The 2 power strips arrived today, and so far they work exactly as advertised with no problems at all. I'm very satisfied.
http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/sear ... ctID=11310
Similar to the Radio Shack product described by another poster, these strips have adjustable sensitivity, though they work just fine in the default setting for me, so I have not changed them.
This model does *not* have a usb connection your PC. It is triggered solely by the power draw on the trigger outlet.
If you are going to use one of these, you may want to take a few minutes to label your cords and wall warts, and plan what will go where. It will save you time later.
Turning on a device plugged into the Trigger outlet (1) turns on the power to the Switched outlets (6). The Unswitched outlets (3) are always on. There is a master On/Off switch for the whole strip (like all other strips). In addition, there are two indicator lights: one to show when the power strip is on, and the other to show when the Triggered outlet has turned on the Switched outlets.
Strip # 1
- 2 PC's sharing a Y cable into the trigger outlet. This way either one can turn the switched outlets on.
- LCD monitor into a switched outlet
- DVI KVM into a switched outlet
- Emergency lighting charger into an unswitched outlet.
- Ungrounded power cord with nothing on it into an unswitched outlet (for attaching over night chargers)
- A power strip into a switched outlet with: Speakers, USB hub, cell phone charger, ipod charger, film scanner, flat bed scanner
- Another power strip into a switched outlet with: DSL modem, wireless router, palm pilot charger, other film scanner, other ipod charger
- I have 2 switched and 1 unswitched outlets left
When I turn on either PC, the DSL, router, KVM, monitor, USB hub and other peripherals come on instantly. By the time the PC boots up, the router has booted and the DSL is stable. I have several peripherals which need to be ready when the PC is up (scanners, USB controller, external drive); they all work perfectly.
When both PC's are off, everything turns off. I have a small box in each PC called and "After Cooler" which keeps the fans on the CPU and GPU on for 10 minutes after shutdown for a gradual cool down. It works fine, but does not draw enough power to keep the peripherals on. As far as trigger is concerned, the PC is shut down.
Strip # 2
- Laser printer & inkjet share a Y cord into the trigger outlet
- Ethernet print server into a switched outlet
- bookshelf stereo into an unswitched outlet
- shredder into an unswitched outlet
- fan into an unswitched outlet.
- 5 unswitched outlets left.
When I turn on either printer the print server turn on immediately. By the time either printer is fully booted, the print server is ready. When both are off, the print server turns off. If either or both of the printers are in sleep mode, the print server stays on, which is exactly what I want it to do.
I'll report back if I have any long term problems, but so far it works perfectly and I highly recommend it. I can't wait to see my next two electric bills.