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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: krick on June 24, 2018, 12:14:31 am

Title: Power arcade cabinet on/off with PC using IoT Relay
Post by: krick on June 24, 2018, 12:14:31 am: I picked up one of these the other day to simplify the power wiring in my cabinet and I'm extremely happy with how it works...

Digital Loggers IoT Power Relay
https://dlidirect.com/products/iot-power-relay (https://dlidirect.com/products/iot-power-relay)
(I actually purchased mine on Amazon because the shipping was more reasonable [free with Prime])

(http://mame.3feetunder.com/cabpower/iotrelay_labeled.jpg)

I picked up a push button switch from radio shack (see below) and mounted it in spot where my cabinet originally had a toggle switch. I wired the switch to my PC on/off button. One press of the button turns on my computer, another press shuts down my computer. When the PC turns on, a USB cable from my PC triggers the IoT Power Relay, which switches on my cabinet power (monitor and marquee). When the PC turns off, the IoT Power Relay turns everything back off.

Momentary Pushbutton Switches (2-Pack)
Normally open. Includes one red and one black. Pkg. of 2
Catalog #: 2750609
https://www.radioshack.com/products/pk2-spst-push-sw (https://www.radioshack.com/products/pk2-spst-push-sw)
(http://mame.3feetunder.com/cabpower/button.jpg)

Note that the IoT Power Relay has a socket for a standard PC power cable (C13) and it ships with a cord but it's only 12 inches long. I'm using it as the primary power source for my cabinet so I ordered a 12 ft C13 cord off of Amazon. There's tons of them available in almost any length you could want.
(http://mame.3feetunder.com/cabpower/c13_cord.jpg)

Here's a video that shows how you trigger it with power from a USB cable...

Using the IoT Relay on a USB Port - Example (http://youtu.be/nSH_jSqos8M)
Title: Re: Power arcade cabinet on/off with PC using IoT Relay
Post by: EMDB on June 25, 2018, 12:11:44 pm: How is this an IoT device? ???
How is this different (other than it being more complex) than using a smart power strip? ???
Title: Re: Power arcade cabinet on/off with PC using IoT Relay
Post by: krick on June 25, 2018, 01:06:00 pm: It's marketed at Raspberry Pi users, I think. It's not really an "IoT" device without pairing it with a Raspberry Pi or something similar that can remotely trigger it.

It's basically the same as a USB controlled power strip if you hack up a USB cable to provide the trigger voltage like I did.

I wasn't able to find a USB controlled power strip at a reasonable price and I didn't want to make my own so I ended up with this solution instead.
Title: Re: Power arcade cabinet on/off with PC using IoT Relay
Post by: Electroguy1 on June 26, 2018, 05:05:07 pm: You probably could trigger it easy with a remote car alarm and keyfob... they are 12v and relatively cheap..