One "On/Off" Switch to Power Them All

[BradC]

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]

No one has ever asked this question before.

Ever.

Nope.

Never.

[Chris G]

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

[BobA]

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]

Check this out.  Smart Strip Hack.

[unclet]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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]

Right!

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]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Sorry about that.

[bleargh]

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]

Here is another option for you BradC.

www.nicemite.com

[ideft]

I hope this helps your needs.  Basically you need to wire a switch to your power.  All it takes is a 120v AC rated switch ie. a normal household light switch.  Cut the plug going into your power bar and cut the female end of an extension cord.  Wire the two black wires(live) to the two bolts on the switch, connect the whites(neutral) with a wire connector, do the same with the grounds.  Encase in a electrical box and there is your power switch.

[Zebidee]

BradC  -  You don't want to run 240v (or 110v) to a switch if you can help it.  This way uses only 5v instead:

If you have an ATX mainboard, then find the PSON (Power Switch ON) pin where the ATX power supply connects to the mainboard.  On a 20-pin ATX molex connector this is pin 14.  Also find a suitable ground pin (pin 15 on a 20-pin ATX will do).  There is also a 24-pin ATX power variety.  Check here for PS pinouts:

http://pinouts.ru/Power/atxpower_pinout.shtml

Assuming a 20-pin ATX connector, you can run an 'active' wire from the back of the PSON pin on the molex plug (pin 14), and a 'ground' wire from pin 15 to your external power switch.  To initially connect the wire to the molex connector & test without damaging anything, strip the last cm or so of your wire, twist/fold it & jam it in the back of the ATX molex connector (where it connects to the mainboard) so that it makes a good connection with the metal pin.  Do the same for your ground wire.  Connect both wires to your "always on" power switch.  Viola!  You have an external power switch for your cabinet that won't fry someone if you stuff up

Even better, if your ATX PC has a 'soft' power switch (ie, the power switch is connected to your motherboard, not the power supply) then you should be able to redirect this to a normal arcade button as an alternating ON/OFF button.  Most of these switches are "momentary" (ie like an arcade action button), and designed to either start or shut down the PC when they detect the 5V being grounded.  I use this kind of switch to allow my Win XP cab to be started and shut-down safely from a button (I placed the on/off button just inside the cab door though).

EDIT - almost forgot to mention that I use this setup with a $20 master/slave powerboard (ie a cheap "Smartstrip") from the local hardware store to ensure that all the cab's lights & monitor turn on & off as the PC is powered on/off with the arcade button.

[shorthair]

I'm surprised on one is worried about a drop-out while playing a game. It's not common, but out in the west this can happen due to high AC usage. Also, when I lived in one area, twice over a couple/few years, people hit poles or transformers near intersections.

[SirPeale]

Of course it's a risk.    No one's saying it isn't.

[SavannahLion]

I'm surprised on one is worried about a drop-out while playing a game. It's not common, but out in the west this can happen due to high AC usage. Also, when I lived in one area, twice over a couple/few years, people hit poles or transformers near intersections.

You're describing rolling black outs. The West isn't the only place to suffer from that, it's just more high profile.

Most people learn really quick to deal with those kind of situations. If power outages is that big of a deal for you, stick a UPS in the cab and be done with it.

[Green Giant]

This isn't the 90's.  A computer can take a power kill, just make sure it doesn't have "power on with power" set.  Had a $20000 server die at work when power company kept cycling on and off before we could kill all the machines.

[psychotech]

Even better, if your ATX PC has a 'soft' power switch (ie, the power switch is connected to your motherboard, not the power supply) then you should be able to redirect this to a normal arcade button as an alternating ON/OFF button.  Most of these switches are "momentary" (ie like an arcade action button), and designed to either start or shut down the PC when they detect the 5V being grounded.  I use this kind of switch to allow my Win XP cab to be started and shut-down safely from a button (I placed the on/off button just inside the cab door though).

EDIT - almost forgot to mention that I use this setup with a $20 master/slave powerboard (ie a cheap "Smartstrip") from the local hardware store to ensure that all the cab's lights & monitor turn on & off as the PC is powered on/off with the arcade button.

I'd say that's the only way to go; IE. the easy & safe option. How many MB's there are without the option to power the PC on from a button on the front panel? Even the old 386/486's had the button... With any ATX MB's it really is the ON/OFF solution ..For older machines you'll just need something like the atxoff.com batch file. (While even Win98 shuts down "automatically", the atxoff works even in dos With AT boards, who knows..

...

[HoopstarsGarage]

With all my cabinets I have used the following method:

I connect a single momentary pushbutton switch (on the outside of the cabinet) to the PC's power button.  When this button is pressed, the PC boots up and with it, the +12v line inside the PC switches on.

I then connect this +12V to a mains rated relay using the appropriate Relay cradle.  When the relay switches on, it switches in the active 240v (120v) line which in turn is connected to a power board - the powerboard then turns on my marquee light, monitor, amp, etc.

When the PC is switched off, either by pressing the "power" button or shutting down from inside your FE, the relay will drop out and switch off all your other components.

The diode is there to prevent any back EMF upsetting the power supply when it switches off - you can use any diode (1N4001, 1N4004 etc) just make sure to observe the polarity of the diode..!!



I would advise to mount the relay and cradle in an aluminum project box which is grounded for safety.  I have also built a couple for friends using a smaller relay and mounted it inside the powerboard - this requires some soldering skills which some may not be comfortable with.  Make sure all terminations are covered with heat shrink..!!

All in all this is cheap, easy and works..!!


Hoops

[Zebidee]

looks cool Hoops - getting my head around this now.  Seems pretty straightforward ....

The local h/ware store has run out of cheap master/slave power boards, and I don't know where else to get them in Australia.  So this relay switch looks like the next best thing.

[Joystick Jerk]

I just did the soft-switch hack and it worked great!

Just cut the wires to the soft-switch on your PC, splice in some lines with those electrical twist caps, and then attach them to your arcade pushbutton. Here's another quick diagram for those that are interested:

[ppilot]

Wow, what a lot of responses not telling you what you want to know

I've done what you want to do on all of my cabinets; cut apart an old power strip and wired it inline with the toggle switch on the back of your cabinet.  Just take the screws off the back of the power strip, take it apart, and look at the wiring going TO the switch from the strips.  Cut these wires (Black Live, maybe a White Neutral, Green Ground).  You now have no power going to the strip if it's plugged in, right?  (And I know you're not an idiot, but of course do NOT have the strip plugged in when you cut the wires.)  Next, cut the wires to the switch in your cabinet running from the switch TO the internals of your machine.  How these'll be labelled I don't know, but there'll be a live and a ground wire.  Solder the wires from the switch in the machine to the power strip, and put the power strip back together again.  The switch on the power strip now does nothing, and the strip is now powered by the switch on your cabinet.  Plug in the cabinet, plug a lamp or something into the strip to test, invoke whichever deity you prefer, and hit the switch.  If it works, plug everything inside your cabinet into the strip and you're golden.

Make sense?

[Senator]

I am trying to extend the power switch on my computer to an arcade button on the top of cabinet.  When I looked at the computer button there are four wires going to the mother board.  I checked two other computers and they both have two like everyone here seems to have.  Does anyone know why there are four (2 green and 2 white) and can help with how to hook up an arcade button? 

Also, I'm using a smartstrip but my tv does not stay on after power loss.  I know this is a whole other topic (but related) and  know there are several ways to skin this cat but I am looking to extend the tv power button, I can then use the button to simulate a "toothpick" approach where the tv is always in the "on" position.  If this doesn't work, I can also make a 2-button approach with power for computer (and speakers and light thru the smartstrip) with a second button for tv power.

Has anyone tried this approach of extending the tv power button? 

[Zebidee]

I am trying to extend the power switch on my computer to an arcade button on the top of cabinet.  When I looked at the computer button there are four wires going to the mother board.  I checked two other computers and they both have two like everyone here seems to have.  Does anyone know why there are four (2 green and 2 white) and can help with how to hook up an arcade button? 

I have dealt with this before.  Is your PC an IBM or similar ex-desktop?  The IBM ATX case power switches have four wires, which represent two separate on/off actives and two separate ground wires.  For some reason IBM designed their P4 m/boards like this, but only one wire pair actually needs to be grounded to trigger on/off.  The switch is designed to trigger both signals simultaneously (I pulled it apart), but this seems completely unnecessary except perhaps as backup.  I also spent some time testing this by restarting the machine with different wire pair combos and both at once, but it made absolutely no difference. 

I am almost certain that you only need to use one pair of wires (active & ground) to make the switch.  That's how I did it on my IBM machine before, and I never had a problem with it (sold now).  I just chose one wire pair and wired up an arcade button with adjustable trigger pressure.  This way you can make it less sensitive, and more difficult to press by accident.

Regarding your TV power switch - is it momentary or toggle?  And I'm thinking ...  have you considered wiring your PC and TV power to the same switch / button?  You may have to visit the electronics store to get a two-way switch, probably going to cost you all of $1 or $2.

[Senator]

Thanks for that Zeb, that's exactly what I have, IBM Netvista P4.  Your solution should work.

The TV has a momentary switch.  My hope it to be able to just plug it into the smartstrip and have it go on and off with everything else.  Your suggestion sounds like an interesting 1-button alternative.  I've read a few threads about this but never saw that solution.   I'm most interested in the difficulty of actually installing the extended button.  I'm a novice at soldering and if I need to take to a tv repair guy I will.  Also interested if anyone actually used this technique successfully.

Thanks again.

[Zebidee]

Senator, installing the 2-way switch shouldn't be at all complicated.  The theory is no more complicated than any other arcade button.  Just that you'll have one switch to ground two signals.  There are about a zillion different switches out there, but you probably don't have to solder anything at all.  Ask about switches at the electronics hobby store.

If you like this hobby, try to make some time/opportunity to build your soldering skills as they are very useful    

[Zebidee]

Oh, if the TV has a momentary switch then the PC will need to be turned on with a momentary switch signal (eg the soft power switch connected to ATX m/board).  But if the TV switch is alternating on/off, then you should also use an alternating switch for the PC power.  In this case, use the alternating "PSON" signal wire from where the ATX Power supply itself connects to the m/board (as I described in my earlier post on this thread).  This way you have a 2-way ("dual gang"?) switch option regardless of how the TV powers on.

[advocate]

Instead of Rewiring the Power Supply, Couldn't you Just use the Craftsman Auto Switch Sears item# 00924031000 Mfr. model# 24031

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00924031000P?keyword=power+accessories

You Plug your computer into the main outlet and plug your Monitor and other Cabinet Peripherals in the Accessory outlets (you can add a powerstrip).

I turn on my computer by either hitting the ATX Button or the Keyboard Key programmed in the Bios. When I do that the Switch Turns on All my other Computer Peripherals attached. When I hit Windows  Shut Down in XP, my computer Shuts Down and the Switch then Automatically Shuts off all Peripherals. Power is Maintained to the computer so that the ATX button or Keyboard Key can Turn it on again.

Just Extend your ATX Button or keyboard key  to the outside of your cab.

Your other solutions are ingenious, but I think that this one is easier.

Jacob

[Zebidee]

Welcome to the board!

Unfortunately, the "Craftsman" doesn't do anything to address the need for a momentary switch to be pressed at the same time as power is applied.  Good to see another master-slave powerboard available out there though.

Since originally writing to this thread, I've setup a vertical cab with a 26" Loewe TV that needs a momentary switch pressed at the SAME TIME, or within about 1 second, of power being applied.  I addressed this by adding a second TV power switch, on the outside of the cab (at back).  I pulled an appropriate switch off an old TV that I was  throwing out. The cab still has separate power switches for PC & monitor, but I don't have to reach around inside the back of the cab to turn on the monitor now.

            Hey!  I just had an idea


While writing this post, I have realised that I have another possibility.  Use my new TV switch to apply 240v power to the PC instead of the TV, while still using the same switch to send the momentary on/off signal to the TV.  If i set up my PC to come on as power applied, and it is attached to a master-slave powerboard (eg the Smartstrip or the Sears one, or the cheaper & better one I got from Bunnings), then power will also be applied to my TV (the original switch is left ON), and the momentary trigger will turn the TV on!

The whole deal might rely on the person pressing the switch removing their finger at a leisurely pace.  I wonder about the small time delay (PC turning on, drawing current, master/slave relay circuits are closed on powerboard, TV gets power and ONLY THEN looks for a momentary signal on/off).  I know it all happens very quickly, but wonder if it would be quick enough.  Probably 

On balance, for this particular cabinet, I think I like having the separate power switch for my TV-cum-monitor.  Another feature of this great Loewe TV is that it powers off after a certain time (~5 minutes) without any video signals.  This means that if windows turns the video off after 20 minutes of no activity, the TV will turn itself off and save power/tube/electronics wear. And if that happens,  I can turn it on again with an easily accessible separate power switch for the monitor.

As I run Windows 2000 on this cab's PC, it is nice to be able to turn off the monitor without having to re-boot the machine (which takes about 1.5 minutes +)

[BrentRadio]

This is what I use. They also make them with just one button.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200206724_200206724