Controller Containment Box Project

[D_Harris]

Has anyone here built a small stand alone "containment box" for their arcade controller.

This is a box that would go in between the computer and whatever arcade control panel you are using.

I want to make several of these and will probably use project boxes. The only issue is what connectors to use between the containment box and the control panel, which itself encloses all of it's own components.

I'm not looking for an expensive solution, but I was wondering if perhaps male and/or female IDE connector housings attached to the controller containment box and to the outside of the control panel would be plausible. But perhaps DB 37 is a better standard to go with because IDE is not really for outside of one's computer case.

The tricky part of course will be securing the connector housings to the containment box and the control panels I'll be swapping.

The reason for this idea is so that I can swap any control panel without having to need a controller for each one. I'd just plug any control panel into the side of the containment box, which of course will in turn be connected to the PC.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Paul Olson]

I think db37 housings would probably hold up the best to repeated plugging and unplugging. I have modular controls, so I can get away with 8 inputs per panel. I use cat5, and it has worked well for me.

[Vigo]

I justed use db25 cables for my modular. I have the female end in the cab, and the male ends on each panel. It has been enough for my needs, and I used it pretty much since I found a bunch 6 foot db25 cables for for $1 each. I never bothered with putting in any boxes to house the cable, just wired the controls directly to the db25.