Author Topic: One "On/Off" Switch to Power Them All (Read 9614 times)

BradC · « **on:** June 19, 2007, 01:16:28 pm »

The computer I'm going to be using in my cabinet has a very cool feature in the BIOS where it will power on immediately when power is sent to the computer. Meaning if I have the PC plugged into a power strip which is turned off, all I have to do is turn the power strip on and the computer boots up.

The cabinet I'm using already has an on/off switch in the back, so what I would like to do is plug the PC, monitor, speakers, light, etc. into a power strip, then somehow hook that up to the switch. Something like this:

PC/Monitor/etc. --> Power Strip --> On/Off Switch --> Power Cord --> Wall socket

Not being an electrician, I don't know what would be the best way to wire up something to the switch. Is there an adapter or something that will act as a passthrough between the power strip and an extension cord, which can be wired up to a switch? Would I be able to just disassemble the switch on the power strip and wire that to the cabinet switch?

SirPeale · « **Reply #1 on:** June 19, 2007, 01:17:53 pm »

No one has ever asked this question before.

Ever.

Nope.

Never.

Chris G · « **Reply #2 on:** June 19, 2007, 01:26:32 pm »

Just cut the plug off the the power strip and wire it directly to the switch. Works great.

BobA · « **Reply #3 on:** June 19, 2007, 01:51:25 pm »

Make sure you wire the ground from the power strip to the ground of the cabinet. Check the cabinet power cord and see where it is grounded to.

Kaytrim · « **Reply #4 on:** June 19, 2007, 02:36:17 pm »

Check this out. Smart Strip Hack.

unclet · « **Reply #5 on:** June 19, 2007, 03:07:02 pm »

I bought something from Radio Shack (do not remember the name) which was basically a one outlet plug controlled by a remote control. You press the remote control to toggle the flow of electricity on/off.

I connected everything from my cabinet into a standard power strip. This power strip was then plugged into the one outlet plug thing I got from Radio Shack (which is plugged into the wall).

Now, when I want to turn on my cabinet, I press the remote control and everything comes to life. Another press of the remote turns everything off. Keep in mind I do not have my computer plugged into this .... I leave that on all the time.

I simply stuck the remote control (1 inch square) to the side of the control panel out of the way and now my kids can press it to turn everything on. I did not have to buy a smart strip and did not have to attach wires to a motherboard either to turn stuff on or off. Anyway, it works for me, so I thought I would mention it.

(EDIT)
This looks exactly like the ones I bought from Radio Shack (see pics). I searched for "remote outlet" and found this on Ebay

I believe that Radio Shack no longer sells these, but I could be wrong ..... I think I got them on clearance for like $5 each. I actually use one to turn on my Skeeball game to make that easier for the kids as well.
(EDIT)

javeryh · « **Reply #6 on:** June 19, 2007, 03:11:48 pm »

I just used a SmartStrip and wired the computer power-on button to a pushbutton on my cabinet. The computer gets plugged into the "hot" outlet on the SmartStrip and everything else (marquee light, speakers, monitor) gets plugged into the "cold" outlets. The SmartStrip plugs in to the wall. Once I press the power button on everything comes to life. To turn everything off I just press it again. Simple!

unclet · « **Reply #7 on:** June 19, 2007, 03:17:34 pm »

I just dont like waiting for the computer to boot up everytime I want to play a game. I go over to my cabinet and press the remote control button and the lights, TV and sound come on and I am ready for action. Another press and everything turns off (except the computer). Guess you could do this with the Smart Strip as well, but since I found this remote control button thing for $5.00 is was a lot cheaper.

BradC · « **Reply #8 on:** June 19, 2007, 03:36:36 pm »

The cabinet has ONLY the switch on the back. The switch is not hooked up to anything anymore (it was like this when I got it), there is no power cord running away from the cabinet.

I thought about the smart strip, but I don't need it. Once I get power flowing to the power strip, everything will turn themselves on (including the PC) without any additional button pressing required. So I just want to basically put the switch between the surge protector and extension cord.

PsychoAU · « **Reply #9 on:** June 19, 2007, 04:00:23 pm »

Here is the outlet that UncleT is talking about for sale on Target. It seems to be cheaper to get it through them than it is on eBay once shipping is factored in.

http://tinyurl.com/2ee6eo

Kaytrim · « **Reply #10 on:** June 19, 2007, 04:09:45 pm »

The only issue with cutting power to a windows computer is that damage can be done to the hard drive. Not physical damage but swap files and temp files can be lost and eventually fill up the dirve making your computer work slower and slower. You need to gracefully shut down the computer to prevent this. This is where extending the computer power button and using a smart strip come in. When you push the computer power button Windows shuts down properly. Then the power is cut to the rest of the cab. When you press the power button again the computer starts up and power is sent back to the rest of the cab.

IMHO using the smart strip is smart computer management.

Kaytrim

SirPeale · « **Reply #11 on:** June 19, 2007, 04:10:43 pm »

Quote from: Kaytrim on June 19, 2007, 04:09:45 pm

The only issue with cutting power to a windows computer is that damage can be done to the hard drive.

Two words: read only.

Chris G · « **Reply #12 on:** June 19, 2007, 06:03:10 pm »

Quote from: Peale on June 19, 2007, 04:10:43 pm

Quote from: Kaytrim on June 19, 2007, 04:09:45 pm
The only issue with cutting power to a windows computer is that damage can be done to the hard drive.

Two words: read only.

Ya KT, stop posting will ya.

saint · « **Reply #13 on:** June 19, 2007, 06:48:30 pm »

Swap file. Don't know if you can make a non-modifiable Windows system. Anyone done that?

Quote from: Peale on June 19, 2007, 04:10:43 pm

Quote from: Kaytrim on June 19, 2007, 04:09:45 pm
The only issue with cutting power to a windows computer is that damage can be done to the hard drive.

Two words: read only.

psychotech · « **Reply #14 on:** June 19, 2007, 07:17:35 pm »

Right!

Quote from: javeryh on June 19, 2007, 03:11:48 pm

I just used a SmartStrip and wired the computer power-on button to a pushbutton on my cabinet. The computer gets plugged into the "hot" outlet on the SmartStrip and everything else (marquee light, speakers, monitor) gets plugged into the "cold" outlets. The SmartStrip plugs in to the wall. Once I press the power button on everything comes to life. To turn everything off I just press it again. Simple!

And that's all there is to it. Come on, how complicated do you really want to make these things...

Works even with Win98/SE/ME. XP actually supports the power switch shutdown function natively and shuts down all running programs before shutting down the system ..no lost (swap)files or anything.

KISS

Green Giant · « **Reply #15 on:** June 19, 2007, 07:42:36 pm »

For a cheaper alternative to the smartstrip, just take any extension cord, slice it open, trim just one wire on it, and place a heavy duty power switch from radio shack in its place. Then wire an extra button on top of your cab to the computer switch to shut it down.

Justin Z · « **Reply #16 on:** June 19, 2007, 07:58:54 pm »

Quote from: saint on June 19, 2007, 06:48:30 pm

Swap file. Don't know if you can make a non-modifiable Windows system. Anyone done that?

I have not done it yet, but plan to test it out with a program called Deep Freeze once I have everything set exactly as I want it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Freeze_%28software%29

Kaytrim · « **Reply #17 on:** June 19, 2007, 10:04:37 pm »

Quote from: Justin Z on June 19, 2007, 07:58:54 pm

Quote from: saint on June 19, 2007, 06:48:30 pm
Swap file. Don't know if you can make a non-modifiable Windows system. Anyone done that?
I have not done it yet, but plan to test it out with a program called Deep Freeze once I have everything set exactly as I want it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Freeze_%28software%29

Products like Deep Freeze and BlackIce don't do anything about the swap file. Windows still needs to shut down gracefully or the hard drive will eventually fill up with lost clusters from abandoned swap files.

Quote from: Chris G on June 19, 2007, 06:03:10 pm

Quote from: Peale on June 19, 2007, 04:10:43 pm
Quote from: Kaytrim on June 19, 2007, 04:09:45 pm
The only issue with cutting power to a windows computer is that damage can be done to the hard drive.

Two words: read only.

Ya KT, stop posting will ya.

I'll keep posting until you get the right idea about proper computer management.

Justin Z · « **Reply #18 on:** June 19, 2007, 11:27:51 pm »

So I guess the only solution for that, then, would be to get about 4GB of RAM and turn the swap file completely off.

SirPeale · « **Reply #19 on:** June 19, 2007, 11:42:13 pm »

Quote from: Justin Z on June 19, 2007, 11:27:51 pm

So I guess the only solution for that, then, would be to get about 4GB of RAM and turn the swap file completely off.

Or just turn off a ton of unnecessary services. On a dedicated cab that doesn't do anything else, there's bound to be a bunch.

BradC · « **Reply #20 on:** June 20, 2007, 10:25:01 am »

To clarify, I'm not planning on just flipping the switch when I'm finished playing. I've been using computers since you had to "park" the hard drive before turning off the machine, so I know a thing or two about proper care.

I will be shutting down through the system, and then turning off the switch.

Green Giant · « **Reply #21 on:** June 20, 2007, 11:11:09 am »

If you want to do it that way, then use the idea I mentioned. It is cheap and easy. Just requires a pushbutton for the comnputer, prefereably mounted on top of the cab, and a heavy duty switch to power the rest. If you just cut one wire in an extension cord and wire something like this in between, Radio Shack Link . I did this with mine and it works great. The button and switch are on top of my cab and out of site. Just hit the computer button to do a soft shutdown and then flip the switch to kill the rest.

miles2912 · « **Reply #22 on:** June 20, 2007, 11:21:08 am »

Quote from: Green Giant on June 20, 2007, 11:11:09 am

If you want to do it that way, then use the idea I mentioned. It is cheap and easy. Just requires a pushbutton for the comnputer, prefereably mounted on top of the cab, and a heavy duty switch to power the rest. If you just cut one wire in an extension cord and wire something like this in between, . I did this with mine and it works great. The button and switch are on top of my cab and out of site. Just hit the computer button to do a soft shutdown and then flip the switch to kill the rest.

Exactly what I did. Basically you are extending the on - off switch of the power strip to where ever you want. I pulled out the on off switch from the power strip and brought it in to radio shack to match up the numbers. Looks like the one lined would work out fine too.

When you are done playing with the cab you have to shut windows down and then flip the switch. Turing it on you just flip the switch. At the end of my build post there are pics of the switch.

Green Giant · « **Reply #23 on:** June 20, 2007, 11:41:18 am »

Basically what I said. I just thought it was easier and cheaper to hack up a $5 extension cord than a power strip. I was in a hurry and didn't have time to work on a power strip. Just make sure whatever switch you buy handles high power since you have a 300+ watt computer and more.

Another perk is that you can have everything but the computer kick on with the switch. That way you could have other consoles or watch video on your cab, your option.

Jouster · « **Reply #24 on:** June 20, 2007, 08:19:19 pm »

The PC I was using was the older style with the toggle power switch...plus I happened to get a 6 outlet power strip from Staples I think for like $3! I busted it open and extended the switch to the back of the cab...flipping the switch turns on everything...after shutdown of the pc, flipping the switch turns everything off.

Jouster

BrentRadio · « **Reply #25 on:** June 22, 2007, 02:12:20 am »

I use this:

http://www.notestation.com/rs-212.htm

Just plug a 6 outlet power strip into each one, and there you go!

Brent

crzywolf · « **Reply #26 on:** June 22, 2007, 02:26:54 pm »

Has anyone tried to use a power strip for servers ? I have seen a few on Ebay for about $45 that plugs in to the serial port of your computer and allows you cut each outlet on/off .

bleargh · « **Reply #27 on:** June 22, 2007, 02:39:53 pm »

Quote from: crzywolf on June 22, 2007, 02:26:54 pm

Has anyone tried to use a power strip for servers ? I have seen a few on Ebay for about $45 that plugs in to the serial port of your computer and allows you cut each outlet on/off .

You mean like the ones from APC? Geez... I wish I could find one for ~$45.

I've used the APC gear before at our colo and it was great. Machine ever hang for some reason? Just log into the power bar (we had the one with an Ethernet port) and tell it to cycle the power to the port for that machine.

They work great, they're just expensive; last time I looked at any on eBay they were still ~$200 a pop.

SavannahLion · « **Reply #28 on:** June 22, 2007, 03:17:30 pm »

Quote from: saint on June 19, 2007, 06:48:30 pm

Swap file. Don't know if you can make a non-modifiable Windows system. Anyone done that?

Quote from: Peale on June 19, 2007, 04:10:43 pm
Quote from: Kaytrim on June 19, 2007, 04:09:45 pm
The only issue with cutting power to a windows computer is that damage can be done to the hard drive.

Two words: read only.

Yeah, it's called BartPE. Runs off of a CD (DVD?). Using your windows XP disc and a current installation, it creates, what is essentially, a self contained bootable copy of XP on disc. Generally it's used to recover from severe problems such as a corrupted HDD or used to recover data from same. I've heard of people using it to create non-alterable environments such as in a classroom.

Some noted caveats is it runs bog slow on some systems and can take a while to boot due to the hardware probes. You can tweak the boot time by running a helper application to remove unnecessary drivers before making the disc, probes, process and the like. This has a side effect of specializing the boot disc to specific hardware, but for an arcade machine, exactly what you want. The system speed, I'm not sure how to fix, I've thrown more RAM on some test systems and sometimes it speeds up and other times it doesn't do anything. Oh well, I just use it for system recovery, so speed isn't high on my priority list.

AFAIK, BartPE creates a swap file in RAM and uses that instead of the HDD.

SavannahLion · « **Reply #29 on:** June 22, 2007, 03:52:47 pm »

If you feel you must, then take a que from the old Win98 days and that silly disk check utility thingie. A lot of people wrote scripts to automatically delete the files.

With XP, I've never had the need for a script so I don't know what files one should look for.

crzywolf · « **Reply #30 on:** June 22, 2007, 04:29:22 pm »

Quote

You mean like the ones from APC? Geez... I wish I could find one for ~$45.

I've used the APC gear before at our colo and it was great. Machine ever hang for some reason? Just log into the power bar (we had the one with an Ethernet port) and tell it to cycle the power to the port for that machine.

They work great, they're just expensive; last time I looked at any on eBay they were still ~$200 a pop.

I just looked on ebay and I can not find any at the $45 price anymore . about three weeks ago I had no trouble finding them , which is one of the reasons I decided to put off buying one .

bleargh · « **Reply #31 on:** June 22, 2007, 04:33:11 pm »

Quote from: crzywolf on June 22, 2007, 04:29:22 pm

I just looked on ebay and I can not find any at the $45 price anymore . about three weeks ago I had no trouble finding them , which is one of the reasons I decided to put off buying one .

I just checked myself, but couldn't find one for less than a few hundred bucks.

If you ever run across these at a reasonable price, please PM me to let me know; I could use several but can't afford them at ~$500 a pop.

Green Giant · « **Reply #32 on:** June 22, 2007, 05:03:16 pm »

Is there a reason you would need server power strips. I can't imagine having enough equipment that would require a server power strip. They are extremely heavy duty designed for massive power draws.

I used to work on servers at HP, and most of the time we just used regular power strips. The separate switches per input are not necessary or used. You would need at least 8 blade enclosures with 20 blades per enclosure to actually need one of those power strips. Basically about 300 procs sucking power through the same supply.

bleargh · « **Reply #33 on:** June 22, 2007, 05:11:28 pm »

Quote from: Green Giant on June 22, 2007, 05:03:16 pm

Is there a reason you would need server power strips. I can't imagine having enough equipment that would require a server power strip. They are extremely heavy duty designed for massive power draws.

Me, I'm all for having the "remote port on/off" feature. Considering that I'm a few hours away from my servers, the ability to cycle the power to any one port remotely is worth it.

For a MAME cab, though, I agree... it would be overkill. Not so much that its because its a "server" strip, but just because I can't think of any reason I'd want one in my cab. I'm sure you could jury-rig one to function similarly to a smart-strip, but that'd be a whole lot of extra effort to script it just so that things turned on/off with your PC...

Green Giant · « **Reply #34 on:** June 22, 2007, 05:23:00 pm »

What servers are you using? I know HP servers can be power cycled and worked on remotely over the internet. I know dell has a very crude version of this. Not sure about IBM.

crzywolf · « **Reply #35 on:** June 22, 2007, 06:07:10 pm »

I had all kind of ideas for my arcade machine and being able to control the power this way seemed to make since so, I would not have everything running at the same time. I was planning on having A PC,PS2 ,SNES ,6 arcade PCB'S,powered speakers and I also wanted motorized drawers to pop out the side of my cabinet with the light guns in them.

BradC · « **Reply #36 on:** June 22, 2007, 06:18:25 pm »

Wow this thread really got derailed from my original intention.

What it boils down to is me removing the rocker switch in my power strip and wiring in the one on my cabinet.

crzywolf · « **Reply #37 on:** June 22, 2007, 06:28:29 pm »

Sorry about that.

bleargh · « **Reply #38 on:** June 22, 2007, 06:30:35 pm »

Quote from: Green Giant on June 22, 2007, 05:23:00 pm

What servers are you using? I know HP servers can be power cycled and worked on remotely over the internet. I know dell has a very crude version of this. Not sure about IBM.

Dells, but they don't have any DRAC units. Well, actually they do, but they're not supported on any non-Windows platforms.

crzywolf · « **Reply #39 on:** June 22, 2007, 06:36:45 pm »

Here is another option for you BradC.

www.nicemite.com


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