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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 00:30
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Still building the internet cafe. We're thinking of re-routing all the reset buttons to the main desk. We'll probably end up using some cat5 cable and splitting it to the seperate boxes for extending the 2 wires.
I thought with the Jaycar and other different backgrounded people here we might find a viable (and interesting) solution.
Question is:
Is there a pre-built switchboard that has up to 30 buttons on it?
- Buttons need to be spring loaded (don't stay switched)
- Enough room to be used by fingers (ie. not dil switches)
- PC number needs to be displayed somehow
- can't be too big, can be in one long line, or 2 or 3 rows of buttons
- preferable mounting position will be to the under side of a MDF table
- extensible would be great, eg. put another board next to it and get 60 reset buttons.
- wiring can't be too difficult (I can solder and use heat shrink well)
- CHEAP (max $50)
Any other options? Like 30 little red buttons and wire them all individually and hot-glue them to the top of the table.
Also a way to have the wires inside the box to be unpluggable. The connection to the motherboard is a 2 pin connector, I'd like to have the normal reset wires start there and run to the outside of the box where there needs to be a plug where I can plug these extended wires into.
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Location:
Land of Oz
Registered:
June 2004
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 00:57
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Hi,
I assume your main desk (ie where you sit) will have a PC that you will use. I also assume the cafe PCs will be connected onto a LAN of some sort? If so, there's got to be some remote boot software around. All you need do is send the reboot command to the appropriate PC. We had software that did this back in the old OS/2 days, so I assume the latest OS will have this ability with some from of Remote PC software. Certainly easier than hardwiring a stack of switches and then getting some smarts to display what machine it is that is being rebooted.
Also, with remote PC software oyu can check what the cafe PCs are doing so you can see if the users are loading porn or doing other nefarious things to your machines.
seeyuzz
river
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 02:00
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You can set windows up to automatically reboot after a blue screen...
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
August 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 02:38
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Where abouts are you setting up a cafe ??
I suggest you take a look at http://www.headshotgames.com/ they are in sutherland shire.
They have custom made boxes that are stuck to the side of the monitor with speaker connection and reset buttons, not sure if they will want to share info but if you should call or want to speak to someone there ask for andrew.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
August 2002
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 03:05
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Yeah headshots are nice. Thats where we got our idea for the boxes.
Our internet cafe is in Revesby.
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Toymods Social Secretary
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 03:50
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pete - contact Witzl's consulting services and we will work a solution for you.
PM your address and ill ex-post you a catalogue with some suggestions for switches and ideas of mine for working your idea.
Will be (cheap)^2
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 03:54
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Great. Knew you or your sidekick would know something I could use.
PM sent.
I went through the online thing for Jaycar and all I could find that was close was dil switches or keypads.
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I Supported Toymods
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 03:59
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Just get an instrument case and put 30 odd switches in it.
Switches SP0710 $0.95/pc
Enclosure HB6094 $14
Wire WB1702 $23/roll
Or instead of the wire you could use one of the spare pairs on your cat5 cable... so long as the router is fairly close to your main desk.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 04:16
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cool so your reccommendation is
with 30 of
total of $45ish.
sounds good. Sounds like a lot of work too. I crimped 30 cat-5 cables in one sitting. that was fun 
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I Supported Toymods
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 04:43
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I was thinking just solder the spare pins on the network card to the lead for the reset switch on the case.
Then just do the same from the switch to the instrument case... depending on how much room is in your switch you might even be able to mount the push button switches inside your network switch.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 04:57
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I thought thats what you were hinting at - using the same cat-5 cables already going to the PCs.
by this page
http://www.bluemax.net/techtips/networking/Wiring_ Tips/Wiring100TX/colorcodestandards.htm
there are only 4 wires used for Standard Ethernet wiring. so in affect I could put 2 switches on each cat-5. So I could put power AND reset at another location.
This would mean ripping into my nice crimp-job that is currently working, but I'd much prefer this to running another 8 cat-5 cables through the room.
I'll have another look in Jaycar to see if there is some buttons with wires already attached, as I need some more length at the hub.
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Location:
Forster NSW
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 07:22
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Not being rude, but that sounds pretty damn extreme and like a lot of work.
Worst case scenario you might have to walk to the machine, turn the power point off and back on, or just unplug, and re-plug it in?
I just can't see it being a very common occurance that you'll need to hard reboot machines in this era. Especially if it's only an internet cafe. Or is it gaming, too? Even still...
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 07:44
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I just did a search on "remote reboot" and found cards that trigger a remote reboot using the unused cat5 wires. The card is a passthrough type card, so you connect your network in to this car, and its output to the network card.
Then you install a software package on the front desk and viola your away!
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 07:44
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Not being rude, but did you read the posts above?
All the PCs are enclosed in locked boxes so that the occupants can't touch/tamper/unplug/fuck with.
And with 16 PCs (27 PCs later) there is alyways something that happens or goes wrong, even in my testing with mates. Although they reboot themselves after blue-screens and are pretty good at recovering from game errors (thanks windows XP) there are still situations where stuff is going to happen.
Fingers crossed I'll never need to do a single reboot, but if I do, I don't want to disrupt 6 people to bring open the door to the box and press the reboot button.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 07:45
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| Squid wrote on Tue, 09 August 2005 17:44 |
I just did a search on "remote reboot" and found cards that trigger a remote reboot using the unused cat5 wires. The card is a passthrough type card, so you connect your network in to this car, and its output to the network card.
Then you install a software package on the front desk and viola your away!
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Thats what I want to hear! I'll go google...
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Toymods Social Secretary
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 09:05
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....profit
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 22:46
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Had a look at those remote-reboot things, looks like they cost more than the PCs themselves.
I'll go back to wiring them in myself I think ...
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I Supported Toymods
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 23:13
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Don't rip apart the crimped cat5 just solder from the pins on the network card that are unused to the reset switch and then do likewise on the switch.
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Tue, 09 August 2005 23:35
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| SupraPete wrote on Wed, 10 August 2005 08:46 |
Had a look at those remote-reboot things, looks like they cost more than the PCs themselves.
I'll go back to wiring them in myself I think ...
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Yeah I kind of worked that out after my post, not an entirely cost effective solution!! I'm not sure who would be willing to pay that much for the solution, there has to be a better way!
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Wed, 10 August 2005 00:31
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| Toobs wrote on Wed, 10 August 2005 09:13 |
Don't rip apart the crimped cat5 just solder from the pins on the network card that are unused to the reset switch and then do likewise on the switch.
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Sounds ... HARD. All the network cards are onboard. so would be soldering directly onto the motherboard. But would make the whole process MUCH neater and re-pluggable.
I can DEFINATELY see the benefit of doing it this way though. I'll take it into consideration. I might pull apart the switch and see if I can get to the pins on it.
Anyone know if I can get a bundle (like 30) of the reset wires and connectors?? (the ones that plug into the motherboard)
pic stolen from another thread:
the wires/plugs on the bottom left.
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Location:
Kellyville, Sydney
Registered:
June 2004
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Wed, 10 August 2005 00:37
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| Quote: |
Anyone know if I can get a bundle (like 30) of the reset wires and connectors?? (the ones that plug into the motherboard)
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go around at council cleanup time and pickup everyones broken comps. then rip the wires out.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Wed, 10 August 2005 01:35
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Yeah was thinking that. I've probably got a few mobos lieing around. But they won't be nice and colour coded and won't say "reset" on them etc.
If I can get a bundle of 30 for $2, then its worth getting.
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Wed, 10 August 2005 03:11
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You could always use a trained monkey 
Has the added bonus of being able to teach it to steal wallets!
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
February 2005
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Re: switches (electrical gadgets)
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Wed, 10 August 2005 03:22
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And do little dances for money!!
Make sure you tell us when its opening coz i'll be there!
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