Power Strip

[Thor]

Careful.....

Can I just power off by shutting down the power strip... or do I need to turn off the inside power box... then turn off the power strip???

Thanks All...

[slotter]

Just using the power strip to turn the machines off and on should be fine, Thor.

[Darren]

Now, I was told by different Vendors NOT to turn OFF by the power bar.
Turn Off Each Machine

Cheers
Darren

[slotter]

I believe this was discussed and debated a long while back, actually. Yes, you can have differing opinions, but the vendors aren't exactly electronic experts (they are vendors) and if it "seems" safer for them to say turn it off on the machine, that's what they'll tell ya. I believe most of us just turn off the power strip and no one yet has ever registered a problem.

[arbycoffee]

If you turn off in the machine, your Transformer is still running, and that is eat electricity that you are paying for. But if you turn off the power strip, it turns off the transformer too!
Like Slotter said we have chewed this cud before and the safe way is to use the power strip.

[luckydog]

Even with machine turned off, transformers can heat up and may cause a fire.
Turn off with power strip for safety

[websherpa]

Now, I was told by different Vendors NOT to turn OFF by the power bar.
Turn Off Each Machine

Cheers
Darren

I'll bet they never turn the machines off except for servicing in a parlour, but I could be wrong, Rupan?

Given the nature of those models with step down transformers added, the best thing for the machine would be to power down the machine with it's internal on/offswitch first, then cut power to the transformer (either by a power bar, unplugging it, or do as I have done, install an externally mounted power switch that cuts the power from the mains to the transformer or a 110v machine's power supply). I still have them plugged in to a surge supressor power bar for surge safety as well.

The added transformer stays active, consuming energy and generating heat, so that's why it's best to turn them off and why dealer instructions usually say to use a power bar.

On these models with the transformer attached, hitting the power bar switch could be hard on the machine, it takes some time for the transformer to build a sufficient charge on the secondary winding (and disapates energy as it is turned off) and that can cause glitches depending on how it's anticipated / handled by the machine's internals.

That being said, I do just that (cut the power to the transformer without first turning off the machine inside) and cringe a bit, but all seems ok.

I also don't like the fact that the machines are shipped without 3-prong grounds (the chassis has exposed non-isolated metal and grounding straps, and there was a cut ground lead to the power supply in my Hanabi Hyakkei so it was obviously connected to a house ground at the Parlour). I have installed grounding to the chassis via the main power supply box on both my pachislos.

This is a casual layman's observation, I'm not an electrical engineer, your mileage may vary. Doing any modifications to the electrical power lines, if you aren't fully knowledgeable or are feeling uncertain about doing it, is a mistake and potentially fatal.

[alstonj1]

speaking as as a tech . you can use a strip to turn off in either case . the 24volt machines are knocked off by power failure at the 24volt buss at the parlors (working in an arcade i can tell you nobody's gonna turn off 100 plus machine individually usually done at the breakers)and it handles it just fine when the added transformer loses power as well the only time you might have a problem is in the event of a transformer going south and causing a spike during meltdown (the 24 volt buss in a parlor I'm sure is strictly regulated, a step down transformer isn't ). as for the machines being on 24 hrs i don't see a problem if you have a large capacity transformer that runs cool and your surge suppressor /power strip has its own circuit breaker built in . the power of a machine in idle mode is very small .my machines are powered on 24 hours a day with no problems (hanabi hyakkei, don don king) incidentally my hanabi doesn't have led issues either.you may want to consider leaving it on if temp changes do play a part in the led failure .

[Thor]

Thanks all, I just thought that it was a pain to open up each Pachislo and turn it on/off. When I could just power on/off the power strip. I just didn't want to hurt them, by doing so.

[Tony Junior]

Late, but I just use the power strips.

[websherpa]

incidentally my hanabi doesn't have led issues either.you may want to consider leaving it on if temp changes do play a part in the led failure .

Thank you for the qualified update on the transformers it helps set the record straight, sorry if I confused anyone, and eases my fears about the mechanics of it all (since I too turn off at the power strip).

Now, turning my office into a 24 hour parlour sounds appealing, though I think that's going to be a tough sell to the spouse....

(You're lucky about your reel LEDs, as far as temp changes go, I wonder if the damage to the LEDs on the Eleco models affected is already done by the time they leave the parlours, or a symptom of their journey to North America?)

[websherpa]

speaking as as a tech . you can use a strip to turn off in either case . and it handles it just fine when the added transformer loses power as well

One thing I have experienced on two rare occasions while servicing my Sammy King Camel and starting from the power bar is an E1 error upon start-up that required reset (but now that the machine is in regular use, this hasn't happened again) - I'm not sure what caused it. Vince at autoslot.info told me that on this machine (Sammy) that power-up spikes the coin mechanism though he hasn't confirmed whether it's exclusive to the powerbar start-up scenario (likely not since it doesn't occur on other machines).

[alstonj1]

usually if a machine has been dormant (unplugged )for a long time its not unusual to get those errors as the machine doesn't have a battery back up for the stats and such(uses a charged cap like most remotes and other electronics for use during battery replacement) it gets an error when no data is read but a reset usually takes care of the problem . most parlor machines aren't off for great periods of time so the problem doesn't effect their operation. as for the reel led problem could be alot of factors involved in the fatigue problem but i would bet it to be more a temp. problem than anything else . heat and cold heat and cold heat and cold causes bad fatigue issues but its as the old theory goes with a light bulb will it last longer if left on 24hrs. a day or if turned off and on ........(will last longer if left on no fatigue of the element but the cost to run it is more than the cost of the light bulb.). but i like watching the attract mode on the hanabbi and what good is having it in the livingroom if its not on (the volume is off in attract mode).plus i don't like dust collectors.

[steam furnace]

My King Camel sits on a stand I got from Specialty Stands which has a plug inside and an on off switch on the back. I just turn this switch off to turn off the machine, but the stand itself is plugged into a surge protector power strip which I leave on. Has not been a problem so far.