I have recently upgraded my console (AKA shelf) so that it now has its own PC. The PC has been installed under the keyboards making the start button hard to reach. The mains switch just behind it was a problem as well. So I started thinking about ways to make it easier to turn on the HW PC.
I had previously seen these Energenie trailing sockets https://energenie4u.co.uk/index.php/catalogue/product/ENER011 at: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ on their Peripherals-->Power Management pages. The sockets connect to the PC with a USB cable. When I saw one for sale in my local Maplin store I could not resist buying one. This allows the PC to switch on and off the mains sockets. There are six sockets. All six are routed through its master switch and four of them can be controlled individually via USB (or by a built-in timer or, if your PC is internet connected and you leave it switched on, you can switch things on and off while you are out via the internet - I'm told.)
Also, I happened to notice that my new Asus motherboard had a feature in the BIOS to restart the PC after a power failure. I needed to make this setting and then force the PC to shutdown using the start button. It needs to "think" it has crashed. Subsequently, when mains is re-applied to the PC it boots itself up. If you put HW in the startup folder and tell it to load an organ on start then you are nearly there.
All that is left is the massive click when the soundcard sorts itself out at startup. This is where the USB-controlled sockets come in. I got the supplied program to recognise Windows startup and then to switch the amplifier on and the closure of HW to switch it back off.
I now have a system that after turning on the mains switch will leave me looking at the stop jambs of the Salisbury with the blower running.
To close the system down I need to ask HW to shut the computer down (the amp is automatically switched off before closing Windows). It then remains to switch the mains supply off at the Energenie socket.
Not a full "one switch" solution but quite slick nonetheless.
(I have no connection with any company or product mentioned above.)
Regards,
I had previously seen these Energenie trailing sockets https://energenie4u.co.uk/index.php/catalogue/product/ENER011 at: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ on their Peripherals-->Power Management pages. The sockets connect to the PC with a USB cable. When I saw one for sale in my local Maplin store I could not resist buying one. This allows the PC to switch on and off the mains sockets. There are six sockets. All six are routed through its master switch and four of them can be controlled individually via USB (or by a built-in timer or, if your PC is internet connected and you leave it switched on, you can switch things on and off while you are out via the internet - I'm told.)
Also, I happened to notice that my new Asus motherboard had a feature in the BIOS to restart the PC after a power failure. I needed to make this setting and then force the PC to shutdown using the start button. It needs to "think" it has crashed. Subsequently, when mains is re-applied to the PC it boots itself up. If you put HW in the startup folder and tell it to load an organ on start then you are nearly there.
All that is left is the massive click when the soundcard sorts itself out at startup. This is where the USB-controlled sockets come in. I got the supplied program to recognise Windows startup and then to switch the amplifier on and the closure of HW to switch it back off.
I now have a system that after turning on the mains switch will leave me looking at the stop jambs of the Salisbury with the blower running.
To close the system down I need to ask HW to shut the computer down (the amp is automatically switched off before closing Windows). It then remains to switch the mains supply off at the Energenie socket.
Not a full "one switch" solution but quite slick nonetheless.
(I have no connection with any company or product mentioned above.)
Regards,
Richard