Wiring arcade machine .. will this work?

[JoeB]

I'm trying to figure out the best way to power up my MAME machine.. and this is what I came up with.. let me know if this sounds good or not:

I purchased a power bar where 1 outlet is always live, and the others turn on/off according to it.  So the PC will be connected to the live outlet, while the rest to the other spots.

I need to power the following things:

- PC power supply
- Arcade monitor
- Marquee
- Power Inverter for car amp / speakers

So this is what I came up with.

- External power goes into cab.  neutral, ground and live wire connect to filter. (live connects through fuse).  Out of filter, the 3 wires connect to the input to the power bar.  They connect through a switch. (This way all devices connected to power bar are fused and filtered)

- PC always set to turn on on power restore, so once the power is turned on via the switch, the PC turns on and turns on all the other devices.

- Each device connects to the power bar using an outlet 3 prong connector.  Power inverter and marquee are easy straight through.

- Monitor connects through isolating transformer.  Monitor 110V line goes through door switch.

-  This way, if the back door is open, the monitor turns off, but the rest keeps on running!


- Does this sound ok??  
- Is the fuse / filter required? or should I assume the power bar is good enough for it?
- I can tell which is ground coming out of the filter, but how can I tell what is neutral and what is power??

[grafixmonkey]

- I can tell which is ground coming out of the filter, but how can I tell what is neutral and what is power??

If you're talking about neutral vs. power in the live outlet, I wouldn't make any assumptions at all about that.  I've frequently heard about and seen outlets where the man/woman of the house wired it themselves and got them switched, and even electricians who accidentally switched them.  So, you might run into outlets that are different, even within one house.

If you must know, there are tools that will buzz when they're held in the air close to a live wire, and plugs with LEDs on them which will test outlets, and circuits you can build to check if there is high voltage between two wires (so given ground, neutral, and live wires you can eliminate the two wires that aren't live)   Radio Shack can help if you don't have a better electronics supply store.

[GamingGreg]

This page may help you some. (At least with the monitor part)  Maybe you've seen that already though.

Most power strips have a fuse or circuit breaker built into them.  Not sure if another would be needed, but it would be extra protection.  I thought it listed which is hot and which is neutral on the filter.  If not you might try to find some specs for it on the net or elsewhere.