Power button ideas

[gurnie]

I figure most people are using a computer for their mame cabinet.  I was wondering do most people open their coin door and reach in and turn on their computer or do they have a wired a button to the side of their cabinet so you don't have to reach in to turn on the power.  Granted reaching in to turn it on the system is not a problem, I just think it would be slick if you could push a button on the side of the cabinet to turn it on.  It would leave a mysteriouse element to it when your showing it off to your friends (instead of exposing to my friends it's just a dell computer that has my system going.)  Has anyone wired a power-on button?

[mccoy178]

Maybe one or two people have.   If you run a search on the power button, you will find all the resources you need.

[finsailor]

I put my PC power button on top of the cab, so that it's not visible but accessible.
The original power switch is also on top of the cab (other side), which turns on the lights...

[ChadTower]

Most people put their power button on the slam switch.  When you want to play, you start kicking the crap out of the cab until it comes on.

[RetroACTIVE]

I put mine on the upper right rear of the cab.... It is counter sunk below the surface of the cabinet back wall.  I also put an AC power switch at the base of the unit as a main cut-off.... I know overkill but I like buttons and switches and wires...

[SirPoonga]

I reach through the coin door.
Actually, right now, my cabinet will power on with my light switch.  I don't know how I got it to turn on when the regular power strip gets power but it does.

otherwise I reach through the coin door and leave my computer on.  I let it go to sleep when not in use.

[ChadTower]

So when do you kick the crap out of it?

[RaggedEdge]

OK I'll bite.....I turn mine on from my web browser.  Mysterious is when you are half way around the world, and you turn it on......sorry I couldn't resist the temptation...I do have a local pushbutton, that I haven't mounted permanently yet, so you can always go mainstream and wire up a pushbutton....

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=41086.msg389304#msg389304

[webgeek]

I turn mine on from my web browser.

Dang it! I thought I was going to have the only web enabled cabinet! Time to come up with something new... 

As for the basic power button, Im going with a recessed button on the top somewhere and a Smart Strip to handle everything else.

Have fun!

Mike

[ChadTower]

It wouldn't be that hard to set it up so you could turn it on via web browser, actually.

[webgeek]

He HAS done that, if you follow the link you can see how he did it. I'm mad cause I need a new idea now.

[slayj]

I have my Bios on my motherboard set to turn on the computer with a certain keyboard press.

[Silverwind]

I purchased an industrial 30mm pushbutton for my power button.  Have not got it hooked up yet.

[rescue161]

I have a remote power button, but it's behind the coin door.

[Skadar]

I turn mine on using a "password" as specified in my BIOS.  I specified a two-character password like "12", which means I walk up and press Player 1 Start, Player 2 Start and everything comes to life.

I'm fairly certain that most any BIOS will let you turn on your PC with a password, so there's no need to be wiring up Power Buttons... unless you want to.

[ChadTower]

I want to turn mine on my screaming at it in German.

[s4tay]

I have my switch located under my coin door shown in the picture. It

[spystyle]

.

[JustMichael]

I ended up doing two power buttons.  The last computer I had in the cab would turn on when AC was applied so I installed a rocker switch that controlled an outlet I installed in the cab.  When I upgraded (replaced) the computer in the cab, the new computer wouldn't turn on with AC.  I even checked the bios but no option for turn on with AC.  There was an option for "turn on with keypress" but I quickly found out that it didn't work if the computer had lost power completely.  Turn on with keypress worked perfectly as long as the computer had power applied since it was shutoff.  So I bought a smart powerstrip and installed a red button to turn on the computer.  The red button shorts the two pins on the motherboard that the power button on the case normally would have.  Now when I turn on the computer, the smartstrip gives power to everything else.

[SirPeale]

I figure most people are using a computer for their mame cabinet. 

Really?  In reading the examples page, I find most using a cardboard box, filled with limes and cat hair.

[D5A1AC]

My friend had a pinball machine which you switch on by putting your hand underneath the right hand side and feeling for the countersunk button - I'm doing pretty much the same thing. I am going to mount a momentary pushbutton on the left hand underside of my control panel wired up to the power switch motherboard header. It probably won't look to pretty but who looks on the underside of anything anyway?

[krick]

check out this post...

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=37153#msg329904

[DrewKaree]

He HAS done that, if you follow the link you can see how he did it. I'm mad cause I need a new idea now.

Have an image of a toilet as your side art, and hook up an actual flush handle to power everything on. 

This does 3 things. 

• Unique and new idea to turn on your cab
• Names the cab for you (quarters down the drain, crapcade, flushtacular waste, etc)
• You don't have to put as much effort into making it look nice.  You can always fall back on "whaddaya expect? It's GOT to be made crappy to go along with the whole "theme" thing.  Did you somehow MISS the toilet on the side?!?

Glad to be of help.  Carry on.

[DrewKaree]

I figure most people are using a computer for their mame cabinet. 

Really?  In reading the examples page, I find most using a cardboard box, filled with limes and cat hair.

I've found you can eliminate the cat hair if you use a high quality oregano and several drops of nyQuil.  If you can't find those though, you HAVE to use the cat hair.  Also, a lemon or an orange can be substituted for the lime.  In a pinch you CAN use a kiwi, but I don't recommend it, as the fuzz on the outside reacts badly with the cat hair after a while.  No testing of a kiwi, oregano, and nyQuil has been undertaken, but it seems in theory as if it will work.

[DaveMMR]

Most people put their power button on the slam switch.  When you want to play, you start kicking the crap out of the cab until it comes on.

I think you have Arcade Cabinet mixed up with Zoltar Machine. If you kick it hard enough, it will actually grant your wish to be Tom Hanks.