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MAME Advice, Power ON/OFF switch
eschmunk:
Just glad I can help the community.
--- Quote from: quarterback on March 07, 2006, 12:33:05 pm ---I don't think I've ever seen that link. Looks like a great DIY solution to power on your entire cab full of stuff.
Thanks
--- Quote from: eschmunk on March 07, 2006, 11:59:22 am ---I used this link to build a relayed circuit.
http://home.bendcable.com/werstlein/
I have a switch wired to my motherboard (where the power button is wired to normally). When I press this button the computer is turned on. The power supply then sends a signal to the relay and switches power on to the top outlet. The top outlet has a power stripped with the tv, speakers, and marquee light.
So I have a bottom outlet which always has power (computer). Turn it on to switch the top out let on and then everything else comes on.
When I shut down the computer the power supply no longer supplies power to the relay in turn shutting down the speakers, tv, and marquee.
Works great.
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rdmustang:
If you want a more professional solution (one also easier for idiots like myself) you can just get a smart strip (http://www.bitsltd.net/SmartStrip/index.htm)to cut power to speakers, tv, and marquee when the computer is turned off.. That's how I'm doing it.. I have 2 arcade buttons on the back (1 power and 1 reset) which powers my computer which is plugged into the smart strip. When the computer turns on everything turns on. When the computer turns off everything turns off.. Nice and easy!
Teebor:
ok same concept here but slightly different as I did this months ago, and it works lovely.
again use the same relay and wire it to the 12 volt line INSIDE the PSU of your computer use the existing pass through on your PSU or cut a new hole for one and mount it into the back of the PSU, wire this through to the relay so that the outlet is only live when the PC is switched on.
Now wire a multi-plug to a kettle lead that will fit your newly fitted PSU connector and you have several plugs which are then only powered when the PC is switched on.
Then cut the wires to the PC power switch and extend them to the back or top of the cabinet and connect them to a momentary switch (microswitch of some sort or similar) and you have an external button (A spare push button from your panel would work nicely)
Then when running windows XP when the machine switches on the relay activates powering the strip and supplying the rest of the equipment.
When windows is running pressing the button again (with the correct BIOS/windows settings) will cause windows to execute a safe shutdown, and then when the pc is off it will shutdown all the attached equipment.
I did this months ago to run the mains pump in watercooled PC so I can provide working diagrams and pictures if you need them. Its easy to do, and I also included an additional fuse in the circuit to prevent the pump from doing any damage if something went horribly wrong.
This leaves everything self contained in to seperate segments as well which can help if something goes wrong.
Capthowdy:
--- Quote from: rdmustang on March 07, 2006, 12:48:26 pm ---If you want a more professional solution (one also easier for idiots like myself) you can just get a smart strip (http://www.bitsltd.net/SmartStrip/index.htm)to cut power to speakers, tv, and marquee when the computer is turned off.. That's how I'm doing it.. I have 2 arcade buttons on the back (1 power and 1 reset) which powers my computer which is plugged into the smart strip. When the computer turns on everything turns on. When the computer turns off everything turns off.. Nice and easy!
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I'd love to know more about how this power strip works. What are the red/blue outlets for? And what causes everything to go off when the computer shuts down?
I've been looking at the same link that eschmunk posted for about a month. And i'm terrified of screwing something up since I'm not experienced in wiring...and even if I had it tested...I don't really understand how the damn thing works to begin with. Any help would be appreciated. $32 is pretty cheap for the cause.
clhug:
--- Quote from: Capthowdy on May 20, 2006, 04:58:10 am ---
--- Quote from: rdmustang on March 07, 2006, 12:48:26 pm ---If you want a more professional solution (one also easier for idiots like myself) you can just get a smart strip (http://www.bitsltd.net/SmartStrip/index.htm)to cut power to speakers, tv, and marquee when the computer is turned off.. That's how I'm doing it.. I have 2 arcade buttons on the back (1 power and 1 reset) which powers my computer which is plugged into the smart strip. When the computer turns on everything turns on. When the computer turns off everything turns off.. Nice and easy!
--- End quote ---
I'd love to know more about how this power strip works. What are the red/blue outlets for? And what causes everything to go off when the computer shuts down?
I've been looking at the same link that eschmunk posted for about a month. And i'm terrified of screwing something up since I'm not experienced in wiring...and even if I had it tested...I don't really understand how the damn thing works to begin with. Any help would be appreciated. $32 is pretty cheap for the cause.
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I have this power strip. The blue outlet is the "control". That's where you plug the PC in. This outlet is always hot and it senses current flow. When the PC is turned on, it sense more current flowing and turns on the non-colored outlets. When the PC is turned off, it senses less current flow and shuts the non-colored outlets off. The red outlets are always hot. In the context of a MAME cabinet you likely won't use the red outlets. (The difference between the blue and the red, since both are always hot, is that the blue controls the other non-colored outlets, while the red are just always hot but don't control any other outlets.)
Now, a question for somebody else. I bought this strip about a month ago. It seemed to work great at first, but now it doesn't work at all. I can't find an adjustment where it properly senses on or off of the PC. The switched outlets are always on or always off regardless of the state of the PC. Judging from all the positive comments I've read in these forums in other threads on this power strip I'm guessing I've just a dud and need to get it replaced under warranty. However, I've been trying to contact the company and they aren't getting back to me. Has anyone else had any experience with having to get one of these replaced under warranty, and did you have any trouble reaching the company or getting it replaced? (Oh, on a side note, I did a test using a regular lamp and a flourescent light as the control as suggested on the Bits Ltd. web site and it has the same problem so it's not just my PC either.)
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