Gameroom Powerstrip Recommendations?

[jeff20]

Does anyone have surge-protected powerstip recommendations for a gameroom?  Must accommodate numerous original power bricks (like the large Colecovision, et simila).  No affiliate links please, and I am not interested in novelties like the Sega Power Strip.  

 

[Reaperman]

The only reasonable thing I can think of that will take that coleco brick is a workbench-style unit, which may, or may not, be an option depending on your console storage choices. If it were me, I'd opt for a 1ft extension for that specific outlier instead. Otherwise, the only place to put it is at the end of a standard-orientation power strip, which is kind of a waste. 

 

A note on affiliate links: this forum has previously (and may still) run software that rolls through posts and translates links from certain sites into affiliate links to help support the site. I haven't noticed lately, so it may have gone away with one of the many forum version upgrades.

 

I was going to go into a few of my personal setups, and trimmed this reply down greatly when I remembered that I have uniquely inconsistent/terrible power down here. I went a little off the power protection deep end after I lost (IIRC) 2x snes units, a 32x and an 800xl in the space of a couple years. 🙄

Edited December 8, 2022 by Reaperman

[jeff20]

Thanks for the reply, Reaperman.  I only discouraged affiliate links because I wanted sincere recommendations.  Your input has been very helpful.  So, I'm not alone.  I've been worried about damaging something in my active setup.  Some systems like the Wii and SNES seem especially sensitive and prone to malfunction due to power issues.

[Reaperman]

If you're still having trouble with power quality, I've had very good luck using an APC Line-R (link), which is visible right in the middle of my 'crt corner' (vid link) that I built last year. The Line-R is neat, because in addition to fixing voltage issues, its lights give me a real time view of when the sags and over-voltages happen, and it also gives me one single power switch to disconnect the whole setup when I'm done--that's why its visible and not buried behind the monitors. That whole corner in the vid is run by two cheapo (amazon basics power strips), run off of each side of that Line-R. 

 

One caution about the Line-R is that it only has the ability to correct up to a certain voltage differential. Good for aging city power grids, but it's not magical, so solar/generator voltage swings are too wild for it. When the over/under lights are steady, they're being corrected, flashing lights are over the limit, and I believe are then being passed down to connected devices if it's not enough to trip surge (luckily I've never seen that)

 

In my main gaming setup I use UPS units to do similar power-conditioning. I'm not going to make an UPS recommendation, because of various alarm and battery complaints, but I do need the ups, since I lost a projector lamp once during a power failure when it couldn't do its cooling cycle. These days I run all my old game systems off of strips hooked to either an ups or power conditioner, and haven't had a single 'mysterious failure' since then. The rising replacement costs of these old gaming devices really changed my thinking on power over the last decade or so. Not to mention moving to a very unreliable power grid.

Edited December 10, 2022 by Reaperman

[CatPix]

If your setup is unlikely to change, you may thing about making your own power strip, with a lenght of cable trunking.

Protection could be provided with a 10 Ma RCD built in the trunking or on the cable (But I do believe you have RDC-protected outlets?)

This would allow you to space the outlets as desired, and also put several switches to command a group of devices so you can power up only your TV, or TV and a group of devices.

 

 

[ClassicGMR]

I use standard power strips with built in surge protection breakers. For my 4 wall warts I just use two of these 3-outlet adapters and place one at the end of my two power strips.

 

Just to add - The corner I use for my gaming area has 4 outlets on 2 separate circuits. The guy who previously owned the house and built up the basement really wanted everything easy to power and move around. The whole house is like this and I love it... but I digress. I have been using these remotes for years now with no issues. Makes it so much easier to hide the power strips and they don't need to be in arm's reach. 1 strip to 1 wireless adapter to 1 outlet. I use the 3rd remote for some LED lighting. I hang the remote right at the bottom of the stairs. It is a radio frequency so you don't need line-of-sight to use it so the remote never moves. I come down and turn the power on and off from there. All this makes the strips hidden and it looks cleaner. If I ever need to I can un-bury the strips to fix or reset them but no issues yet.

 

The remote sets come in a range of frequencies/channels too. I have 3 sets in use in my house - mine(CH D), my wife's sewing room(CH A) and the living room(CH F I think). None of them interfere with each other.

 

Sorry for the ramble. Carry on.

 

EDIT: This Belkin has 6 brick spots. Something I would definitely look at if I ever needed to rewire or replace one in my setup.

Edited December 21, 2022 by ClassicGMR
added info