One button cab power up

[eightbit]

I'm familar with the relays and the current sensing powerstrips but I'm looking to do it different.

In the quest for one button Cab power up I'm trying to figure out how to disable a ATX power supply from shutting itself off when I exit Windows under WinXP. I want it to stop at the "Its now safe to turn off your computer screen. I can then shut off the PC with the power strip. I set the bios to restart after a power outage. This way when I turn the power strip back on and the PC will power back up.

This is almost as simple as a single power button can get. My bios doesn't support turning on from keyboard presses. Thats an option I'll look for in the next one. Thats an even simpler solution.

[1UP]

 I don't understand how this is better than hooking a relay to a power strip, with the relay getting a 5V input from the PC power supply.  It seems to me that if you set your bios to restore power after a blackout, it would work even with the usual relay method--the power comes on, the PC boots (thus closing the relay), and the whole cab powers up.

And instead of using a keyboard power-on feature, all you need is a button wired in parallel with the PCs power button.  Something like a Happ pushbutton on top of the cab should work fine.  In fact, this is exactly how I have mine set up, and it works perfect!  Hit the pushbutton on top, the PC powers up, the relay closes, and everything powers up together.  THAT'S as simple as a single power button can get, since you only need push a single button to startup or shut down, without having to exit windows and THEN shut off power manually.  And all this requires is a relay, and 4 solder points.  Simple.

[OSCAR]

ATX power supplies will only turn on when Pin 14 (the only green wire) is grounded.  This is typically handled by the motherboard, and how the mobo turns on and shuts off the power supply.  The shortcut is just to jumper Pin 14 to Pin 15 or any other GND from the power supply.  When Pin 14 is jumpered, the power supply will turn on/off independant of the motherboard so you will have to use a switch.  BTW, this is how I hacked the aux. power supply in my cab to run the lights and amp.

I have a page that shows all the pins and wire colors for an ATX power supply here:

http://www.oscarcontrols.com/ATXpower.shtml

[eightbit]

Yes the relay is an excellent way to do it. I was hoping to avoid the relay since I already have a power strip with a remote strip.

Of course I posted that question before I fully investigated what my PC does. If I shut down Windows normal it turns the PC off. When I turn off the power strip and then turn it back on the PC comes on. This is what I was looking for.

Unfortunately since I am using a sidewinder hack I haven't found a way to shut down Windows with the sidewinder. I'm not running sidewinder profiles (since its XP) and I'd rather not run joy2key just to shut the PC off.

For now I have a remote power strip button on top of my cab next to a arcade button wired to the PC power supply. I guess I'm going to get a relay and hack this power strip to work with the relay. With the fact that it has a remote switch this should be fairly simple. I don't have to crack the power strip open and there might even be room inside the remote switch to mount the relay. I don't know how big relays are.


Other than the power relay this cab is now complete.

[Spectrum]

I could be wrong here.  Its been awhile since I've tried and I'm downloading a flood from usenet and a few other things so I can't test it out, buuuut....... If you disable ACPI in your BIOS and/or in Windows I believe it will stop at the It is now safe yadda yadda yadda screen.

As I said I could be wrong so anyone that knows for sure or tries it feel free to chime in and correct me lol

Robert

[1UP]

I don't have to crack the power strip open and there might even be room inside the remote switch to mount the relay. I don't know how big relays are.

I used a blue 8A 120V relay from Radio Shack that is about 3/4" x 5/8" x 1/2".  It fits right into the empty space next to the power switch inside one of the cheapo Radio Shack power strips.  The only way you can tell my remote power strip is any different, is by the two wires running out the side to my PC.

[Chris]

I ended up having to cut a hole in my power strip; I mounted a relay socket in the hole, so the relay snaps into the socket on top of the power strip.

Does your motherboard support suspend?  I have my power button set up to suspend to RAM; I push it once, the system suspends, and the relay powers down the cabinet.  I press it again, the system starts right back in the frontend rather than rebooting.

--Chris

[MrBond]

Does someone have guide to hacking the powerstrip and hooking up a relay?  I'm not familiar with how to turn on my cab with one button.  Thanks.

[arcadepcnut]

Im with Mr bond as well. Can anyone tell us step by step how to perform the one button power on using a radio shack relay and a cheapo power strip?  Thanks in advance!

[rampy]

Does someone have guide to hacking the powerstrip and hooking up a relay?  I'm not familiar with how to turn on my cab with one button.  Thanks.

check the byoac faq the bottom entry from COBeav is the way most people are talking about...   http://home.bendcable.com/werstlein/

Also check your BIOS for powerup/boot settings

good luck

rampy

[MrBond]

Thanks Rampy!  I'll check it out.  Maybe I'll get it to work!
*shrug*...........LOL!!!!!!!

[arcadepcnut]

Thanks guys! I built this one using only the url as an example. I didnt like the outlet box idea and I had an extra power strip. I mounted the relay inside the power strip! Drilled a hole in the side for the two 12 volt wires to come out. Then I patched in a power connector that I ripped off of an old pc fan. Plugged in the power strip to the wall. Plugged in the pc into the wall and then plugged my speakers, fan, and arcade monitor into the power strip. it works great! Thanks for the tip. It is so nice just pushing the one button to turn everything on. today I am going to radio shack to get a switch to mount on the outside of my cab. Probably on the very top above the marquee and then patch that switch into my power button on my computer and then I dont have to open my coin door to turn the computer on

[eightbit]

today I am going to radio shack to get a switch to mount on the outside of my cab. Probably on the very top above the marquee and then patch that switch into my power button on my computer and then I dont have to open my coin door to turn the computer on

Newer PC's use a momentary pushbutton for the on button. An arcade button works perfect for this purpose. I cheated when I put mine on, I didn't splice any wires. I pulled the power connector of the mother board. Then I stuck wires from the new switch into the connector and crammed the connector back onto the motherboard.

YMMV

[arcadepcnut]

thats a good idea. I can just wrap the wires around the pins on the motherboard and then smash the real power connector on over those. That way it will hold it in place and is easily removable if I replace motherboards. Good idea!

I dont have any extra pushbuttons and can get a small switch at radio shack for $.99 so I will go that route.

[eightbit]

thats a good idea. I can just wrap the wires around the pins on the motherboard and then smash the real power connector on over those. That way it will hold it in place and is easily removable if I replace motherboards. Good idea!

I dont have any extra pushbuttons and can get a small switch at radio shack for $.99 so I will go that route.

Its easy to stick them in the plug then mash that onto the motherboard, otherwise they just get push out of the way when you plug it in.

Just make sure the switch you get is a momentary pushbutton and it should work fine.

[telengard]

Does someone have guide to hacking the powerstrip and hooking up a relay?  I'm not familiar with how to turn on my cab with one button.  Thanks.

I have done this, but I didn't use a relay.  I just opened up the powerstrip and soldered the  terminals
on my cabinet switch to the powerstrip ( I had to make a small hole in it to get the wires in there.
So now when I flick the switch to the cabinet, the power strip comes on and everything is plugged
into that:

      marquee
      computer
      subwoofer/amp
      power supply
      wireless NIC
      pc monitor

Only special thing I had to do was to change a bios setting.  Also I *never* shutdown.  I always restart
and then power down after it has entered the POST.  This is force of habit learned from having
disk issues with shutdown.  My drive on my main PC spins down before all data written to it
makes it to disk, which on windows means the registry didn't get written, and lucky me gets
a system that doesn't boot.
     

[Chris]

This is force of habit learned from having
disk issues with shutdown.  My drive on my main PC spins down before all data written to it
makes it to disk, which on windows means the registry didn't get written, and lucky me gets
a system that doesn't boot.

If this is Windows 98, there's a patch for this...

[telengard]

This is force of habit learned from having
disk issues with shutdown.  My drive on my main PC spins down before all data written to it
makes it to disk, which on windows means the registry didn't get written, and lucky me gets
a system that doesn't boot.

If this is Windows 98, there's a patch for this...

Nope, it's Win2k, but there is a patch for it there also.  I just don't want to upgrade because certain programs
I run won't work with the latest SP for win2k (or so I've read).  'Restart'ing the cab makes it a lot
easier to do shutdown with one switch I guess.   I don't mind hitting the power switch after shutting windows down.
When I get the time/ambition I plan on putting Linux on the cab now that AdvanceMame and Daphne
both run on it.  If  only Visual Pinball weren't Windows only!