MutiConsole Hookups

[NinjaWarrior]

I really don't know now to word this, But I will try the best I can

 

I moved to my brothers like 6 years ago, He's not a Gamer at all

 

I have like 15 Consoles, I have like 2 Powerstrips to Protect..He thinks I would start a fire

 

Where I lived before I had my Gen/32X/CD in 1 Powerstrip , PS3, PS2, GameCube, Xbox, N64, 7800, 2600, Wii, SNES & My Indy II sharing the other one 

 

I can't even explain it to him

 

 

[+KylJoy]

You should see my office.  Power strips, HDMI cables, RGB and coaxial cables, speaker wires, more power strips, horizontal power strips, vertical power strips, smartthings devices to control power through Google home devices...

 

[+stupus]

Consoles actually use a very small amount of power. So you could probably have like 40 consoles on the same circuit and be fine.

But more than that you wouldnt be powering them all at once anyway so it would never even be an issue.

I would just get good quality power strips so you protect them all from surges. But your not going to start a fire.

[NinjaWarrior]

The PS3 takes more Power I think, like some PC's

 

My brother won't care what I say, He's not a Gamer period

 

Even if he sends a Electrician, The Electrician going to tell him what he wants to hear

 

 

[+stupus]

No not even close to a pc. A ps3 uses only about 100 watts. So you could run about 17 of them on even a 15 amp circuit and stay within range.

Plus if you have them on a power strip they arent even connected when its off.

Not sure why an electrician would lie about power consumption unless they are a very uneducated one...but it sounds like your brother has his mind made up so not much point of debating it i guess.

Now if you were going to use a toaster and a microwave on the same circuit then that might be a problem. But most peoplke do that and dont think anything of it lol

Its all about draw and not the number of plugs

[NinjaWarrior]

I also have my PC on the same Circuit like for 10 hrs

 

My CRT, HDTV & my Monitor on the same Circuit with my PC

 

 

[CatPix]

Retro consoles and even most modern ones run a very little amount of power.

I'm more worried to see, in people's houses with old wiring, to see that they run the microwave oven, blender and coffee maker from the same circuit.

Wouldn't he believe you if you added up the console power (even tho they do'nt run together at the same time anyway?) and show that your 15 consoles don't even reach up the amount of power needed to power his microwave oven?

If he objects that the power you give is "low voltage" then you can use the "water pipe" analogy to explain that in electricity, watts (not watt/hours) is a constant unit.

To compare water and electricity :

watts are litres (or gallons )

amps are water pressure

voltage is pipe diameter.

 

if your console use 15 watts, it's always 15 watts. That your console use a power brick doesn't matter. 15 watts is like 15 gallons : it's the same amount of power, regardless of the pressure (amps) or pipe diameter (voltage)

But they are all linked, the wider the pipe is, the less pressure you have, it's why power lines outside of your house use very high voltages : you can carry the same amount of power on a wire that is barely bigger than the ones in your own walls; or on the opposite, that's why battery wires are insanely large : lots of power in low voltage.  And this is where the pipe analogy crumble since in electricity, more voltage mean smaller or same-size wire, unlike water pipes ).

 

Another thing is to have him touch the power strip plug and ask him if it feels hot. Unless the wiring in the house is wholly inadequate, electricity fire mostly start at outlets. And there's no mystery : fire start because there is heat.

Though this may not be a good idea if you offer him to do that while you have old-style power brinks on the power strip because he may touch them, find them hot and be scared of it.

Edited November 10, 2020 by CatPix

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Well, there is a reason I use an old store display case as my console shelf. It hides the 4 power strips that daisy chained along with all the mess of wires for the video and audio connections etc. I'm sure I would pop the circuit if I had more than about a half dozen of the consoles on at once but the way I have it wired up, I use an older smart strip that doesn't provide power to the other devices and strips attached until the master device is actually turned on. In the case of my game room, that is the AV receiver. When that turns on, all the other strips are powered up. This keeps the actual power usage very low when I'm not gaming on a system. Now the PS4 and I believe the Wii-U are connected to always on portions of the strip management so that they can get their updates..etc in standby mode but otherwise I've never had any issues. It is also nice that when leaving on vacation, I can basically just pull one plug from the wall outlet to completely disconnect power to the entire gaming console wall.

 

[Austin]

12 hours ago, NinjaWarrior said:

I also have my PC on the same Circuit like for 10 hrs

 

My CRT, HDTV & my Monitor on the same Circuit with my PC

 

One thing you can do to appease your brother is to simply not have everything plugged in at once.

 

How I used to do it, is I'd route a group of systems to their own power strip or extension cable. I'd then label the ends of each strip or extension, then route it to the side of the entertainment center. There I'd have an empty extension cable or power switch waiting, running into the wall. I'd look at my labeling and only plug in the cord for the system(s) I am using. It's not too hard, nor too inconvenient.

 

It did offer some peace of mind doing it that way. Some of the power bricks would get pretty hot (like the Jaguar one) and it was nice knowing they weren't sucking energy when I was away or not using them.

[HoshiChiri]

As it is right now, I have 15 consoles plugged in at all times, plus the TV, the cable box, the VCR, the powered switchboxes, and the dock for the Wii U gamepad. It's fine- otherwise I guarantee I'd hear about it from my dad. He was an electrician for several decades.

 

Things of note: try to have surge protectors instead of power strips- this is more for your gear's safety than fire prevention. Don't plug more than one power strip into a wall socket (just becuase there's two outlets doesn't mean you should have a strip in both!) Don't daisy chain strips. Don't damage plugs to force them to fit in an outlet (if you have issues, like a 2-prong outlet & a 3 prong plug, get an adapter.)

 

I'd suggest showing your brother this thread, so he knows the multiconsole setup isn't uncommon, & is quite safe if you handle the connections right. Really, it's not all that different than setting up for Christmas (think of all the lights you plug in!) We can answer any questions he's got!

Edited November 11, 2020 by HoshiChiri

[0078265317]

I just keep everything in boxes or in a cabinet unplugged of course.  And then I just hook up what ever I needed to use that moment.  And then put it back when done.

[Mikebloke]

I used to have 4-6 consoles plugged in with all the rf switches in my bedroom 25 years ago. Now I have 9 consoles plugged into the TV including a ps3 which is usually left on (standby), wii u is also a standby console. Everything is fine. 

 

Now for what is really a hazzard: mattress warmers. When I used to work in a video game shop, a guy came in and related how his 40 console collection went up in flames because he left his mattress warmer on when he got up and went to work. Dangerous things, there is easier and safer ways to keep your sleeping experience comfortable. 

[NinjaWarrior]

I moved in a Townhouse that was built in 1971

 

I'm thinking it's up to code

 

Thanks for the Info on this Matter

 

The only thing right now to play

 

I have the Wii, Wii U, Saturn, PS2, PS3 & Dreamcast 

[Video]

Never had a problem. It's the total wattage that matters, and unless your running it all at once, you won't hit much anyways.

 

Bricks convert power wether the system uses it anyways, but built in psu may not depending on if it's before or after the powervswitch.

 

I use multiple power bars at once, and turn the bar I'm using on to avoid leaches. Lots of people will freak due to the myth of 5A granny extension cords starting fires, but that's still watts and what not. Overloading any wire can cause issues, even those in the wall.

 

Unless your right at the edge of your wiring limits I wouldn't worry about it.

[+stupus]

The extension cord and daisy chain problem usually starts a fire from poor connection.

If a plug is not in all the way or a socket is worn and not grabbing the prongs good you can have a connection thats barely making contact.

If so you have all that power going thru that weak spot and that creates huge resistance that gets hot quickly.

Always get rid of damaged cords or power strips and replace sockets that dont feel tight anymore.