arcade power needs.

paul400

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every halloween i open up my arcade for the trick or treaters and parents, i currently have 23 arcade games that will be operating, how many cant be put in one socket and how many can be run over all on one circuit breaker assuming it is a 20amp circuit?
 
7 or 8 max, and you probably shouldn't turn them all on at the same time.
 
Ok, I have to ask:

Of the 7 of 8 cabs., how man cabs can he run, safely, at one time off that one breaker?

And, of the 7 of 8 cabs., how may cabs. can he run, safely, at the same time, per socket?
 
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can't say the info is accurate but on many cabs it says how many amps they use. For video games it's usually around 1.5 amps while running. Usually slightly more when powering on. I have 24 games in my main game room and I believe I'm on 3 circuits. Pretty sure I have 6 games on one circuit, 8 games on another and 10 on another. Pretty sure these are all 15amp breakers and I run them all at once with no issues. Problem comes when I plug in games in another room that fall on the same circuit then I can pop a breaker.


BTW the 10 games run off one power strip to one outlet. The 6 and 8 are both split between two power strips and two outlets. Ultimately I am adding two 20 amp breakers to this room that will mainly cover lighting and the 10 games I mentioned.
 
Ok, I have to ask:

Of the 7 of 8 cabs., how man cabs can he run, safely, at one time off that one breaker?

And, of the 7 of 8 cabs., how may cabs. can he run, safely, at the same time, per socket?

7 or 8.

Here's how I figure it, but for real answers, a certified electrician should be consulted.

20 amp circuit x 110 volts = 2200 watt capacity
2200 x 0.8 = 1760 watts (20% safety margin)
1760 watts / 200 watts per game = 8.8 games
I round that down to 7 or 8 games.

Wall sockets can be rated for 15 or 20 amps, if it's a 20 amp circuit, there should be 20 amp sockets on it. I guess they all could go through one.
 
Assuming standard 19" monitors and typical switchers, then 7-8 is considerable a reasonable max. I typically do 6-8 and have my 25 games split across 4 circuits (3 20-amps and a 15 amp), although the 15 amp circuit is also running lights and a few other items.

Scott C.
 
Yeah you never want to run a 20amp circuit at capacity. Typical loading is 80%
So 7 is about average per circuit. You definitely want to make sure that any power strip is rated for your load. Seen a lot of house fires because people have overloaded a power strip.
 
ok, am i correct that older arcade games usually draw about 1.5 amps, so 80% of a 20 amp circuit would be able to handle 10 games?
 
if it's a 20 amp circuit, there should be 20 amp sockets on it.

15 amp duplex receptacles are permitted on 20 amp circuits per NEC 210.21(B)(3) and are perfectly safe as they are rated for 20 amp pass through
 
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7 or 8.

Here's how I figure it, but for real answers, a certified electrician should be consulted.

20 amp circuit x 110 volts = 2200 watt capacity
2200 x 0.8 = 1760 watts (20% safety margin)
1760 watts / 200 watts per game = 8.8 games
I round that down to 7 or 8 games.

Wall sockets can be rated for 15 or 20 amps, if it's a 20 amp circuit, there should be 20 amp sockets on it. I guess they all could go through one.


Just don't turn them on all at once... inrush current is several times that of operating current.

This was me taking actual measurements on mine... back a while....
picture.php
 
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I did that for Halloween many years back when I had a garagecade. There were about 15 machines on a 20 amp circuit. It would run fine for an hour or so, then trip the breaker. I would reset the breaker, and it would repeat in another hour or so.
 
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