Wiring Help...Pre-wiring for GGG RGB-Drive Buttons (EI2)?

[mcseforsale]

So,
I'm waiting on some of them nifty GGG Electric Ice 2 buttons with RGB-Drive lighting PCBs and I wanted to see what the wiring under a CP looks like when running these?

I won't be doing an LED-Wiz for a while...but I wanted the RGB-Drives so that I can upgrade in the future.  I want to wire the CP so that I can simply drop the LED-Wiz in at a future time.

I'll be wiring the buttons BLUE and always ON in the interim.

So, anyone got these wired?  I need to know how much wire to buy and how to plan it.

It will be going in this:



Thanks!
AJ

[Nephasth]

Different products, same concept. Translucent IL buttons combined with black centers, Paradise Arcade Shop's IL-lumination RGB LEDs, LEDs powered by 2 PACLED64s, custom harnesses by me.

-Underside-
Controls wired, RGB LEDs ready for LED harnesses but LED harnesses not installed.


LED harnesses half done.


LED harnesses done.


LED harnesses installed.


With heat shrink over button barrels to prevent light bleeding.


-Topside-
Off.


Running the startup animation.


MK3 layout before light bleeding remedy.


After light bleeding remedy.


You shouldn't have any light bleeding problems with a wooden control panel though. I've got around 100' of 22 gauge wire in each panel, including control wiring, and that's only to the cab bulkhead, much more wiring inside the cab running to where I have my controllers mounted. Six wires for each button, four of which are for the RGBs. I've used around 700' of wire for the whole cab so far, but I went over board with wiring. You'll use much less wire if you mount your LED controller(s) and interface board close to your controls.

For planning, easiest thing would be to print out your CP pattern and draw lines were you want your wires to run and use it as a "road map" while you're wiring. Me, I made my harnesses with one connector installed and the length being a little longer than my longest wire needed to be, then I cut the rest of the wires to length as I was installing the harnesses.

ETA: If you're going to have RGB LEDs and an LED controller, wire them up so it all works how you eventually want it to from the get-go. Otherwise you'll be re-wiring which is never fun.

[RandyT]

So,
I'm waiting on some of them nifty GGG Electric Ice 2 buttons with RGB-Drive lighting PCBs and I wanted to see what the wiring under a CP looks like when running these?

I won't be doing an LED-Wiz for a while...but I wanted the RGB-Drives so that I can upgrade in the future.  I want to wire the CP so that I can simply drop the LED-Wiz in at a future time.

I'll be wiring the buttons BLUE and always ON in the interim.

The best way to accomplish this would be to use something like the "euro-style" terminal blocks we offer at the store.  Once you have everything laid out the way you want it, install the terminal blocks in the vicinity of the group of buttons you will be controlling.  Connect the wiring of the RGB Drives to one side of the blocks in a neat and tidy fashion.  To light them all blue, just daisy-chain a ground wire to all of the blue terminals.  When you want to install an LED-Wiz later, you just remove the ground chain and run short segments of wire from the outputs of the LED-Wiz to the terminal blocks and you will be all set. 

RandyT

[mcseforsale]

Thanks RandyT.  I've gotten the Player2 RGBs wired.  Basically, I separated the ribbon wires into their 4 separate wires about 2" from the euro blocks and wired them G, R, B, in sequence all the way across the euro blocks.  Then, I jumpered all of the same colors on the opposite side of the blocks.  At the end of the blocks, I have one long wire coming off the block that will go to (-).

I took all of the (+) leads and ran them as neatly as I could up to a common US circuit block and teminated them there.  I'll provide power to them using the PC.  I tried powering them from one of my +5v on my OptiPac.  But, I'm not sure the OptiPac can power 16 LEDs like that.  I was able to test this by connecting the OptiPac to just the 8 buttons for Player 2 and I got this:



Happenstance being what it is...the plexi edges really catch the light too.  When I put the T-molding on, the plexi sits above it about 1/64"...so while it's held on there pretty well with the buttons and the t-molding, it leaves just a tiny little edge that looks like this:



The OptiPac that I'm running has a +5v lead for each of the following:  Player 1 trackball, Player 1 rotary (spinner), Player 2 trackball, Player 2 rotary (spinner) and one at the top.  But, I think they're all connected together, so I'll be running +5v into the CP from the PC.

Now, I'm going to create a cover that will hide the ribbon cable leads and european blocks so it looks a bit neater.  I can't imagine a neat way of doing this. 

Thanks,
AJ