Is my cab an electrical hazard or dangerous otherwise? More play, less paranoia

[kenpachi]

Howdy,

So after wiring everything up, I'm realizing that the kids are going to play this machine for hours on end... but now paranoia is kicking in; will it start a fire or overload a circuit because I have too much stuff plugged in?  Is there anything I can do to minimize the chances? 

Everything is hooked up like this: all electronics -> standard powerbar -> Craftsman Automatic Powerswitch (from Sears) -> household electrical outlet.

the following are plugged in the powerbar:

1) The computer with 3 case fans
2) A 20cm honeywell fan for cooling (always running on the lowest speed)
3) a 24" CRT TV
4) a small fluorescent marquee light
5) a set of creative 2.1 speakers and subwoofer.

Everything seems reasonable to me, but this cab is on for days sometimes and I'm not always home...

thanks for your help! 

[TOK]

Doesn't seem like you have anything to worry about to me... If you did, my house should have burned down 5 years ago. 

[shmokes]

I guess it's dangerous to the environment and your electric bill.  Why don't you replace the power strip with a smartstrip?

[Encryptor]

Why don't you replace the power strip with a smartstrip?

I have mine hooked up the exact same way. There is no need for a Smartstrip because the Craftsman AutoSwitch does the same thing. It just doesn't have as many outlets as a Smartstrip and only cost $20.

Encryptor

[Malenko]

You should be fine, I leave my PC on  ages at a time and its pretty much the same thing but with a 22" LCD monitor instead of a 24" CRT and no florescent light.

you could teach the kids how to properly start up and shut down the machine and eliminate both the worry and some of the electric bill

[Ummon]

You should be fine, I leave my PC on  ages at a time and its pretty much the same thing but with a 22" LCD monitor instead of a 24" CRT and no florescent light.

you could teach the kids how to properly start up and shut down the machine and eliminate both the worry and some of the electric bill

Kinda of like proper gun safety.

[ark_ader]

Our electricity company sent us one of the smart plugs for PC usage.

It monitors when the main PC shuts down and turns off the rest of the gear.  Perfect for cabs.

Our voltage is 220v, so the risk of fire is that little bit (more) real.

Here is the link:
http://www.complocated.com/reviews/products/EON_PowerDown

[scotthh]

If we assume:
The computer (including 4th fan and speaker) is drawing 250 watts.
The CRT is drawing 200 watts.
The fluorescent bulb 20 watts.
For a total of 470 watts.

This means with 120v, you're drawing just under 4 amps. Assuming you're on a 15 amp circuit, you've got to have a fair amount of other stuff on it to pop your breaker.

If you're drawing 500 watts, and paying 20 cents per kilowatt, it costs you 40 cents per hour to run this rig. If you run it 24/7 for a month, that's almost $150 of electricity.

I took the highest numbers I could find and rounded up. Your computer will draw less power when idle. So your actual usage will probably be less. Unless something overheats, you shouldn't have a problem. You're not drawing too much electricity for the circuit.