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Author Topic: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?  (Read 7093 times)

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unclet

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Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« on: December 26, 2007, 10:20:54 am »
I am adding some lights to my jukebox cabinet which plug into a normal wall outlet.  I would like to be able to have one switch which turns these lights on/off so I was thinking of plugging all the lights into a normal power strip and then extending the wires from the power strip button so I could mount it some where on my cabinet.    I could then always keep the power strip plugged in, but also have an easy way of turning of the power to turn off the lights.

Is this the best way to accomplish what I want?   If so, is there a specific switch I should use to attach the wires I have extended from the power strip?  I am assuming I should not use a normal arcade pushbutton microswitch since those switches are probably not rated to handle wall outlet power ....... but I really have no idea.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2007, 11:05:54 am by unclet »

kelemvor

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2007, 10:25:57 am »
I actually want to do this for my entire cabinet.  My PC has the Boot on Power or whatever it's called so I just turn on the power strip and everything powers up.

I was thinking about just having an extension cord go from the wall, into the cabinet, and up to the top.  Then having a switch in between.  Then having the surge protector/power strip plugged in from there so I wouldn't have to actually modify the surge protector.

I guess I could even do it with a light switch too.  Hmm.

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2007, 10:42:13 am »
Go for the smart strip. Plug the PC into the control outlet and once that turns on, it turns on all the other outlets. Its great. Then when it shuts down, everything turns off.

For access I just have the PC up against the coin door and open it and push the button.

unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2007, 10:57:27 am »
I do not want everything turned on while the PC is turned on so a smart strip will not be good for me.   

I plan on leaving my computer on all the time so I would like to have a button to be able to turn off/on the music "lights" only.   Turning off the monitors would be a plus as well.   

PS:  I will be installing a button to turn off the computer on rare occasions such as going on vacation for extended periods of time or even in case bad thunderstorms are in the area, but other than that I plan on leaving the computer on all the time.

kelemvor

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2007, 11:01:09 am »

For access I just have the PC up against the coin door and open it and push the button.


That was the main thing is how to gain access to the power button still.  My PC is in the back of the cabinet so I either need to hack into the power button for the PC or add a switch for the surge protector or something.

unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2007, 11:07:18 am »
Well my cabinet is a jukebox cabinet and the front and sides do not open at all.  I would like to mount some switches to the top of the cabinet to control the various hardware components.

I read that instead of hacking the pushbutton wiring itself of your computer that you can keep the pushbutton as is, but simply insert a couple wires into the adapter plug which goes onto your motherboard.  Basically, find the little adpater plug which is related to your computer's power pushbutton and when you push this adapter onto your motherboard just have a couple of other wires in there as well (one for each pin).   Then you should be able to connect these two wires to a normal pushbutton switch and be able to turn off/on your computer using the new pushbutton as well as the old way by pushing your computer's power button.

I have no looked into this yet, but it seems easy.   Problem I think I will have when it comes time to do this is that I "think" the computer's power button has 4 wires coming from it ........... Hmmmm ..... i should just open another pos on this one while i am thinking of it.

Geez .... I got a lot of posts this morning   :P
« Last Edit: December 26, 2007, 02:51:20 pm by unclet »

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2007, 02:06:28 pm »
How many outlets would be needed on a "Smart Surge" type product?
Not counting the one the PC plugs into...

Marquee
Monitor
Speakers
Misc Lights

What am I missing?  I've seen some Smart Strips with 4 outlets, some with 10, etc.

unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2007, 02:56:53 pm »
Again ... I do not want a smart surge type product since this will turn off everything when the computer goes off.   Since my computer is not going to be turned off ever (or almost ever) then this will not work for me since I would still like a way to turn off the lights, monitors and receiver when I want to.

Just wondering what the best way to do this would be ........

Da Old Man
Thanks for the link .... I will read through it.

polaris

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2007, 03:47:48 pm »
you could just shutdown through the software, seems like a ball ache putting in a button youll use once a year.



EDIT sorry , this is a suggestion for the other thread on pc shutdown, doh.
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unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2007, 04:00:33 pm »
polaris
I would assume it is just about extending two wires.   Should not be a big deal at all. 

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #11 on: December 26, 2007, 04:03:48 pm »
I think I already replied about the computer power button, but here goes an answer to your other problem.

I wanted a universal switch to disable all power to my cab like you are talking about, but I also didn't feel like compromising/opening up a power strip.  

I went up to fry's and grabbed a cheap 10 foot extension cord.
Grab the heaviest duty switch you can get, think mine was 6amps at 250v toggle switch.  It feels really solid.
Cut open the extension cord carefully, making sure not to cut the internal wires, at least not all of them.  Cut just one of the wires, doesn't really matter which one.
Solder the ends onto the toggle switch, use lots to make sure you get a good strong connection.
Wrap it up with as much electrical tape as you can find.
Now you have a heavy-duty extension cord with an on/off switch that can be plugged into anything you want, power strip for me.

Some people have used the switch on the power strip, but I found this method easier than cracking one of those open.  Good luck with everything.
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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #12 on: December 26, 2007, 04:13:29 pm »
Uncle T the easiest way of doing this is add a 120v outlet inside your box and then put a switch to it to control those lights like a regular house switch. Hacking a power strip I wouldn't recommend. Dealing with 120 volts AC is serious stuff and if not done correctly could cause a fire as I'm sure you are well aware of. You just need to add a switched outlet to your cab and plug those lights into that so you can control them regardless of the PC's state. Hope this helps.

polaris

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #13 on: December 26, 2007, 04:15:39 pm »
polaris
I would assume it is just about extending two wires.   Should not be a big deal at all. 
i can be very lazy ;)
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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #14 on: December 26, 2007, 04:26:51 pm »
Uncle T the easiest way of doing this is add a 120v outlet inside your box and then put a switch to it to control those lights like a regular house switch. Hacking a power strip I wouldn't recommend. Dealing with 120 volts AC is serious stuff and if not done correctly could cause a fire as I'm sure you are well aware of. You just need to add a switched outlet to your cab and plug those lights into that so you can control them regardless of the PC's state. Hope this helps.

That's exactly what I was thinking too.  Add a junction box inside the top of the cabinet and stick in a standard light switch.  Never see it but it would do the exact same thing.

unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #15 on: December 26, 2007, 06:10:33 pm »
Yeah the light switch seems like a good alternative ..... thanks

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #16 on: December 27, 2007, 08:51:15 pm »
I'd go with the light switch.  No messing about with the powerstrip and it's inexpensive.  Maybe you could create some MAME themed artwork for the switch plate and who knows where that could lead you ;)

unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #17 on: December 27, 2007, 10:35:59 pm »
Ok, bought all the stuff I need for the mounted light switch box.   Cut out the rectangle for the blue junction box as well so there is no turning back now  :applaud:

Thanks for everyone's help and ideas.

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #18 on: December 28, 2007, 08:09:30 am »
Ok, bought all the stuff I need for the mounted light switch box.   Cut out the rectangle for the blue junction box as well so there is no turning back now  :applaud:

Thanks for everyone's help and ideas.

That's what  I think I'll do too.

Just take a long enough extension cord and cut it in the middle.  Take out one of the wires and cut it in half.  Then put those ends on either side the light switch.  Just make sure you get a good light switch that can handle the load.

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #19 on: December 28, 2007, 08:54:24 am »
A regular 120 volt light wall switch is good for 15 amps which should be more than sufficient for an arcade cabinet, but you can also buy a 20 amp one, if you feel better about it.

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #20 on: December 28, 2007, 11:50:41 am »
I was going to cut an extension cord in half and connect all three wires to the light switch (black, wire and ground).   Why only connect the black wire to the switch?  Does it matter? 

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #21 on: December 28, 2007, 11:56:09 am »
I was going to cut an extension cord in half and connect all three wires to the light switch (black, wire and ground).   Why only connect the black wire to the switch?  Does it matter? 

You just need to make a break in the loop.   If you cut it in half, it would just go from the wall to the switch and back to the wall.  You need it go to to the surge protector or whatever so you can't cut the whole thing in half.  The switch just puts a break in one of the wires (not the ground obviously) so that the electricity basically goes like this:

Wall out -> Cable -> Switch -> Continues on the cable -> Whatever is plugged into the other end -> back down the non-cut wire -> wall outlet

There's other ways but you have to splice in whatever you are connecting to the extension cord somewhere...

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #22 on: December 28, 2007, 12:19:48 pm »
Only switch the black wire in other words out of wall to box where switch is put one wire (black) to switch then (black) wire again out of otherside of switch to your outlet.
The white and green wires stay color for color but with the green you have to tap off to your switch ground position green screw and end of wire shoulg go to green screw to outlet , The white goes straight to the other side of the outlet for the return neutral wire.

Todays outlets in the US have 1 slot slightly smaller than the other one where a plug goes to. The smaller slot on the outlet is where the black wire has to attach to.

If you are unsure about the wiring i will post a Pic for you later if needed.
You really should do this the correct way because of the 120 volts.

unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #23 on: December 28, 2007, 03:03:52 pm »
Ok, I bought two extension cords and I would like to add an on/off switch to each other them.   I bought a black wall outlet switch which has two switches built into it (ie: two black switches which turn on/off).    I provided pictures below so you can see one of the extension cords and the actual black switch I bought.

I am assuming there is going to be a black, white and green wire inside of the extension cord, so will someone please draw me a quick picture showing me exactly where the black, white and green wires should go?


kelemvor

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #24 on: December 28, 2007, 03:31:28 pm »
Here's my ghetto Paint version of how I think it'd work.
The BLUE wire is really the WHITE wire but I can't draw white on white so...

I'm assuming you want to have one line go into the switch and two come out since it's a double switch...


Basically, strip the extension cord in the middle.  Cut all the wires since you'll have to splice two cords together for the second line from the second part of the switch.

I can't tell how the switch is setup by the screws but ff the switch is like an outlet, the two screws on each side are connected with a metal piece so you jsut go into either screw.  If not, you can jsut stick a wire to connect the two as shown in the picture.

On the OUT portion, is where you want them to be separate so you can have individual control via the two switches.

See if that makes sense...
« Last Edit: December 28, 2007, 03:36:08 pm by kelemvor »

unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #25 on: December 28, 2007, 03:36:19 pm »
Of course I am confused a bit ........ there are two gold screws on one side of the switch and two black screws on the other side of the switch and one green screw (for ground).

Now, I would assume one gold and one black screw would be associated with the top black switch and the second gold and second black screw would be associated with the bottom black switch.   I thought one extension cord would be connected to one gold/black screws and the second extension cord would be connected to the seconf gold/black screws.

Your picture makes it seem I should connect the black wire from one extension cord to both gold screws and both black screws together.

I am assuming you picture is showing me how to connect "one" extension cord of course ..... is this correct?

kelemvor

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #26 on: December 28, 2007, 03:37:04 pm »
Of course I am confused a bit ........ there are two gold screws on one side of the switch and two black screws on the other side of the switch and one green screw (for ground).

Now, I would assume one gold and one black screw would be associated with the top black switch and the second gold and second black screw would be associated with the bottom black switch.   I thought one extension cord would be connected to one gold/black screws and the second extension cord would be connected to the seconf gold/black screws.

Your picture makes it seem I should connect the black wire from one extension cord to both gold screws and both black screws together.

I am assuming you picture is showing me how to connect "one" extension cord of course ..... is this correct?

See my update.  You can use one cord to feed both sides of the switch but need two coming out the other side...

unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #27 on: December 28, 2007, 03:41:39 pm »
Ok, that makes a lot more sense now ..... thanks for the update

Also, just to be sure ..... the green screw on the switch itself does not need to have anything attached to it at all?

kelemvor

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #28 on: December 28, 2007, 03:42:48 pm »
Ok, that makes a lot more sense now ..... thanks for the update

Also, just to be sure ..... the green screw on the switch itself does not need to have anything attached to it at all?

You can run a wire from that into the splice with all the other Green ones if you want to.  I never worry about that though but that's just me.  heh heh.

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #29 on: December 28, 2007, 04:09:35 pm »
This is how it should be wired except you have 2 switches in a 1 gang box so adjust accordingly also use elect. tape to cover any bare connections and don't ignore the green bonding wire it is there to protect you from an electrical shock or short if something goes wrong down the road.


unclet

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Re: Extending button from a power strip ...... what type of switch?
« Reply #30 on: December 28, 2007, 04:15:12 pm »
Ok, thanks .... splicing in the green wire should not be a problem at all.