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Is it safe to turn off Arcade Cabinet every night?

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apocalypto:

--- Quote from: divemaster127 on November 28, 2010, 12:30:43 am ---I think its foolish to leave the machines on at night.  I would not trust 30 to 40 year old machines that were designed for 5 years of life.  I have a family & home to protect.  They are off every nite & I turn off the power strips to the machines.  So I do not put my family in danger
dm

--- End quote ---

That's true, it is pretty old electronics isn't it. Kind of like how you wouldn't leave an electric heater on from the 1970's 24/7 ... !


--- Quote from: isucamper on November 28, 2010, 02:40:03 am ---Any damage you would cause by frequent on/offs can be fixed (rebuild power supplies, replace caps).  Damage you cause by leaving them on 24/7 unattended possibly cannot be fixed (burn down your house, kill yourself).  

Shut em off when you're not using them.

--- End quote ---

Makes sense. I just did a cap kit, and it was pretty cheap. If it is just temporary damage caused by frequent on/offs that's fine, I just wasn't sure if it would cause permanent damage to the CRT/PCB etc?



--- Quote from: Fursphere on November 29, 2010, 12:18:58 am ---This is a highly argued subject...  but my $0.02...

Electronics from this day and age?  (meaning, last 5 years or newer) - power cycling them shoudl not hurt them.  (aka MAME cabinet)

If you're talking about JAMMA parts from the 1980s?  You'll probably shorten the life.  CRT screens don't like it either.

But as others have stated - good luck getting a straight answer.

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You're right, we all know power cycling tv's doesn't seem to hurt them. We have turned them on and off every day for years. And the arcade cabinets also use CRTs, so sbhouldn't those be fine power cycled also?



--- Quote from: THE POKER BRAT on November 29, 2010, 03:11:35 am ---Hey APOCOLYPTO,...Tell ya what,..why dont ya leave your things on in your house like the,.. arcades, pinballs, poker machine, lamps, lights, hair dryer, tv, radio, washing machine, christmas tree, door bell, fridge, fish tank, house alarm, garage door opener, can opener, car, iron, hair curler, vibrator, electric blanket, stove top range, bbq grill, shower, sink, (ARE WE WAKING UP THE NIEGHBORS YET??)...Turn all of that on and tell us if its safe,...let us know. thanks! :cheers:

--- End quote ---

Sounds like good advice.


Conclusion:  I will be turning the machine off after use and installing a high score save kit.

romshark:

--- Quote from: THE POKER BRAT on November 29, 2010, 03:11:35 am ---Hey APOCOLYPTO,...Tell ya what,..why dont ya leave your things on in your house like the,.. fish tank...
--- End quote ---

Except for the light, my aquarium runs 24/7. Without the filters and heater running, I'd have some dead fish.

g.robert:
I'll play devil's advocate here and say I leave mine on 24/7 because:
1. I like the way it looks when I walk by the room.
2. I like to pop in and play a game or two day to day (why I purchased them in the first place) without having to go through a power up process.
3. Most of the problems I've had in the past with my machines (all original arcades from the 80s) stemed from cycling power. Locking up, losing high scores, starting up in diagnotics sceen and staying, not coming back on, ETC. I even added 1600 watt UPS battery backups to stop these issues when we seemed to have power failures once a week. That quick OFF / ON took out more than a few chips.

I realize most of my problems could be fixed on an as needed basis but I really do NOT like having to re-fix them anymore than is already required. Arcade is air conditioned and axial fans are installed on any boards that tend to run hot. Leaving a few on is no different than leaving a few PC on 24/7. As to degrading life of components it is a chance I take as opposed to fixing them once a month. The burning the house down comment is a little extreme. Could it happen? sure.. but you could also be struck in the head by lightning walking around outside too. These machines were built to run and are UL lsited. All mine have screen saver modes. No where in the operation manual does it warn against continous operation. I can't say I notice any utility cost concerns. Bottom line if it is a small arcade (not talking 15+ games) don't be frightend into turning them off if you desire to keep them on. It DOES make sense to turn them off but hey; it also makes sence not to smoke, drink or run around with loose women...you like what you like.

Gray_Area:
First, CRTs burn in bad enough with 3/4 day use. Second, in the old days, people turned their TVs off at night, or turned them on and off through the day, and they lasted for years. (The TVs, not the people.) Third, even all day use is a lot of power; are you playing them all day?

In short - can't see it. Clap on, clap off.

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