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Author Topic: USB controlled switch needed  (Read 4290 times)

PeterAit

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USB controlled switch needed
« on: July 17, 2013, 08:14:01 am »

I am always forgetting to turn off my external RAID array. I am looking for a switch that sits between the array and the power. The switch is also plugged into a USB port on the computer, and the array is turned on or off based on the computer being on or off. Any such thing?
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Rhossydd

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2013, 09:01:23 am »

I use one of the plug adaptors that cuts power to an extension socket when it detects that the main computer has been switched off. When I power down the main unit it cuts power entirely to all screens, scanners, printers, anything else etc.
Mine was supplied FoC by my utility company, but this seems very similar:-
http://www.maplin.co.uk/automatic-pc-standby-shutdown-for-home-and-office-612687
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tastar

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2013, 08:32:22 am »

CyberPower Systems has surge protectors that have a master outlet - and that will shut down power to other outlets when the master device is powered down. Here's a decent quality one at this link on their website.

Tony
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John.Murray

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2013, 04:28:34 pm »

Not sure whether you are using a UPS, but the APC BackUPS ES-750 has a master outlet than can be configured to control peripheral devices - highly recommended
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PeterAit

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2013, 04:41:54 pm »

I do know about the UPS units that have a master outlet that controls other devices. That would be the ideal solution. The problem is that my Dell desktop has a "fancy" power supply that requires a UPS with a very fast switching speed. I don't know the supposed advantage of this, but I had to buy a special high-speed UPS that does not have the master outlet feature. Pain in the neck - but otherwise a reliable and excellent computer.
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John.Murray

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2013, 01:33:14 am »

Whaaat? What model?

Dell marketing suits at work....

A computer that requires a very fast UPS switching speed?  Sounds like an under-designed power supply to me, or possibly lack of PS phases on the supply rails of the motherboard itself.  I honestly cannot imagine *any* advantage of a PS having this "feature", other that saving Dell money and presenting another marketing opportunity.

Current draw is current draw - any UPS with a master/slave configuration simply responds to that ....


So - back to your OP - what RAID array are you using?  Are there idle options?  Options for spinning down drives (effectively shutting them off)?
« Last Edit: July 20, 2013, 02:11:28 am by John.Murray »
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PeterAit

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2013, 09:29:37 am »

The computer is a Studio XPS. When I bought it some 3-1/2 years ago it was Dell's top of the line desktop. I plugged in into my existing UPS and did a test and the computer shut off. After some research this is what Dell told me, and I had to buy this higher-cost UPS to work with it. Of course you may be right, perhaps it's just a quirk of a poorly designed or cheap power supply and Dell was blowing smoke. Fact is, however, the system has been working without a single glitch for all this time.

My RAID is a Burly 2-bay unit with a host card from Mac Gurus - pretty bare bones setup.

Anyway, I decided to use a low tech approach to my problem - I moved the RAID box to where the power light is visible!
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Bart_van_der_Wolf

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2013, 06:29:39 pm »

The computer is a Studio XPS. When I bought it some 3-1/2 years ago it was Dell's top of the line desktop. I plugged in into my existing UPS and did a test and the computer shut off. After some research this is what Dell told me, and I had to buy this higher-cost UPS to work with it. Of course you may be right, perhaps it's just a quirk of a poorly designed or cheap power supply and Dell was blowing smoke. Fact is, however, the system has been working without a single glitch for all this time.

Dell is not blowing smoke! I have the same experience with a Dell Precision T7400 workstation, the UPS from APC didn't switch fast enough. I only found that out on a rare occasion that we experience an interruption of power-supply in the Netherlands, caused by local digging by another utilities company which damaged the sub-terrain power lines. I replaced it with a UPS from AEG, this time tested it by cutting the power myself, and that triggered the AEG unit without causing any problems.

Cheers,
Bart
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EduPerez

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2013, 05:16:47 am »

Do you really want to "pull the cord" on the RAID each time you switch the computer off?
I would have assumed that those units would need a proper "shut down".
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PeterAit

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Re: USB controlled switch needed
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2013, 07:42:07 am »

Not this one - it's just 2 disks in a box with an on/off switch. The controller is in the computer so any shut-down stuff would happen as the computer is shutting down.
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