I keep my games on 24/7 is that bad/dangerous?
- Thread starter bottlejunkie
- Start date
Do you leave your vibrating dildo on 24/7 when you aren't using it?
- M1A
- M1A
Left on since 1989
So i picked up a spy hunter the other day from a guy who's had it since 1989.. At some point in it's life before he got it, a switcher was installed.. Instead of wiring it in, they just plugged it into the service plug that's always on.. Also, the power switch had been moved to the front of the game right under the cp.. Well, the switch only turned off the monitor and marquee...also the sound I think.. The pcb was still on! So, since 1989 he's been turning the game off with the switch and he had no idea that the game was still running..
All these years, and the pcbs still work great!
So i picked up a spy hunter the other day from a guy who's had it since 1989.. At some point in it's life before he got it, a switcher was installed.. Instead of wiring it in, they just plugged it into the service plug that's always on.. Also, the power switch had been moved to the front of the game right under the cp.. Well, the switch only turned off the monitor and marquee...also the sound I think.. The pcb was still on! So, since 1989 he's been turning the game off with the switch and he had no idea that the game was still running..
All these years, and the pcbs still work great!
RickB68
New member
point taken, hey im a newb what do ya expect? just askin' but they are cool to wake up to
thanks.......
bty i'll turn them off tonight before i go to bed,just to see how it goes.
You could put them on a timer. They're not very expensive. Just a thought.
trickman
Well-known member
To each his own, but I turn 'em off if I'm not playing them, for the most part (4 hooked up to one power source each, so 4 are on at one time). If I'm switching between games, I turn all of them on. But another good reason to shut 'em off is not even for the life of the game itself—every dime you're not spending on keeping them running is found money.
Lindsey
Well-known member
I would consider it a fire risk. There's no way I would be able to sleep knowing a bunch of arcade games were left on. Sure it's unlikely but it could happen. Sure they're your games and do what you want with them but there's no reason to leave them on and plenty of reasons to turn them off. I would go so far as to say that leaving them on all the time is really stupid.
Spyridon
Well-known member
I guarantee you he will have screen burn if the games are left on 24/7.
Wait a minute…forget the power on/off issue. You have 2 arcade games and a coin op darts game in your Living Room? I take it that you are single. 
Mine are probably on for 8-20 hours a week depending on the week. I love it when they are on, it makes me happy. So, do what makes you happy. But I would turn them off when you got to sleep. No sense in burning your place down!
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gmontag
Member
Here here.
30 year old electronics, running in a wooden cabinet, using a huge PS designed 20 years prior. Call me paranoid, but I prefer not to take a risk that's completely avoidable. I have kids sleeping in the house.
mudmantim
Active member
Nothing wrong with that, if you can afford the electric bill.
We use to keep ours on 24/7 until the electric bill started getting outta hand, then they got shut off and a ton of computers got built and left on 24/7 instead...so we still have the electric bill and no cool arcade feeling.
Or, you could be like other people and let the games collect dust and only power them up when you want to play a game, then immediately power them back off. That's really fun...
Funny thing is, people will leave their computers on 24/7 and not worry one bit. I know one person who lost their house to a fire started by their computer. We were also woken up one night to a strange smell, turned out to be our computer...no overheating alarm went off in the computer and the computer motherboard was fried. We never experienced anything close to this when our games were on all the time.
-Tim
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i do leave my t.v. on 24/7 58"dlp never turn it off my light bill for my 1000 sq ft apt runs about 3-400 a month BUT i dont pay rent (im the super) so kinda off sets also i play almost every night have beaten evey game in my PC10 multiple times and gettin pretty good at darts if i dont say so myself.
Id be careful with the DLP, those bulbs do have a lifespan, and they cost about 150-200 dollars to replace as well
The thing with computers, is its actually harder on the hard drive powering up and down constantly, they only have so many "spins" in their lifespan, I personally just let mine go to sleep mode if it sits for fifteen mins idle. Ive done this with two computers now, and have had a much longer lifespan than the previous ones.
OP
OP
Hyde
Well-known member
I know it has been said before, but definitely unplug the games!
-Less electricity
-No monitor burn
-Prolongs life of lightbulbs
-Prolongs life of powersupply
I would actually consider keeping the games on 24/7 as being very dangerous. 30 year old equipment is not the most reliable thing in the world!
-Less electricity
-No monitor burn
-Prolongs life of lightbulbs
-Prolongs life of powersupply
I would actually consider keeping the games on 24/7 as being very dangerous. 30 year old equipment is not the most reliable thing in the world!
chris25810
Well-known member
This right here was the statement i was looking for. Keep in mind people that the best years of your machines life were spent in an arcade making money and running all day. How much longer do you expect this old shit to keep running safely on brittle wiring and components that have far exceeded their life expectancy?
SuperSprint
Well-known member
With the exception of mechanical components (like hard drives), and components that can get burned over time (CRT, FLASH memory), electronics take much more wear and tear when turned on/off than left running because of the current surges associated with power on. That and thermal expand/contract cycles. As an example, think of a light bulb. How often do they blow while running vs. when you first turn them on?
What often causes fires and damage in continuously running electronics is heat build up caused by dust and/or low ventilation. With older electronics like transformers, paper, wax, and enamel break down allow for shorts but the actual electricity flow does little damage.
What often causes fires and damage in continuously running electronics is heat build up caused by dust and/or low ventilation. With older electronics like transformers, paper, wax, and enamel break down allow for shorts but the actual electricity flow does little damage.
OP
OP
o.k. so left them off like i said i would and guess what, play choice fired up just fine BUT the super system took about 10 minutes before it came on.kinda like an old tv that has to warm up, so staying on they are. the super never did that before.
modessitt
Volunteer: Encyclopedia Submission Moderator
It was three years ago the last time it was turned on.
Tubes can get worn out from being left on too long, also. Don't be surprised when it goes black someday. I'm sure the caps are aging pretty quickly...
