> This has got to be one of the most frustrating things for LAN party hosts.  No matter if it is our parties or one we are attending, power is always the dreaded demon.  If it rears its ugly head, fun goes to hell in a hand basket (pun intended).  So what do you do?  You plan and you plan again!  We have some ideas to help your planning go smooth and we will continue to add to this section as our research grows.

===================================================
WARNING:  Do not mess with electricity!  No party is worth it.  Find a friend that is an electrician or hire one to help you out.  Even if you know what you are doing, double and triple check that things are not "hot" (power on) before you touch anything.  As previously stated and per our "TERMS OF SERVICE" agreement The Fort Wayne Gamers Gathering makes no warranties as to the validity, usefulness, or factuality of the information contained on this site.  If you choose to follow our guide, you do so at your own risk.  The FWGG WILL NOT be responsible for any, damages, mistakes, injuries, monetary loses, or anything that may or may not be connected to following anything in this guide.  We are merely sharing our experiences.  We STRONGLY recommend doing research of your own and contacting professionals in their respective field before proceeding with any event. 
===================================================

> How much?
Although the FWGG power test pdf shows that we successfully ran 14 computers off of one 20amp circuit for 4 hrs, you would be nuts to try that at an event that people are paying for!  We sure as hell are not going to try it at any of ours.  So how many can you run?  Well lets take a quick look.

> The FWGG power test
This test shows that each computer (w/o speakers) will draw a max of under 3 amps.  That is at startup.  Once the computer is booted it will draw significantly less then that.   We are going to figure for 3 amps max though.  So 3 shall be the number and the number of the amps shall be 3. (sorry Monty python joke)

Now you do not want to run a circuit at more then 80% of its maximum, so for a 20 amp circuit that would be around 16amps max.  Remember that each wall plate is most likely 20amps max, not 20 + 20.  Either socket will give 20 amps, but if you use both sockets you are splitting up the 20 amps. It doesn't matter how much is plugged into each so long as the total is less then 20 amps.  Keep in mind that each wall plate may not be on its own circuit/breaker too!!  That is why you must do a power diagram, which we will discuss later.  So 16 amps puts us at 5 computers and maybe one switch on a circuit. *Note: we like to separate our switches just in case power does go down it won't cause network problems.  We will stick with 5 for safety.  This works out nice really as most surge protectors / power strips only hold 15 amps and we use 14ga / 15 amp power extension cords.