Power Options

In building your cabinet, you might forget that your PC is inside it and that you don't want to be opening it up each time to turn it on. Or, you might realise this before it's too late and wonder what options might be available.

A popular approach is to use a Smartstrip. This device provides constant power to some components, such as your computer, and will switch on current to other outlets on the strip when the computer is turned on. The next part is to wire in an extended switch from where the original button within the front of the computer case is connected and mounting it somewhere on the surface of the cabinet. (One could also possibly situation their computer such that it's front is up against a wall inside the cabinet, and then a small hole can be made to easily access the button.)

Another approach is to use a regular power strip and, again, hacking an extended-wire intermitent switch to where the strip's switch is, and mounting that somewhere on the cabinet. Then, in the computer's bios settings, 'power on after interrupt' or something of that nature is selected. When power is restored, by turning the strip on, the computer senses this and turns on.

The first approach is probably the better, in that the Smartstrip is designed with quality surge protection in mind, and is decently priced.

A third option, particularly if one is concerned about surprise power interruption, is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and either making the power on button accessible, as in the parenthesized suggestion in approach #1, above, or hacking the power button as suggested in approach #2. (It is uncertain whether UPS's can operate similar to a Smartstrip.)