How many machines can one standard dual outlet support??

[sohchx]

How many machines can one standard dual outlet support??

I have no home electrical knowledge whatsoever so I was wondering. How many cabs can one standard dual wall outlet support before blowing a breaker? Would it depend on the amps of the breaker itself? I run 2 cabs from each dual socket with no problems,would adding more over do it? Say if I used a power strip to run 4 cabs into 1 socket? I would never try this as it seems unsafe as hell but figured I'd ask anyway just in case. What wiring setups do you guys with multiple cabs run, say 10+ cabs? I'd like to improve on what I have now but on a budget if possible. I don't need a breaker setup that turns all cabs on at once or anything,just something that I can feel safe running multiple cabs on and not blow up or catch fire. I plan to run at least 20 cabs on this setup by next years end if possible.

 

[WarLordAG]

No, it's all dependent upon the breaker at the box.
I've had 6 or 7 games running off an extension cord to a surge protector on one outlet before. It isn't ideal, but you'll be fine, and if it is too much the breaker will do it's job and trip.

I currently have outlets ran on 2 breakers in my basement. I then have 4 outlets every 5 feet or so. Each breaker set is on a switch, so when I turn on the switch, the games plugged into that set come on.

I'm going to redo it soon though and make sure I've got a breaker ran for each wall.

 

[2PacMan]

I had 5 arcades and one pin on a standard outlet at my old house and they all ran with no problem. Don't know how safe it was, but i never had any issues...but i never had every one on constantly for hours on end, but there were times i had them all on and everything was fine.

 

[norton9478]

They really don't run too high...

Think of how much more juice something like a big screen TV, microwave, high output stereo, or electic heater use.

 

[blkdog7]

I have no home electrical knowledge whatsoever so I was wondering. How many cabs can one standard dual wall outlet support before blowing a breaker? Would it depend on the amps of the breaker itself? I run 2 cabs from each dual socket with no problems,would adding more over do it? Say if I used a power strip to run 4 cabs into 1 socket? I would never try this as it seems unsafe as hell but figured I'd ask anyway just in case. What wiring setups do you guys with multiple cabs run, say 10+ cabs? I'd like to improve on what I have now but on a budget if possible. I don't need a breaker setup that turns all cabs on at once or anything,just something that I can feel safe running multiple cabs on and not blow up or catch fire. I plan to run at least 20 cabs on this setup by next years end if possible.

I was able to run 9-10 games (one was a pin) on one 20amp outlet in my garage this past summer. I could safely run nine games, sometimes 10 would pop the circuit, sometimes it was fine.) So, based on the games I had in the garage, I would say 9 or less.

 

[mc300baud]

a standard 15 amp circuit at 120 volts will supply 1800 watts of power. a great formula to figure this out is the "West Virginia" method or Watts = Volts * Amps.

modern home circuits wired properly through a breaker will generally be 15 amps. each modern, grounded outlet should also be rated at 15 amps. so theoretically, you could pull up to 15 amps or 1800 watts from a single outlet before tripping the breaker.

most power strips are also rated at 15 amps, though how accurate their breakers are i wouldn't know. so you could us a strip with an internal circuit breaker to run up to 1800 watts worth of games off of one outlet, and once you hit that limit one of the two breakers in line should trip.

now, that being said, there are a couple of complications:

- power strips are made with varying quality. even "UL listed" hologram stickers are being forged nowadays and i would be very hesitant to put a full 15 amp load on one.
- wiring in older homes may not be up to the challenge of a full 15 amp load, especially knob-and-tube where there may be insulation added around it. knob-and-tube wiring requires air to dissipate heat and the insulation traps that heat in, eventually causing a short and possibly a fire.
- 16 gauge extension cords are rated at only 13 amps! if you use one in-line with a power strip, it's possible that you may overload that cord (usually at one of the plugs,) and it could cause a fire. one jurisdiction that i work in actually forbids adding a power strip or multi-tap onto the end of any extension cord; you can use a strip only when plugged directly into the wall outlet. make sure you're using a 14 (or better yet, 12) gauge extension to avoid this danger.

as for what power games pull, you can use the figures of 150 watts for a raster cabinet and 250 for a vector to get a rough estimate (pinballs are higher.) manuals for most games should list what they're rated to pull, though that may not be any more accurate than the rough numbers i just mentioned.

if you want more accurate numbers you can purchase a "kill-a-watt" style meter and put the game through its paces; that should give you a pretty solid number to use.

and don't forget, the number and type of lamps (lights) in a game can make a big difference. a Gorf loaded with the bulbs as listed by the manufacturer will pull almost 100 watts in power just for the lights alone.

all that being said, i've successfully run 10 cabs, one computer, one mini-fridge, and a couple of CFL overhead lights off of a 15 amp circuit several times just fine, no breaker tripped.

 

[FrizzleFried]

Most house outlets are on a 15 amp circuit... some are on a 20 amp circuit (usually kitchen and/or garage). A 15 amp circuit will power approximately 1800 watts at full load. You're not supposed to run a circuit at full load for long periods of time. It warms up the wiring. That said, "a long period of time" is 3 hours or more from what I've read. I do try to maintain 80% load maximum though...

So 80% of 15 amps is 1,440 watts and 80% of 20 amps is 1,920 watts.

Most 19" classic raster games come in at 100-120 watts. Most 19" vector games come in at closer to 200-220 watts. Most 25" raster games come in at about 150-160 watts. You can do the math from there.

I highly recommend a "KILL-A-WATT" device. You plug it in the wall and your game in to it. It will then tell you what wattage and/or amperage your game draws.

One think I learned from doing just that... medium resolution games suck up as much power as vector games...my Paperboy ran at around 230watts.

 

[FrizzleFried]

They really don't run too high...

Think of how much more juice something like a big screen TV, microwave, high output stereo, or electic heater use.

Electric heaters are the be-all end-all of power consumption. LOW on most electric heaters consume 600 watts. MEDIUM is usually 900 watts and HIGH sucks 1,200 watts on average! Thats like running 12 raster 19" machines at the same time.

 

[havok69]

Electric heaters are the be-all end-all of power consumption. LOW on most electric heaters consume 600 watts. MEDIUM is usually 900 watts and HIGH sucks 1,200 watts on average! Thats like running 12 raster 19" machines at the same time.

Who needs heaters if you're running 12 cabs? Much better use of electricity if you ask me!

 

[Arcadenut]

I'm running 13 games, 2 Black Lights and my RoboJuke (PC with 15" LCD) off of a 15 Amp Circuit. I'm at capacity. I have on more game in that room (Millipede) that isn't working right now (that would be game #14 on that circuit). Not sure if it will handle it, I guess once it's fixed I'll know for sure

I've only got 4 games per power strip. One outlet has two power strips plugged into it.

I know that it's pretty close because my Entertainment Center is on the same circuit and when I turned on the Sub (320W 10"), it popped the Circuit

I could bump the circuit breaker up to 20 AMP, but then I would have to rewire it.

 

[FrizzleFried]

I could bump the circuit breaker up to 20 AMP, but then I would have to rewire it.

...yes... you'd have to rewire the entire circuit.

The alternative would be to wire one of your outlets to a 2nd 15 amp circuit ...maybe one used for the kids rooms or something.

 

[Arcadenut]

...yes... you'd have to rewire the entire circuit.

The alternative would be to wire one of your outlets to a 2nd 15 amp circuit ...maybe one used for the kids rooms or something.

Hmmmm... I do have a 20AMP in the Garage that I only use for my power tools (like my Table Saw). I should tap into that for the game room since I wouldn't be running the saw and my games at the same time.

 

[Spyridon]

This weekend was the first time I fired up all 19 cabs. Ran for a few minutes before blowing the circuit. I have two 15 Amp and 1 20 Amp. I just need to rearrange things and move some more over to the 20 Amp and I should be good.

 

[Robotron Jon]

I've run 6-7 at a time. Some games like a sit down driver or Jurassic Park take more power and will act up if there are too many games running on the circuit. I've also had some issues with games that had older power supplies and for some reason would act up if there were too many other games hooked up to the circuit.

 

[norton9478]

Electric heaters are the be-all end-all of power consumption. LOW on most electric heaters consume 600 watts. MEDIUM is usually 900 watts and HIGH sucks 1,200 watts on average! Thats like running 12 raster 19" machines at the same time.

Yeah I noticed that...

But it's still better for me and my domestic partner. She likes to keep everything around 70. I prefer 55-60 (even when it was included in the rent).

No way in hell am I going to pay all that money to keep the whole apartment at 70.

Just turn that thing on and drag it around with you all day. I'll keep the house at 55.

 

[hindered]

Yeah I noticed that...

But it's still better for me and my domestic partner. She likes to keep everything around 70. I prefer 55-60 (even when it was included in the rent).

No way in hell am I going to pay all that money to keep the whole apartment at 70.

Just turn that thing on and drag it around with you all day. I'll keep the house at 55.

Ha. Not to derail too much more, but my girlfriend has definitely learned to put on a sweater instead of touching the thermostat... but then again I'm the kind of idiot who likes to crack some windows in the winter to cool the house down a bit. I definitely like the house a bit chilly.

 

[Dave27]

I was able to run 9-10 games (one was a pin) on one 20amp outlet in my garage this past summer. I could safely run nine games, sometimes 10 would pop the circuit, sometimes it was fine.) So, based on the games I had in the garage, I would say 9 or less.

Thats funny same with me 9 games turn on that 10th one and eventually it trips.

 

[Arcadenut]

Thats funny same with me 9 games turn on that 10th one and eventually it trips.

Are you guys powering up all 9 at one time? If so, that is most likely your issue. If not, it's possible that another room is sharing the same circuit. Part of my game room and living room share the same circuit.

I only power up 4 at a time and I have 13 running on a 15 Amp Circuit. They are all classics though, so if you are running a more modern game (say with a larger monitor, etc...) then that might also be part of the issue.