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Home and Lifestyle Using Energy
My fix: Put my sound system on a timer
Status
Done!
Fixer
Jeff Gunther
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No tags yet.
Conversation
Steven Skoczen
http://www.enerjar.net/ http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/02/25/greener-gadgets-winner-diy-enerjar-energy-meter-kit/ Look, I do have a good memory sometimes!
Steven Skoczen
I think there are plans for a DIY watt-meter I've seen before, and I have vague recollections of sending them to Lou. Will go email diving.
Steven Skoczen
As a side question for those of us soldering-not-experienced-but-often-burn-ourselves inclined, are there any resources you (Sam or Jeff) recommend for learning to solder?

About this fix

I have all of my music and speakers and such wirelessly networked so I can listen to music in bed, but unfortunately it means it needs to stay on while I'm in bed and I either need to get up before going to sleep or it stays on. I want to use Sam's guide to put the whole system on a timer.

Guide

Build an Auto Shutdown Power Strip
Author: Sam Fladung User rating: ****** Number of Steps: 7

Do you keep forgetting to unplug or turn off the power strip to you devices? Make it impossible not to turn off the load by installing a timer in line with it. Since you must turn the timer on to use the device, you are guaranteed it will get turned off every time (no matter how forgetful you are). This guide shows how to modify a power strip by installing an auto shut-off timer so that it will turn itself off once the timer expires. This allows you to turn on something that has a parasitic load, use it and then have it turn off automatically.

View the Guide

Blog

Done
It's done. We'll see how much I like it. I'll write another blog about it in a week or so. I do wish I knew how much energy my little timer thingy was using, but I don't have a watt meter to check it out with.
0 comments Feb. 8, 2009 about Put my sound system on a timer.
Got the part
So, after shopping around a bit and realizing I'd be ripped off if I bought the parts for this fix as originally intended, I decided to go with a 24 hour timer with on and off pins.

Upsides are that I don't need to figure out how to ...Read more...
2 comments Jan. 29, 2009 about Put my sound system on a timer.
One Week in
About one week in and sadly I haven't actually accomplished much, although I have learned a lot more about what my options are. While I was originally in love with Sam's guide, it occurred to me that at time I don't know when exactly I will want ...Read more...
8 comments Jan. 24, 2009 about Put my sound system on a timer.

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