Delayed power on to multiple systems with a single switch?

[ViriiGuy]

Hey gang,

I am trying to figure out a solution to a small problem i have.. and it is probably really simple, especially to you guys.

I want to be able to power on a series of monitors and then a PC, with a small delay, by turning the main power switch on.

To give a better understanding... I will have 120 volt power coming into the box. This will go to a splitter, or surge suppresor.. In that will be 3 monitors and a computer. The monitors do not remember their power state, so I will wire all three monitor's power switches to a single momentary switch, or something along those lines. Then the PC will also need a momentary switch to power it on..

What I would like to do, is have a single switch on the 120V line coming in... And have it so that when I flip that switch, it will send the signal to the three monitors to power on and then 3-5 seconds later, send the signal to the PC to power on.

I have a feeling that this is actually very simple and could be achieved with a relay, but I am having a hard time figuring out how. Any help would be greatly appreaciated.

Thanks,
Randy

 

[mfb]

Did you look for commercial delays? A relay would be possible (but tricky to implement if it is not designed to operate with power sockets), but you need an additional (very small) electronic circuit for the delay. This circuit needs its own power supply as well.

Out of curiosity: Why do you need a delay?

 

[ViriiGuy]

No I have not looked into commercial delays as of yet. But certainly can.

I need the delay because if the computer powers on before the monitors, in it's current setup, then it messes up the configured displays. The computer looks for active monitor connections on it's 3 ports. If it does not see an active connection, it closes the port and continues to boot.