Power panel

I have an old fashioned AC power control panel that has a row of switches
across the front of it to turn different stuff on and off plus 1 master
switch. This one happens to be the style that you could set a CRT on top
of, but I don't need that. But it has 5 switches and outlets, while I have
8 things plugged into it and need more - meaning I have to turn some things
one when I don't need them.

Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No need
having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
have 5 or less.

--
JimL

JimL wrote:
> I have an old fashioned AC power control panel that has a row of switches
> across the front of it to turn different stuff on and off plus 1 master
> switch. This one happens to be the style that you could set a CRT on top
> of, but I don't need that. But it has 5 switches and outlets, while I have
> 8 things plugged into it and need more - meaning I have to turn some things
> one when I don't need them.
>
> Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No need
> having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
> have 5 or less.

Here's something along those lines with 7 outlets, but no master:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...2C3B3PRAAMCN2Y

I suppose you could, with some short extensions, pile up all your warts
on that one.

On 2009-10-27, JimL <invalid@invalid.inv> wrote:
>
> Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No need
> having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
> have 5 or less.
>

I organize all my gear into 3 sets of surge protectors: one for stuff
that's always on, one that is for rarely used devices that is only
switched on when needed, and another for things that are always on when
I'm home.

I just switch the last one off when I leave, and that's convenient
enough for me.

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:38:04 -0400, "JimL"
<invalid@invalid.inv> wrote:

>I have an old fashioned AC power control panel that has a row of switches
>across the front of it to turn different stuff on and off plus 1 master
>switch. This one happens to be the style that you could set a CRT on top
>of, but I don't need that. But it has 5 switches and outlets, while I have
>8 things plugged into it and need more - meaning I have to turn some things
>one when I don't need them.
>
>Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No need
>having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
>have 5 or less.

Stack a 2nd one on top of it. If you've enough wall warts
that there isn't clearance with the outlets so close
together you'll have to use a strip outlet box instead of
under monitor type.

Another alternative is build your own. Outlets and switches
at the hardware store are pretty inexpensive, the time to
make the box for it is the biggest issue.

I resolved the issue with 2 of the 4 jack boxes stacked. To get around
the wall wart spacing issues I use the 1 foot extension cords.

JimL wrote:
> I have an old fashioned AC power control panel that has a row of switches
> across the front of it to turn different stuff on and off plus 1 master
> switch. This one happens to be the style that you could set a CRT on top
> of, but I don't need that. But it has 5 switches and outlets, while I have
> 8 things plugged into it and need more - meaning I have to turn some things
> one when I don't need them.
>
> Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No need
> having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
> have 5 or less.
>

I find it hard to get my mind around someone having so many items to switch
on and off but that is just me. Perhaps you need to rethink how you do some
basic things. For example, if you have some items that are switched on and
off together and have their own wall warts and use a relatively low power
(2A and 5V) you might be able to use something like this:
http://www.gomadic.com/quadcharger.html This unit is made mostly as a
charger for multiple mobile devices but the Gomadic chargers I have seem to
work just as well for operating the devices too. Their multiple-output auto
units are a great mess eliminator -- run the GPS and charge the phone or
run the MP3 player at the the same time with a single plug.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:23:28 -0400, John McGaw
<Nobody@Nowh.ere> wrote:

>JimL wrote:
>> I have an old fashioned AC power control panel that has a row of switches
>> across the front of it to turn different stuff on and off plus 1 master
>> switch. This one happens to be the style that you could set a CRT on top
>> of, but I don't need that. But it has 5 switches and outlets, while I have
>> 8 things plugged into it and need more - meaning I have to turn some things
>> one when I don't need them.
>>
>> Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No need
>> having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
>> have 5 or less.
>>
>
>I find it hard to get my mind around someone having so many items to switch
>on and off but that is just me.

It's not hard, take for example:

1) PC
2) Printer
3) Scanner
4) Speakers
5) Modem
6) Router
7) Switch
8) USB Hub
9) Battery Charger
10) Telephone

Some of these don't need the ability to be switched off, but
it's nice they're behind a surge protector and also nice to
keep the 2nd socket on the wall outlet free incase something
needs more current than I'd want to daisy-chain off
multi-outlet strips.

Once upon a time ago, I though if I ever had a home custom
wired I'd consider a 12V DC bus going to every room to get
rid of 3/4ths of the wall adapters, though there's still
step-down conversion needed for the ever increasing number
of consumer electronics that now need less than 12VDC input.

"Grinder" <grinder@no.spam.maam.com> wrote in message
news:0lJFm.110339$la3.40010@attbi_s22...
> JimL wrote:
>> I have an old fashioned AC power control panel that has a row of switches
>> across the front of it to turn different stuff on and off plus 1 master
>> switch. This one happens to be the style that you could set a CRT on top
>> of, but I don't need that. But it has 5 switches and outlets, while I
>> have
>> 8 things plugged into it and need more - meaning I have to turn some
>> things
>> one when I don't need them.
>>
>> Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No
>> need
>> having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
>> have 5 or less.
>
> Here's something along those lines with 7 outlets, but no master:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...2C3B3PRAAMCN2Y
>
> I suppose you could, with some short extensions, pile up all your warts on
> that one.


Thanks. That looks like a possibility. Maybe two or three of those where
the big one is now. But no masters...

--
JimL

"John McGaw" <Nobody@Nowh.ere> wrote in message
news:CtYFm.368634$uD.346813@en-nntp-09.am2.easynews.com...
> JimL wrote:
>> I have an old fashioned AC power control panel that has a row of switches
>> across the front of it to turn different stuff on and off plus 1 master
>> switch. This one happens to be the style that you could set a CRT on top
>> of, but I don't need that. But it has 5 switches and outlets, while I
>> have
>> 8 things plugged into it and need more - meaning I have to turn some
>> things
>> one when I don't need them.
>>
>> Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No
>> need
>> having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
>> have 5 or less.
>>
>
> I find it hard to get my mind around someone having so many items to
> switch on and off but that is just me. Perhaps you need to rethink how you
> do some basic things. For example, if you have some items that are
> switched on and off together and have their own wall warts and use a
> relatively low power (2A and 5V) you might be able to use something like
> this: http://www.gomadic.com/quadcharger.html This unit is made mostly as
> a charger for multiple mobile devices but the Gomadic chargers I have seem
> to work just as well for operating the devices too. Their multiple-output
> auto units are a great mess eliminator -- run the GPS and charge the phone
> or run the MP3 player at the the same time with a single plug.
>
> --
> John McGaw
> [Knoxville, TN, USA]
> http://johnmcgaw.com

I guess how many things you are switching might depend on your reason for
switching.
If you figure it's no big deal to let wall warts run most of the time you
would see it differently from someone who wants anything that isn't being
used to be off. (My neighbor pays over $300 a month for electrocity. I now
pay around $50. He uses a heat pump while I use resistance heat and huge
piles of insulation.) I don't use a desktop any more, but it turned out to
use around $30 a month - daytime only.

So far I have no two wart output voltages the same.

I'm already stacking things on the 120V side, like the modem and the router
are on the same switch but aren't necessarily on when the computer is. 3
external drives need to be on only occasionally, but at widely varying
times. My extension speakers require separate juice but can come on with
the laptop.

The cell phone charger is used rarely. As is the printer.

Thanks

--
JimL

"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:e75fe5psngphq3hfkub1i0qa599s37bg4j@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:38:04 -0400, "JimL"
> <invalid@invalid.inv> wrote:
>
>>I have an old fashioned AC power control panel that has a row of switches
>>across the front of it to turn different stuff on and off plus 1 master
>>switch. This one happens to be the style that you could set a CRT on top
>>of, but I don't need that. But it has 5 switches and outlets, while I
>>have
>>8 things plugged into it and need more - meaning I have to turn some
>>things
>>one when I don't need them.
>>
>>Does anyone know of a panel you can get with more controls on it? (No
>>need
>>having a dozen wall warts drawing current all the time.) The ones I see
>>have 5 or less.
>
> Stack a 2nd one on top of it.

I don't know why I didn't think of that!

Thanks
--
JimL