Who among us does not have a plethora of mains-powered devices on their workbench, and a consequent mess of power strips to run them all? [Jeroen Brinkman] made his more controllable with a multi-way switch box.
At first sight it’s a bank of toggle switches, one for each socket. But this is far more than a wiring job, because of course there are a couple of microcontrollers involved, and each of those switches ultimately controls a relay. There are also status LEDs for each socket, and a master switch to bring them all down. Arduino code is provided, so you can build one too if you want to.
We like the idea of a handy power strip controller, and especially the master switch with the inherent state memory provided by the switches. This could find a home on a Hackaday bench, and we suspect on many others too. It’s by no means the first power strip with brains we’ve seen, but most others have been aimed at the home instead.
>talks about workbench
>uses non-earthed sockets that were already obsolete 30 years ago (unless you live in one of the CIS countries where TN-S is still a luxury)
https://www.geekalerts.com/u/picard-facepalm.jpg
The person who made this has the most Dutch name ever. So that would be a TN-C-S system if he’s indeed Dutch.
This is the first time I heard of CIS countries. Eurasian union. Interesting.
I think the term was created right after the fall of the Soviet Union. Ex-Soviet countries banded together to go to the olympics and deal with common issues.
Oh now it rings a bell – it looked like i saw these sockets somewhere, but was’t able to remember where. Because they are black. In Russia, if this type is used, it is almost always made from off white brittle plastic – like this one https://www.etsy.com/listing/862968067/vintage-ussr-electric-outlet-retro-white
There were (still are) also appliances with plugs from same off white plastic – but instead of just flat two prongs as we know from Europe (Europlug), they had round flange. And no hole for grounding pin (GOST 7396 C1 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOST_7396#/media/File:Soviet_Plug_Type1_6A_250V.jpg) . So they can somehow be forced into shuko but not type E.
I would have just used a row of light switches and receptacles, with one switch as a master, but this does make the control box smaller.
I think the other thing is the control box it’s a low voltage. But I think that the same thing could be obtained using a 24 VAC transformer and relays, and an RCD as a master switch.
I think 12V^(DC) relays would be much safer because there’s no risk from ungrounded earth connection like in AC setup.
This looks like a hell soldering job for what it is… and with the 2 amp relays and unearthed outlets I wonder what it might be useful for?
Pure inspiration is the purpose:)
Why the microcontroller other than… just because? The switches could control relays directly and be a lot simpler.
In the US:
https://www.amazon.com/Kasa-Smart-Power-Strip-TP-Link/dp/B07G95FFN3
Individual outlet control, with energy monitoring, code available to access it without their app, even HomeAssistant can connect to it, etc.
So?
So, the cost of materials and time, for the solution presented in the article, is not a worthwhile solution, unless you just want to make something for the experience – and even then, the experience has a cost as well.
I cannot count the number of projects I’ve spent more time and money on than if I’d just bough tit new. It’s what we do. 🤷♂️
Here in the UK mains outlets with individual switches and lights are readily available. The shape of UK plugs (flat back) makes it easy to label them. I have a giant 60A switch to isolate everything that is very satisfying to throw.
there’s simpler ways to do this and there’s off the shelf products that really do what you want much more reliably and that put my finger on why i object to this: the last thing you want to do at your workbench is debug the electrical receptacles. at the work bench, i want my tools to work so failures in my prototype are more apparent. there’s a few specific times you want automated power off on your workbench (like recovering data from a hard disk that needs a power cycle to progress) and those are better off addressed specifically than having some complicated box between your power and every experiment.
that’s my two cents :)
You “object” to someone making a project you don’t like, or because there’s an off-the-shelf alternative? Who are you to “object”, rather than “opine”?
If someone wanted to do this same project, but instead maybe cobble together their own outlets from bits of metal and 3d printed parts, and perhaps their own relays with hand-wound coils, or maybe their own microcontroller from discrete components, and why not, their own wire, at what point is the effort … no longer viable for time invested?
I’d rather focus my mind on problems not yet solved, or solved with features not available elsewhere, or available significantly cheaper by DIY.
I can’t recall the brand now, but I have an (old) 8 outlet power distribution strip controlled by RS232.
I was able to find the protocol and fiddle with it hoping to use it as a sequencer for Christmas lights. Alas, it seemed to have some denounce built in so was way too slow for what I wanted. It has been happily powering up my main PC desk for years now with all relays set to the On state. Still pops into my head occasionally that I should build a controller from an Arduino or something and move it to my electronics workbench or retro gaming area.
Excellent idea, and I’ve seen something similar before.
In my garage we’ve added simple lighted switches (each switch has a neon bulb inside, so it will take some long while for them to eventually fade out) serving about the same purpose. A glance at the switch from across the garage will tell you if it is on or off. We went with the simpler system, two power outlets and two switches above them, and they are placed strategically, ie everywhere, so at any time you are only one extension cord away from a nearest switched power outlet. There also a master switch, no neon bulb, to shutdown entire enchilada when leaving for the day. Oh, and this summer we will be adding the ceiling power outlets as well, with the retractable cords, same story, will be adding lighted switches somewhere near, maybe on the ceiling (this an old garage with low ceilings).
Solid-state relays, mmm, in the past I bought few and found out they are barely holding what they are rated for, so I’d rather have old school mechanical thing that’s known to Just Work. Actually, with the US switches that are protruding out of the box, one can probably 3D print small solenoids to push these on/off using some benign voltage, 12v or even 5v, just I am too lazy : [