Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: data808 on October 14, 2014, 03:57:28 am
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I'm trying to figure what is the best way to go about powering on my arcade cabinet. I need something that will power on the laptop along with the marquee light and whatever other things I have in it. I am just beginning to brainstorm here and need some easy ideas. I was thinking of a smart power strip that when you turn on the computer, everything else that is plugged into the same power strip will also turn on. The thing about that is i would still need to find a way to power on the laptop first. I took apart some of the laptop and found the power button and its attached to some kind of harness which does not look very easy to hook up a suzo happ push button to. I also should mention that I seen this guy use a wireless power strip remote that turned on the power strip with a remote then the computer turned on automatically from that. How do you do that? How do you make the computer just turn on if the power strip is turned on?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Some (most?) PC BIOS has an option to turn it on when power is applied (resume on power?). So if you have that a combination of a RF switch and a smart strip would be possible.
However I would pursue the option of hacking the laptop power switch cables, since I would have strip it anyway.
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Some (most?) PC BIOS has an option to turn it on when power is applied (resume on power?). So if you have that a combination of a RF switch and a smart strip would be possible.
However I would pursue the option of hacking the laptop power switch cables, since I would have strip it anyway.
For this you don't need the strip to be smart. If you can auto power on the laptop you can just apply power on a simple strip (using RF or a power supply button on the back or top of the cab) to turn everything on.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/82432150/Retrocade/powermanagement.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/82432150/Retrocade/powerswitch_inside.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/82432150/Retrocade/powerswitch.jpg)
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Related to this, what about powering down? This may sound dumb and likely something I should know...but how do you get windows (assuming a windows build) to not object when it restarts after not properly shutting down when you flip that button off?
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Related to this, what about powering down? This may sound dumb and likely something I should know...but how do you get windows (assuming a windows build) to not object when it restarts after not properly shutting down when you flip that button off?
I shut down Windows from Hyperspin before hitting the switch...
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Some (most?) PC BIOS has an option to turn it on when power is applied (resume on power?). So if you have that a combination of a RF switch and a smart strip would be possible.
However I would pursue the option of hacking the laptop power switch cables, since I would have strip it anyway.
Laptop BIOSes don't have the option to turn on when power is applied. Laptops have batteries and, by design, power is always supplied. ;)
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Some (most?) PC BIOS has an option to turn it on when power is applied (resume on power?). So if you have that a combination of a RF switch and a smart strip would be possible.
However I would pursue the option of hacking the laptop power switch cables, since I would have strip it anyway.
Laptop BIOSes don't have the option to turn on when power is applied. Laptops have batteries and, by design, power is always supplied. ;)
Incorrect. The Lenovo W510 in front of me has the option to switch on when AC is supplied.
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Some (most?) PC BIOS has an option to turn it on when power is applied (resume on power?). So if you have that a combination of a RF switch and a smart strip would be possible.
However I would pursue the option of hacking the laptop power switch cables, since I would have strip it anyway.
Laptop BIOSes don't have the option to turn on when power is applied. Laptops have batteries and, by design, power is always supplied. ;)
Incorrect. The Lenovo W510 in front of me has the option to switch on when AC is supplied.
Prove it. Show us a video.
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What, 223,000 Google hits not good enough for you?
https://www.google.com/search?q=power+on+ac+attach&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb#rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&q=Thinkpad+Power+On+AC+Attach+BIOS (https://www.google.com/search?q=power+on+ac+attach&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb#rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&q=Thinkpad+Power+On+AC+Attach+BIOS)
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Well, within 1 minute I found two (random) different laptops (Dell Latitude and Panasonic Toughbook) with this as standard in BIOS. So yes, they do :)
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I know I'm late to this party, but there might be an even simpler answer to all that. Many laptops (old Compaqs for sure so maybe that translated to HP when they bought them) that I've come across will auto power on when power is applied and no battery is installed. Have you tried removing the battery and seeing what happens when you insert the power cord or turn on the power strip? I know for a fact all my old Compaq laptops turn on when power is applied while the battery is absent.
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You'll find it on most business class laptops that have an official docking station available.
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You'll find it on most business class laptops that have an official docking station available.
Interesting! All these years I've worked in computers and many of them in laptops and I've never made that connection. Makes sense. Most of my experience (including 3 years at Compaq) has been with business laptops. I also always had a strong preference for laptops with real docking solutions so that would explain why most of the ones I dealt with had this feature.
Learn something new every day. Of course on here that's several times a day :applaud: