remote sockets with an all off function

[gazz]

I want to put the machines in my games room on some sort of centeral controll.

first i was going to build a panel using latching relays and push buttons, but it'd mean upto 16 mains cables going to the panel,

So instead i thought about using those remote controlled socket adaptors, be a lot easier, keep the machines on the existing ring main, just put an adaptor on each socket,

i know the most you seem to get are 5 packs, so i'd need 3 packs of them and end up with 3 remotes, but i plan on still having a fixed panel on the wall near the door, and i'd take the remotes appart and add push buttons to the contacts for the origional buttons,

however the whole idea of doing this is to have one button i can press as i leave the room to shut everything down, (yes i know i could put in an isolator switch near the door to cut power to the room, but i dont want all the machines to start up at the same time when it's turned back on, and at times i only want a few machines on)

I believe i've seen these remote controlled sockets with a remote that has an all off button, but now i'm looking for them, i cant seem to find them, most of the photos of the things people are selling are so crap and prolly not of the actual units for sale, it's not much use to me.

Anyone have a set of these sockets with a remote with an all off function?? if so what's the make? as i need 15 of the buggers, i'm hoping they will not be the most expensive ones about.. some places do the 5 pack for just over a tenner, but it's not got an all off function that i can tell.

[Rod]

I have some switches in the Domia Lite range.

(I can't actually see a difference between that and the Bye Bye Standby range from the same company - except colour.

)

Not as cheap as you'd like. But they seem to work pretty well and do what we need. It works fine from downstairs to upstairs in our house.

They do have a group function. But, realistically, you can only manage 8 different addresses with one remote. (You can program any number of remotes to a single 'address' but devices with the same address will switch on/off together.)

One supplier (others are mentioned on the sites above):

[Kevin]

Robert dyas have a remote that will switch 3 different channel sockets on the same remote, and you can have as many sockets as you like on the same channel, and up two four different frequencies for a total of 12 different socket individually switched but you will need 4 remotes for that, £9.99 for tx and rx and a bit less for just the rx socket,range is

20m or so and the remote will even stand a full wash cycle and still work ;-) been there got the t-shirt

[Kevin]

[Broadback]

Not knowing what the power rating of your equipment is this may not be acceptable, but could you use one as the "master and plug the others into it?

[gazz]

pinball machines prolly 200 to 300 watts, fruit machines 200 watts, pachislo machines 150 watts etc,

but i need to be able to controll each machines power individually, so i can select which machines i want on as i go through the door, rather than having them all one when i'm not going to use half of them as they still pull the power when in attract mode,

just want something easier than reaching behind each machine to work the sockets switch, as most arcade machines dont have a power switch, and i really dont want to be adding any, as i still want the all off feature as i leave the room to ensure everyting is dead, but when i return be able to select which machines i turn back on instead of having them all come one at once.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Sounds like a case for a consumer unit, to me..

[dennis]

You could use X10 controllers, but they are pricy. Another way is to fit the sort of switches you use on power tools, these are on a magnetic latch so if the power fails they don't turn back on until you press the button, some of those with a big emergency stop button to switch the lot off. Again not cheap, but far more reliable than the wireless stuff. Most rcds also turn off when the power is removed and are cheaper than zero volt switches BTW.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Still the best way to go - and if done neatly will look the Ds Bs, unlike a load of plug in whatsits.

[Mat C]

I've got the maplins ones, and you can configure the button they use on the remote via a set of dip switches on the back. I have in the past had 2 with the same code, so that the same button switches them off. I can't see any reason why many couldn't have the same code.

The only problem is that the remote "toggles" the switch, so if the switches with the same code get out of sync then pressing the button will switch some off and others on...

Mat

[Rod]

Can't help thinking that would probably work out more expensive than the Domia Lite system. :-)

[Rod]

Ooops - not so good. Never had that with our Domia Lite - which has separate On and Off buttons. (No - honestly not a salesman for them. Just a satisfied customer - and wish they were cheaper.) They also use a standard lithium button in the remote - not the (relatively) odd battery that some other remotes use.

[Robin]

Could be a job for X10.

X10 = Home automation standard. A bit old but has a lot of bits available.

See:

from:

(There's a link to this site already in the thread, but X10 is different from Domia.)

or:

others, search Google for X10.

Lots of control software too, so you can hook the whole lot up to a PC.

[Rod]

I thought that as two remotes were more than the OP wished, a whole PC (or other suitabke computer) would be way too much! :-)

[Robin]

X10 doesn't *need* a computer. I mentioned it to give an idea of the flexibility.

The OP may prefer something like:

's a few similar devices available, some wired, some RF.

- Regards Robin

[Rod]

Right - hadn't realised quite how neat it could be.