building relay outlets

[Spawn859]

thsi guy has some good ideas and info about building relay power supplies.....

http://www.macnauchtan.com/card/index.html

at the bottom of his page he also has a link on how to install a relay into an existing powerstrip.  very good read, could build a relay for about $12.00 i figure...you could also probably added another recepticle or two i would think....

[CM]

There is this thread too:
http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=4681

This has links to commercially available ones as well as a self-built one: http://home.bendcable.com/werstlein/

I built this one and used it for a long time with no problem .. then ordered a smartstrip, I prefer the smartstrip for fire-hazard fears  

[REBIRTH]

I've always wondered what the big deal was to everyone to get a power strip to turn everything on/off with one button.  I have a regualr old power stip that I just extended the power button out to a button on the top of the cabinet - push it, everything goes on, windows boots up and my front end comes up automoatically - so turning the arcade on is one step, just puching that button.   Turning it off, I just shut down windows and hit the button and everything shuts off. The only time saver a smartstrip or the like I can see having is that on shut down, when you boot out of windows it would turn everything off when the computer went off - so you wouldn't have to hit the power switch on boot down?  I'm curious as to if that is the only tiny step people are trying to avoid?

[NiN^_^NiN]

This is what there trying to escape this is what will happen with my cab

i push the powerbutton off on my pc it shuts down but i still have my amp my tv and marquee light on and opening the coin door to shut everything off dosent make it look great to some1 who is looking at it

do you get where im going with this?

I wish the damn powerboards had a switch to turn the whole powerboard off.

i know u can get powerboards with switches on all of the plugs but i dont want to switch off 2 or 3 plugs just 1 button that shuts the pc down then turns it all off its a great idea

wish i could do it

[1UP]

I second what NiN^_^NiN said.  It's a lot more professional (and more convenient) to hit one button and have your entire cab, monitor, lights, extra devices etc, power down.  I've gotten scraped so many times trying to reach switches inside my cab thru the coin door, so I really like the whole relay switch setup.  I also recently hooked up a reset switch on the back of my coin door, so if my PC crashes, I don't have to climb behind the cab every time.  It's so easy to hook up, why wouldn't you?  It's four solder points and done.  I even managed to fit the entire relay inside my power strip, so the only giveaway that it's not a normal strip are the two wires going out the side to the PC power supply.

Another good thing about having one button on top that shuts it all down is that I can set my PC to hibernate instead of shutting down, so bootup is faster, and everything in Windows is still how I left it, rather than in the boot state (i.e. the last game I played is still selected rather than having to scroll down the list, etc.)  Also nice when I just need to crash, just push the button to hibernate windows and walk away, the computer shuts it all down for me without waiting around!

[Pyronious]

Does anyone know if the AC outlet on this Vantec power supply:

http://vantecusa.com/van420.html

...is switched?  If so, this would be perfect as you could plug your power strip into the power supply's AC outlet and have it switch on and off automatically with the computer.

--EDIT--

Just found the answer, and it is true:

Additional AC Output for Peripherals:
Most of the peripherals are directly acquiring the AC power from power outlet or power extension cord. Therefore, peripherals will remain on if you just turn the PC off. With the additional AC outlet, you can plug your peripherals direct to your PC

[REBIRTH]

I second what NiN^_^NiN said.  It's a lot more professional (and more convenient) to hit one button and have your entire cab, monitor, lights, extra devices etc, power down.  I've gotten scraped so many times trying to reach switches inside my cab thru the coin door, so I really like the whole relay switch setup.  I also recently hooked up a reset switch on the back of my coin door, so if my PC crashes, I don't have to climb behind the cab every time.  It's so easy to hook up, why wouldn't you?  It's four solder points and done.  I even managed to fit the entire relay inside my power strip, so the only giveaway that it's not a normal strip are the two wires going out the side to the PC power supply.

Another good thing about having one button on top that shuts it all down is that I can set my PC to hibernate instead of shutting down, so bootup is faster, and everything in Windows is still how I left it, rather than in the boot state (i.e. the last game I played is still selected rather than having to scroll down the list, etc.)  Also nice when I just need to crash, just push the button to hibernate windows and walk away, the computer shuts it all down for me without waiting around!

I must be missing the point.  I have everything on one power strip, which I have rigged to one button on the top of the cab (I hacked into the button on the strip).  To shut down I log out of windows (which I assume everyone has to do?) and then just hit that one button.  Powering up is as simple as hitting the one button again - everyone boots up and goes right to my front end.

1UP and NiN^_^NiN, you have to go and turn all the other devices off manually - why not plug them all into one normal everyday powerstrip and then you just have that one button for all those devices?   Am I missing something?  

I agree that if you had a powerstrip that would sense the PC shutting off on boot down and then turn everything else off would save me the 1 step of hitting that one button on the top of the cab - but - I don't have my PC set up to power off on boot down.  In order to have the PC auto load, start Windows and my front end on power up I need to keep the CMOS in power save mode (or is it power-save off?... I forgot!).  Doing that, on boot down you get the "OK, you can turn off your computer now" screen, which is when I then just hit that one power button (I am going to replace that "OK, you can turn..." screen with a MAME type screen to make it look more like a real arcade).

I dunno, it seems so simple to me to do what I did that I feel I must be missing the boat.  Come on, let me on the boat!!!!!!

[Psyklops]

I dunno, it seems so simple to me to do what I did that I feel I must be missing the boat.  Come on, let me on the boat!!!!!!

I think what you are missing is that they do not go through the step of logging out of Windows that you do and then power off the computer.  Their power button is not connected to the power strip but to the computer's motherboard.  When they push the power button, I assume they are using Windows XP or 2000, Windows detects that the computer's power button has been pressed and begins the logoff process.  Once the computer powers down the relay switch detects the lack of power coming from the computers power supply and turns off the power strip that everything else is hooked into.

So basically instead of manually shutting down the computer and then turning everything off you just push the one button and walk away.  Windows is shutdown correctly and everything else gets powered off as well.

[REBIRTH]

I dunno, it seems so simple to me to do what I did that I feel I must be missing the boat.  Come on, let me on the boat!!!!!!

So basically instead of manually shutting down the computer and then turning everything off you just push the one button and walk away.  Windows is shutdown correctly and everything else gets powered off as well.

I can see that, but then my way I think I have an advantage on the power up.  I just press the one power button and everything turns on, the PC boots up into Windows and my front end starts right up.  If your PC is actually powering down when you log out, am I correct in assuming when you power up your power strip, you then have to power up yout PC as well?  As far as I know, the only way to get the PC to boot up automatically is to keep it in power save mode like I do (which forces you that extra step on power down?

[rampy]

I don't think you are seeing the beauty/elegance of how the method works (whether via relay hack or via nice tidy commercial solution ->like the 20 dollar sears outlet thingie)

One outlet is always hot... this goes to the PC.   You turn on the PC presumably from an extended "on" switch momentary pushbutton you've mounted somwehere... When the PC is turned on, the switching surge supressor "turns on" the other outlets on the strip (i.e. monitor/tv, marquee light, speaker amps, etc)... you cna still have windoze boot right into your front end...  

You can either have your FE shutdown windows when you exit visa vis, concordantaly ... ergo your pc and the other outlets automagically.

You could also push the power button on the PC and with a modern  mobo/OS it should force windows to shut down gracefully ---> and ergo shut down the monitor/etc via the surge supressor.

*Shrug*

rampy

[grafixmonkey]

Why not just trigger the relays from one of the 5V or 12V molex connectors from inside your PC?  They only have power when the PC is on, so you'd hit your PC power (or whatever hacked button turns your PC on), and all your other components will light up.  Hit shutdown, PC goes through shutdown and powers off, all your components go off too.  Only need to route the 3 power prongs through the relays and to a power strip.

Building on that, you could also use a couple of 74XX chips, and with a little wiring you could have a delay - computer power up, other devices light up when the computer is finished booting.  Hit power-off, other devices turn off, computer finishes shutting down.  If people want I can make a schematic for that.

[1UP]

Why not just trigger the relays from one of the 5V or 12V molex connectors from inside your PC?  They only have power when the PC is on, so you'd hit your PC power (or whatever hacked button turns your PC on), and all your other components will light up.  Hit shutdown, PC goes through shutdown and powers off, all your components go off too.  Only need to route the 3 power prongs through the relays and to a power strip.

This is exactly what most people are doing.  I have a power plug that goes into one of the drive power cables from the PC power supply.  When I hit the remote PC power switch on top of my cab, the PC power comes up and sends a 5V power source to my relay, tucked neatly away inside my power strip.  This closes the relay switch, which allows 120V to flow to my lights, monitor, peripherals, etc.

When I'm done, my PC is an ATX mobo running WinXP, so all I do is hit the button on top of my cab.  This tells windows to shut down, then automatically powers off the PC.  The lack of 5V power causes the relay switch to open, and everything in my cab turns off automatically.  It's really a simple concept, since I only have to push one button to exit windows AND shut down the PC AND shut off lights monitor etc.  What is so hard to understand here?!?  

Building on that, you could also use a couple of 74XX chips, and with a little wiring you could have a delay - computer power up, other devices light up when the computer is finished booting.  Hit power-off, other devices turn off, computer finishes shutting down.  If people want I can make a schematic for that.

Now THIS I don't get.  Why would you want everything to light up AFTER the PC is booted?  On a real game cab, the marquee light comes on when you power on the game, even though it may be going thru startup tests etc.  Why would you need to add complexity  to acheive something that is not authentic?  

BTW, all you really need to do this is a power srtip and a relay, not all the complex circuitry mentioned at the link at the top of this thread.  The relay must be able to handle several AMPS at 120V or higher, and needs to switch using either 5V or 12V DC.  I got a small, square blue one at Radio Shack for a few bucks, that was 240V/9A with a 5V switching voltage, and small enough to fit inside my power strip.  Installation involved opening the power strip, cutting and stripping the wire that went from the strip's power switch to the first outlet, soldering the two cut ends to the appropriate contacts on the relay, and soldering two additional wires to the switching terminals on the relay.  The relay fits safe and snug into an empty square area inside the power strip.  Finally, I crimped the additional external wires into the 5V and Ground contacts on a drive power plug, and plugged this into a free plug on the PC power supply.  Took maybe 15 minutes to complete.

*shrug* -(c) 2003 Rampy