Power sockets in games rooms

[chadsarcade]

A question for those of you with games rooms: what do you think is the best strategy for the placement of power sockets?

The conventional place on the wall means that when your cabs are pushed back against the wall then you can't reach the power switches. Many cabs don't have an on/off switch so how do you get around this? If a monitor started smoking, what's your panic button?

Any thoughts welcomed, especially those with hindsight of a build themselves.

Thanks,

Chad

 

[Fuzzy]

The simple and cheapest solution, I suppose, is to use a switched surge-protected trailing socket (extension lead). This can be sat either on top of one of the cabs, or in-between cabs for easy access.
Fuzzy2017-05-11 12:26:05

 

[glenn]

I would always ensure that a 30 m/a RCD/RCBO is covering the sockets for extra fire and shock protection.

An accessible isolator (switch) for the socket circuit would be great or maybe access for the distribution board that covers the socket and in an emergency turn the whole board off.

 

[bomjac]

Most cabs I have had have an on/off awitchance - bit for games room my preference would be at a height of about 5' from the floor. That way you can easily reach it from a small 2 rung step ladder or stool over he top of the cab if you need.

Other option is the remote switching, 4-way extension plugs that you can buy.

 

[Paul_in_nottingham]

I put mine chest height on the wall so they are a bit easier to get to.

However, the power sockets and lights to my whole games room (its an converted outdoor brick structure) can be switched from a separate breaker by the door.

 

[muddymusic]

Mine are up high, so I can reach between cabs to switch individual cabs off. What I did is set 4 areas each with its own breaker so I can turn off a whole row in one go. If I'm turning all the cabs on at once I just flick on each breaker in turn rather than every cab one by one.

 

[philmurr]

I'm currently designing the electrics for my games room. I'll probably go with sockets on the wall fed back to a multi-gang of accessible switches (20A), to individually switch the sockets on and off.

Using a grid plate similar to https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/GUG12G.html

As a retro-fit you could always plug in remote control sockets and control them from a remote keyfob?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SK350115.html

 

[Purity]

Some good options there.

For me it was a breaker and isolation switch near the door in case of emergencies, and then I use switched surge-protected trailing sockets.

The remote control sockets is not a bad idea
Purity2017-05-11 13:00:22

 

[the_greeze]

If a monitor or whatever starts smoking, you'll be amazed at your superhuman reflexes! You'll have that cab pulled out and unplugged in no time...

 

[Bods]

Sometimes wish I'd gone down the route of Remote Sockets, I have some already in the house but never get round to putting batteries in the touch screen remote which you can setup to turn all off with one button etc and should get my act together really though I don't really like the idea of 20 sockets in arcade that are all powered up, can't get wrong with straight forward switches

Loft and Arcade I put in an MK switch bank on the wall which switches each double socket on the other side of the room so don't have to mess about getting to back of cabs etc, sockets in normal place what ever height above skirting board so if I decide to change the rooms to anything else you won't have a load of unsightly sockets 5ft high across the wall, have to think about these things you see

 

[aeroflott]

Yeah I have the remote sockets thing going on. I tend not to have the back doors of my cabs present on the machines, so the sockets in some cases are covered by the machine and I can push them right up against the walls.

I have run out of sockets though, so should really look at alternative solutions.

 

[Flinnster]

I really like the look of the grid switch plate idea, although that takes a fair bit of pre-planning and electrics work I guess. I just use extension gang sockets and have them down the back or sides of the cabs for now.

Has anyone actually managed to get 4 or 6-way extension gang sockets to fail/smoke/flame by having too many cabs on them, or by daisy-chaining too many together? I know it's frowned upon but I've never had any issues so far...

 

[Purity]

How many cabs do you put on each gang - 6 on a 6 way, and 4 on a 4way?

 

[Flinnster]

Well yeah, not all cabs but I've had 5 devices in a 6 way, and then another full 4 way chained into the 6..

(monitors and pcs as well)

 

[RGP]

The grid plate option I think is the neatest - it involves probably the most wiring but it is the most accessible and easiest to work with after installation.

If I was building a home games room that's the option i'd go down.

I'm sure the industrious will pipe up "you can do all that with a raspberry pi" lol.

Me and LukeWells did have an idea involving arduino's and a leaf node network to avoid the excess extra wiring by making a 6 gang which had it's own arudino which could close relays to turn switches on and off for 240v - all controlled by a single touch screen android device that cost about £40 for the touch device.

That's probably overkill again.

If width permits, and knowing that most cabs are about 65cm wide, put one double socket about every 1.5m along a wall about 5ft up and leave a 1ft gap between each set of 2 cabs.

cab-cab - gap with socket - cab-cab - gap with socket repeat ad nausea.

Aesthetically pleasing, space to put a little table for drinks rather than on top of games between each machine and quick access to a socket.

I've seen smoke billow out the top of a cab from a flyback going bad and the machine itself never combusted or got even close. Still gets your reflexes going when it happens though.

 

[chadsarcade]

Thanks for all the ideas so far guys, I like the grid idea too. I'm still at the planning stage so can hopefully incorporate something like that.

 

[Muppz]

I've seen smoke billow out the top of a cab from a flyback going bad and the machine itself never combusted or got even close. Still gets your reflexes going when it happens though.

Hehe, Chads had his head in a cab when its gone bang

In my old house I did the cab cab socket thing, worked out pretty well.

 

[rcantor77]

I use these remote controlled sockets in my arcade room...

https://buyhomeeasy.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=39

Never had a problem and saves a load of rewiring...

rcantor772017-05-12 09:17:38

 

[DanP]

I have the grid plate I think. Basically a switch panel with 20+ switches to control each socket from one place. Probably was more wiring, tbh I don't know, the sparky did all that I just told him where I wanted the sockets, where I wanted the switch panel and left him to work out how to do it. It's very cool to be able to control the on/off of the cabs from a single place (and the lights come to that). I also have an RCD just for the game room, not sure how many rings it runs but it's pretty much the same device I have for the rest of the house.

I have the sockets at chest height. Whilst this means I can't have cabs flush to the wall it's what I wanted which was to hide the sockets from prying fingers and keep a small gap at the back of the cabs to aid cooling as some have vents and they need somewhere to erm vent.