Noob help - How to get all power from Laptop?

[Ritalin]

Hi All,

I'm in the process of building a bartop arcade game which will be running from an old laptop.
I have the laptop running mame and mala smoothly, but I'm now confused about the power.

Since the laptop doesn't have a full sized motherboard and power supply like a standard PC, how do I get 5v power (or ANY power for that matter) from the laptop? (This particular laptop uses a 15V power brick)

One item in particular I want to power is this NovaGemCDR™ Coin Drop Replacement Pushbutton:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=295

Should I buy a separate standard PC power supply for all power needs?
What other power is needed for a control panel hookup with the i-pac2 for example?

I'm a total noob when it comes to wiring and power and power supply issues, so any help is appreciated, thanks.

[BobA]

You can get 5V from the USB port for low powered items.

[shardian]

An IPAC gets its power from the port it is hooked up to. You can hack a USB cable to get 5V and ground for the lit coin button.

What else are you wanting to power? If you are doing some sort of marquee light, then use either direct line power for 120v lights (fluorescent bulb, etc.) or use a wall-wart for 12V lights such as the GGG Novamatrix.

[BobA]

GGG makes a usb 5V tap cable if you don't want to build your own.

Link

[Ritalin]

An IPAC gets its power from the port it is hooked up to. You can hack a USB cable to get 5V and ground for the lit coin button.

What else are you wanting to power? If you are doing some sort of marquee light, then use either direct line power for 120v lights (fluorescent bulb, etc.) or use a wall-wart for 12V lights such as the GGG Novamatrix.

Excellent info, thanks everyone.

I plan on having a marquee light which I already purchased. It's a standard 120v fluorescent light for under cabinet kitchen lighting.

The only thing I would need to light would be the NovaGemCDR™ Coin Drop Replacement Pushbutton LED.

NOOB QUESTION ALERT: Do the joysticks (mag-stick plus) or any standard buttons require separate power?

[Ritalin]

GGG makes a usb 5V tap cable if you don't want to build your own.

Link

Awesome.
Since I'm new to this and already ordering the coin button from GGG, I'll pick one of these up as well.
Thanks!

[shardian]

NOOB QUESTION ALERT: Do the joysticks (mag-stick plus) or any standard buttons require separate power?

No.

The only button that requires a power supply are buttons with LED's in them. Some exotic joysticks require power, but standard switch based ones do not.

[Ritalin]

Thanks again!

[Green Giant]

One question for you.  How many things are you planning on running off of USB, and how many USB ports do you have on this laptop?

My girlfriends laptop is about 5 years old with 1 USB port.  It cannot power a 4-port USB hub with a printer and camera attached, pretty pathetic.

[Ritalin]

There are two usb ports on this old laptop.

I will be powering a trackball with one USB port and the other would be for the 5v light for the coin button.
I have an KeyWiz-ST on order which will be connected to the lone PS/2 port.

I'm really clueless on wiring and power since my order hasn't arrived yet, but does the KeyWiz-ST offer a 5v line of power to power the LED of the coin button?

If so, I could then replace that 5v usb hack cable for the coin door LED and get a mini USB keyboard for troubleshooting. If not, I have a USB hub as well so I can see if that works.

[leapinlew]

There are two usb ports on this old laptop.

I will be powering a trackball with one USB port and the other would be for the 5v light for the coin button.
I have an KeyWiz-ST on order which will be connected to the lone PS/2 port.

I'm really clueless on wiring and power since my order hasn't arrived yet, but does the KeyWiz-ST offer a 5v line of power to power the LED of the coin button?

If so, I could then replace that 5v usb hack cable for the coin door LED and get a mini USB keyboard for troubleshooting. If not, I have a USB hub as well so I can see if that works.

I use a wall wart to provide my 5v and 12v sources. I used 2 in my last system. 1 for the fan, and the other for the coin buttons. Just find one with the right output and your golden

[Ritalin]

Excellent idea!
These are the types of items I regularly see at the flea market, so I'll keep an eye out for the 5v output type.
Thanks for the pic too, that really helped me visualize the item you're talking about.

Thanks!

[knave]

Be sure to measure the output of any wallwarts you intend to use...many of them are unregulated and run hot.

A 6v supply that I tested was running ar ~9v.

[Ginsu Victim]

Rather than use the laptop for power, you could just pick up a powered USB hub for cheap. I use one for my coin door lights, which are LEDs hooked to USB cables. (Doesn't even need to plug into the computer)

[SavannahLion]

Kind of OT here. Was this thread edited? I left a response, took a nap, refreshed the page and now it's gone