Just knife the first 2 rounds and you'll have enough points to get out of the first area without even going near the cable, just play it a few times and you'll see how it's no big deal. Then make sure to get flopper later on to avoid any further issues.Each part of the power has a few different places that they can spawn but they are all in a relatively small area, we intentionally didn't space them so far from each other that it would be frustrating.
I honestly can't find the power switch (if its not in one of the known spots). Other people are having the same problem. It seems like there is a chance that it won't spawn anyway. You say that they spawn in a small area, so I'm assuming they're limited to in the trap box building, the first box area, the power room area and the area just outside of power. People have looked EVERYWHERE and it just can't be found.
IIRC, so far I've found the power next to the bed, near the hells retriever book, and somewhere else. I think the third place I found it was either on the tables in the first box area, or on one of the brick walls.