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Shift timer update

Thanks for all the ideas! We decided to dedicate an older PC running freeware "Perfect Alarm Clock".

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It has infinite set point events that will play a .wav file (or do other stuff) for each event. So, after breaks it'll play the sound of a cracking whip, at the end of the day it'll play Taps, and so on. The sound card's output will just connect to our PA system. I'll put it on a UPS and run atomic clock software to keep it accurate. I'll have to buy a MIC connector to fit the PA amp, everything else is free or lying around.

Reply to
Tom Gardner
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Well, don't forget the $20/month in electricity to power the overkill solution. Much better to run that software on a machine that's already up 24x365 like a web/file server.

Reply to
Pete C.

We don't keep any PCs up 24/7. All get shut-down at the end of the day, thus the old PC. Do you really think it'll cost $20/month? The HD will be in stand-by mode, monitor turned off and other minimalist measures.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Probably not.

720 hours in a month, 10 cents a unit, a small pc ps uses a tenth of a unit per hour.

7$.

Reply to
_

Try putting a meter on a PC, ~200W is typical. If you pay $0.10/KWh your closer to $15, and if your electric rate is higher (more like $0.12 here) or you add in other items like cable modem/router/switch the $20 I indicated is pretty much it.

Reply to
Pete C.

Hmmm, thanks for the heads-up.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

I don't think it's that high.

Old pc's had 200/250 watt supplies, but that was for motherboards boards full of stuff that was just past ttl, extra cards for every function, full or half-height 5.25 drives, lots of power needed. If you have a 3 to 500 mHz machine with a smaller newer drive and integrated video, the monitor turned off, standby mode, as you say, I don't think it would be using anywhere near 200 watts - and even if it did, do you heat your shop?

But as Pete says, you could put a meter on it.

Reply to
_

Check these urls - look for the box you might be using:

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Looks like it's pretty easy to get below 100 Watts, and while googling I noted that there are new boxes that run at 25W or less. Video cards can be really hungry.

Reply to
_

A Kill-a-Watt meter is a handy tool for checking stuff like this. If you can find an old laptop you can probably cut the power consumption a bit over a desktop machine.

Reply to
Pete C.

I could set the PC up to turn off after the last buzzer and turn on before the first. The clock will still keep time and would get an update as soon as it boots.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Yes. You can also find other practical uses for the PC, like get a security DVR PC to record from security cameras and let it run your clock stuff as well.

Reply to
Pete C.

This Dell GX150 shows less than 60W on a 'Kill A Watt' with the monitor in standby.

Jim Wilkins

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

I forgot...I've got a dvr running 12 cameras 24/7, you should have reminded me sooner. I shall use that!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

I plugged a kill-a-watt into my ups input. It will measure the power consumption of two pc's, router, modems, external drives while I'm at work. I'll give you numbers this evening.

Wes

Reply to
Wes

See, occasionally I have a good idea :)

Reply to
Pete C.

I left the kill-a-watt running for 10.88 hrs and consumed 2.83 kwh. This is for two computers, two external drives, a router, LCD monitor, kvm switch, and asdl modem. I wasn't home but I do run an irc server, mail server, and a cron jobs during the day.

Dividing in half for one pc, I get 3.12 kwh day, 93.6 kwh month, or 9.36 dollars a month at .10 kwh .

Wes

Reply to
Wes

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