New Review: Bits Limited SmartStrip

[KevSteele]

Well, after a two-week delay due to shipping problems and a brief vacation, I'm back and writing reviews. First out of the gate is a review of the Bits Limited SmartStrip, which is a great "one-button" power solution for a MAME cab:



http://retroblast.com/smartstrip1.html

As always, a video segment is included (sorry, no smashed ice cubes this time... )

Kevin

[AlanS17]

What's the price on that thing? Is it worth whatever the price is?

[KevSteele]

What's the price on that thing? Is it worth whatever the price is?

It's $30, and it seems worth it to me -- turn on the computer, and everything else in the cab powers up. Turn off the computer, and everything shuts down.

I've seen a lot of homebrew circuits here, but for $30 I'll go with the power strip (especially since you also get EMI/RFI filtering and surge suppression!)

I'm willing to play around with 12v, but once you start working with 120v I feel more comfortable using an "off the shelf" solution.

Kevin

[Hoagie_one]

Got me convinced

[AlanS17]

What's the price on that thing? Is it worth whatever the price is?

I'm willing to play around with 12v, but once you start working with 120v I feel more comfortable using an "off the shelf" solution.

Kevin

*cough* sissy *cough*   j/k

[rampy]

I should review my 20 dollar sears strip (although it has less bells and whistles than that one... i.e. no surge supression... less outlets etc)

I like the blue man group tubes intro music, kev...

rampy

[Impostor]

do you think it'll work if I plug my conv cabinet's power cord into the control plug, the computer, speakers, etc into the rest of the plugs?  I just want to reach up on top of the cabinet and flip the switch.

Thanks!

Impostor

[KevSteele]

I'm willing to play around with 12v, but once you start working with 120v I feel more comfortable using an "off the shelf" solution.

*cough* sissy *cough*   j/k

Heh...I just don't like the fact that if I make a mistake something's probably going to go up in smoke (probably me!)

I have distinct memories of trying to wire up a celing fan in a room that my father had assured me he'd turned off the circuit breaker for...my arms were numb for a week!

Rampy:

[fan]Blue Man Group Rocks![/fan]

Impostor:

I don't know if what you propose will work, as it depends on if your computer can be set up to automatically turn on when power is supplied to it.

If your computer's BIOS doesn't have a "auto-resume" feature, you might want to plug the computer into the monitored outlet, and the rest of the cab into the switched outlets.

Kevin

[rampy]

do you think it'll work if I plug my conv cabinet's power cord into the control plug, the computer, speakers, etc into the rest of the plugs?  I just want to reach up on top of the cabinet and flip the switch.

Thanks!

Impostor

That woudl only work (in that specific config) if you set your box to powerup after power failure in your bios

*shrug*

Rampy

[Hoagie_one]

Anywhere to get these for cheaper?


Or better yet, any way to modify an existing Strip to have this functionality?

[Luxury]

I've had this strip for about a month now and it works great.  All thats left now is to extend the power button on my computer to be external.  

I recommend!

[Impostor]

My BIOS does have the power-up after power failure feature.  Currently I have my cabinet, computer, and speakers plugged into a powerstrip.  I turn on/off the powerstrip to control everything.

But ideally, I'd like to have the power switch on top of my cabinet to control everything.  And it sounds like this SmartStrip is the answer.

Impostor

[CM]

I have had one of these for at least 5 months now and my house hasn't burned down yet.  I guess that is the best endorsement!  

Seriously though ... this thing works great.

[AlanS17]

My BIOS does have the power-up after power failure feature.  Currently I have my cabinet, computer, and speakers plugged into a powerstrip.  I turn on/off the powerstrip to control everything.

But ideally, I'd like to have the power switch on top of my cabinet to control everything.  And it sounds like this SmartStrip is the answer.

Impostor

If it works the way you have it now, then what's the problem? Why can't you just extend the wires as it is up to the top?

[l00pus]

I actually cut the end off of a comp power cable and a regualr powerstrip and wired it together into a regular light switch. Then got a black plate for the back of the cab.  Turned out pretty nice. Still trying to figure out a way around the TV not starting without a remote though :-/

[Aceldamor]

I've had this strip for about a month now and it works great.  All thats left now is to extend the power button on my computer to be external.  

I recommend!

Dosen't your bios let you have a power on function with any key?  I've got my cab set so when you hit any button it powers up.

[gnateye]

where are these for sale?

[KevSteele]

where are these for sale?

Whoops! My bad -- they're available at the Bits Limited Web site:

http://www.bitsltd.net/index.htm

I'll update the review with that little (but important!) piece of info.

Kevin

[MiKman]

Any Canadian Distibutors of this thing?  I hate all the duty, taxes, brokerage fees. by the time it hits my door it will be $100 Canadian.  ATCH!

[Sasquatch!]

I like the blue man group tubes intro music, kev...

Every time KevSteele has a video, I wonder what the intro music will be.  Nothing beats using "You Spin Me 'Round" for his spinner reviews though.  

[KevSteele]

I like the blue man group tubes intro music, kev...

Every time KevSteele has a video, I wonder what the intro music will be.  Nothing beats using "You Spin Me 'Round" for his spinner reviews though.  

If I ever use "Pac Man Fever," please feel free to shoot me.  

Kevin

[Tailgunner]

Great review Kevin, and I'm looking forwards to the D9200 review.  

On a side note, I fired off a e-mail to Bits LTD, asking if they could have some strips made up with black power cords for MAME cabinet use. They replied that they expect to have some more strips made up next month, and would check into the feasibility of it. Whether or not anything comes of it is hard to say, but if anyone's interested in the smartstrip and would prefer a black power cord for their cabinet you might want to let the company know.

[KevSteele]

Hey, THANKS! Gee, I never thought about _asking_ for a black power cord!  

Hopefully they'll take your suggestion to heart - of course, I'll have to buy another power strip, but I guess that means I'll have one for a site giveaway.

Kevin

[Tailgunner]

Well my first idea was to ask you how hard it'd be to take the strip apart and replace the cord.

After visiting their site I got the impression they're not a huge company and might be receptive to the suggestion if it adds to the demand for their powerstrips.

[TalkingOctopus]

I got mine last week, I've been using it for 4 days and it no longer turns everything on automatically.  The control and always on outlets work fine....so now it's just an and rather useless expensive surge protector.  I had my computer plugged into the control outlet.

I will have to call them tomorrow and hopefully they will give me my money back, but it is still a pain.

I just put the back on my cab too....well time to take it off again....  

[Jakobud]

Just to add to the good reviews, I have one of these things in my cabinet and its awesome.  Works perfect.  Both my tv and mobo power on after a power failure (i.e. kill the powerstrip via another switch) so it works like a charm. I recommend it to anyone here.

[gnateye]

got my smart strip today! i was so excited i ran downstairs and installed it right away, turned on the computer and... nothing.

for some reason older computers dont have the right power flow to activate the switch, so i called the bitsltd customer service number right away and they were great! they have3 been finding out about this problem and have a newer version that works with all power usages, they are sending it out to me today for fre and giving me a rma number to return the old one, that is some good customer service, he even asked exactly what model i computer i have (an old beige mac) and said that they will test it on that computer before they ship it out. i am super impressed with their service, now im praying that the newer adjustable strip they send works perfectly for me, even if doesnt though, they get an A+ for service.

i will post again when the new one comes

[eightbit]

My BIOS does have the power-up after power failure feature.  Currently I have my cabinet, computer, and speakers plugged into a powerstrip.  I turn on/off the powerstrip to control everything.

But ideally, I'd like to have the power switch on top of my cabinet to control everything.  And it sounds like this SmartStrip is the answer.

A lot of people have a hard time grasping how simple this concept is and how well it works. Turning off the power strip without exiting windows first is not a good practice to do.

With a newer pc (one with a atx power supply) and running a newer OS (confirmed to work in winXP) you can run wires from your power button to a arcade button. When you push the button it turns on the pc. The powerstrip sees the pc on and turns on your other devices. When you want to shut down you tap the arcade button again and windows will close your running applications and shut down Windows in a orderly fashion then shut off the pc and the power strip then shuts off everything else.

[grafixmonkey]

he even asked exactly what model i computer i have (an old beige mac)

wow...  I think I played with some of those in middle school!

You know, if the computer isn't enough to turn the strip on by itself, you could try plugging something else into that port with a splitter, like your TV or monitor if you're using one.  Chances are neither one by itself would turn on the strip, but both together would.  (course if the only thing in your cab the strip turns on is the screen I guess that would be kinda silly)

[gnateye]

they are perfect for mame for free im gonan wait for the new one to come and see what happens, im determined to make it work

[gnateye]

yeah! got the new one today, works even better than i had hoped, ther is no lag time between hitting the power on key and the secondary stuff turning on, these guys are great, their service is excellent, and the product is top notch. i'll stop now. i guess they may be getting some black ones in next, i'll prolly order one of those as well.

[Chris]

With a newer pc (one with a atx power supply) and running a newer OS (confirmed to work in winXP) you can run wires from your power button to a arcade button.

I think it has to be more than just ATX... I think it has to be ACPI compliant as well.

When you want to shut down you tap the arcade button again and windows will close your running applications and shut down Windows in a orderly fashion then shut off the pc and the power strip then shuts off everything else.

With Windows 98SE, if you don't install the "2-second shutdown delay" patch, the cabinet shuts down so quickly you hardly notice the delay.

--Chris

[Luxury]

Dosen't your bios let you have a power on function with any key?  I've got my cab set so when you hit any button it powers up.

I have looked, and looked, and looked again in my bios for this option, and haven't found it yet.  I assume that I don't have this option (friends motherboard).  I would love it if I could enable this though

[releasedtruth]

I got my Powerstrip LCG4 yesterday in the mail. It came with a Liberator for free since shipping took a while. It really is that good. Everything powers on and off with the computer. I flushed a momentary switch into a hidden locale and when I press it everything comes on, likewise when I shutdown GameEx. Really quite handy I must say.  It was about $42 shipped.

GT

[Donkey_Kong]

I got my Powerstrip LCG4 yesterday in the mail. It came with a Liberator for free since shipping took a while. It really is that good. Everything powers on and off with the computer. I flushed a momentary switch into a hidden locale and when I press it everything comes on, likewise when I shutdown GameEx. Really quite handy I must say.  It was about $42 shipped.

GT

Where did you get that baby, if you don't mind my asking?

[KevSteele]

You can get the SmartStrip direct from Bits Limited:

http://www.bitsltd.net/ConsumerProducts/index.htm

Cyberguys also sells one model:

http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?productID=11310

[Donkey_Kong]

Thanks Kev....

Three years+ later and this post is still serving purpose....Congratulations and thanks for sharing the information. I Can't wait to try the smart strip.

[siddhartha]

These things are great -- especially with the sexy black cable option

I'm surprised there is not more talk of this, but what I did in my cab was buy a motherboard that had a power-on by keyboard option. It just so happens the Asus I bought could be powered on by a specified key combination to eliminate accidental power-ons. You can turn on the the computer then by just pressing a button on the 2nd player side, then a button on the 1st player side.

Since everything is plugged into the smartstrip, pressing these two buttons not only turns on the computer, but also the speakers and monitor. Really slick, and no need to mount any power buttons on the cab

[MameMaster!]

Thanks Kev....

Three years+ later and this post is still serving purpose....Congratulations and thanks for sharing the information. I Can't wait to try the smart strip.

...Kevin also has a great video review in addition to the write up at RetroBlast.com---

http://www.retroblast.com/video.html (it's near the bottom of the page).

[KevSteele]

Only I would do a video review of a power strip...