was pretty cooll.

[paigeoliver]

Hard to believe that it's actually safe hooking all that up to one socket   I was at a local arcade a few days ago and I was pretty impressed how much crap they had on each socket -- they probably had a ton of equipment for surge protection and stuff considerring theyre a business, but it was pretty cooll.

Most people actually don't use surge protectors, the games usually have quite a few fuses in them that accomplish the same thing.

[fredster]

I can't see where it would hurt.  I have several on one plug, but I don't turn them on all at once.

I bought a remote control for christmas lights, well, several of them.  It's got a 50 foot range.  I only see them at xmas time. But they work great.  I plug 3 into one remote outlet and use the remotes to turn them on in groups.

But if you are in a house, the house can get hit by lightning or they can screw around with the power, etc.  These remotes I have are normally off if the power goes down, so they won't just all come on at once.  That's a problem too.

I have my power out like once a month on average out here in the country.  I don't let my games run all the time, just sometimes when friends are over or I want to play.

[ChadTower]

Heh, I have the same "Xmas lights remote" setup.  It was like $12, awesome deal.

I also have a whole house surge protector on the circuit breaker box.  That should protect the stuff in my house from all lightning (unless it hits the house directly).  $130 is a small price to pay for the one time you need it.

[tmasman]

I also have a whole house surge protector on the circuit breaker box.  That should protect the stuff in my house from all lightning (unless it hits the house directly).  $130 is a small price to pay for the one time you need it.

Is that it? I thought they were closer to 10 times that...
I'll have to look into those.

[2PacMan]

So I guess what i need to know is this:

I have two games.  They are on the other sides of the room, they run on two separate outlets.  Should i plug each of them into a surge protector and then into the wall even though they are going to be the only thing plugged in them, or are they fine just plugged into the outlet?

Also, if i'm not playing the game for a long time, should i unplug it?  Does some power still go to the game even if the power button is off??

[ChadTower]

Is that it? I thought they were closer to 10 times that...
I'll have to look into those.

http://www.smarthome.com/4870.HTML

That's the one I have.  It took an electrician about 20 minutes to put it in (though admittedly he was installing the entire panel at the time).

[cholin]

Two games -- well assuming these are MAMEd and run on a powerstrip inside the cabinet, just get a surge protected one for each cabinet just in case.  I dont see why you're debating this.  Sure, its probably safe, why wouldnt it be, but come on, when you can get a surge protected strip for ~$5 locally, its really no comparrison.  Also, yes games take power when the button is off.  Power is still running to your computer.  On my motherboard right now, even when you shut off the computer, it has a "POWER SUPPLIED" light in there and that is basically there to remind you that there is power still going to your system.  Basically, unless you disconnect the power from the source, your cab still uses power (TVs need to know when you press the power button on your remote, motherboards need to power USB devices.....)

[Ken Layton]

I only use surge protectors on arcade games if a problem is present at the location that causes problems with the games. Example: My friend has an Area 51 game on location at a convenience store. Game keeps locking up and/or defaulting the volume to factory settings. Turns out a refrigeration compressor is on the same wall outlet circuit. Each time the compressor kicks in it puts a spike on the power line affecting the game. The cure was to plug in a good quality surge protector. There have not been any problems since installing the protector (it's been 6 months now).

[tommy]

Theres no harm in the extra protection with a surge protecter, but like some one said there should be atleast one inline fuse somewhere in the power wires, if the fuse blows something went wrong but your electronics are still fine.