Quick disconnects for control panel?

[Ravenger]

Hi guys,

For ease of future upgrades and maintenance I'm thinking of wiring in some quick disconnects for the joysticks and buttons on my CP.

They're wired up to a J-Pac, but as there are buttons on the front of the machine as well as on the CP I can't mount the J-Pac on the CP and use the USB lead as a quick disconnect.

I was thinking I'd need something similar to a PC Molex plug and connector, but with more pins. Each joystick  would be connected to a separate plug and connector. That way I can disconnect just one joystick to replace/fix it without affecting the rest of the panel if I want to. These would need to be crimp connected so I don't have to mess around with soldering.

A friend suggested network plugs - RJ45's with a set of sockets mounted to the cabinet. I'm not sure if the wiring gauge I'm using would be too thick for those.

Anyone got any other suggestions?

Thanks!

[Trip]

What is so hard about disconnecting these?

[brad808]

Db9 connector?

Sent from my Desire HD

[PL1]

How about the same style connectors used on a SW yoke? (2 to 15 position connectors available)

http://www.twistywristarcade.com/49-molex-084-mlx-series




Scott

[mgb]

How about the same style connectors used on a SW yoke? (2 to 15 position connectors available)

http://www.twistywristarcade.com/49-molex-084-mlx-series




Scott

+1000 to that
Those are the type of connectors used in real arcade machines and they best fit the bill. I used 12 pin connectors of this style in my cabinet. You can get them in pairs right at Rat shack

[Ravenger]

Those molex connectors are just what I'm looking for, thanks!

[MonMotha]

This is the same as the AMP Universal Mate-n-Lok series, IIRC (I think Molex later crossed it).  It's a wonderful connector, but I find it a bit hard to crimp without the "proper" crimping tool, which you probably don't have and is kinda expensive.  You can make a go at it with needle nose pliers, but it won't hold very well, so a drop of solder is generally needed.  The insulation part can also be a pain to work with since it's designed to undergo a lot of forming, more than just a single bend.  Molex's terminals may be different than AMP's, I guess.

I wasn't aware that Radio Shack carried these.  They seem to carry the old 0.093" pin and socket series pretty much exclusively in terms of large wire-to-wire connectors.

[Nephasth]

I like Molex's Micro-Fit family of connectors, about half the size of the connectors previously mentioned, and work great with 22 gauge wire.

[PL1]

It's a wonderful connector, but I find it a bit hard to crimp without the "proper" crimping tool, which you probably don't have and is kinda expensive.

I did pretty good with a pair of these from Radio Shack.

They're for D-sub pins, but they worked pretty well on these pins.  You won't set any speed records, but if you use the flats on the jaw to pre-bend the insulation crimp wings in until they overlap and then crimp them, it seems to work well.  YMMV.

I wasn't aware that Radio Shack carried these.  They seem to carry the old 0.093" pin and socket series pretty much exclusively in terms of large wire-to-wire connectors.

Very true.  That's why I linked to Twistywrist.  Correct size (.084") for Star Wars Yoke connector and 1/6th the price of Radio Shark. 


Scott

[MonMotha]

It's a wonderful connector, but I find it a bit hard to crimp without the "proper" crimping tool, which you probably don't have and is kinda expensive.

I did pretty good with a pair of these from Radio Shack.

They're for D-sub pins, but they worked pretty well on these pins.  You won't set any speed records, but if you use the flats on the jaw to pre-bend the insulation crimp wings in until they overlap and then crimp them, it seems to work well.  YMMV.

It will depend on which contact you use (which in turn depends on the size of wire you're using), but from the assortment I have in my connector box for this series (which range from really huge to what appear to be designed for #20-22), there's no way you could crimp them with those things.  You'd basically just be mashing them, and even then it would be really tough to make them fit in the jaws.  Perhaps the Molex contacts are smaller than the AMP ones.  Do you have a picture of the resulting crimp?  I guess if it holds, it's probably good enough for this purpose.

FWIW, the "real" hand crimper for this series is pretty cool.  It has a nice locator assembly that makes it really hard to get things mispositioned.  Then again, it's also like $600 for the "low end" model...

[mgb]

The ones I used are .093 which are good for wire awg 22 to 18.

I also have the same crimpers, they work good enough on this type of connector, you need to be careful.

[PL1]

Do you have a picture of the resulting crimp?  I guess if it holds, it's probably good enough for this purpose.

You say it, we play it.

Photos of the crimping process I'm using.  Purely amateur connector Pr0n.  Nowhere near Nep's production values--or budget.   

Unformed and preformed Molex .084" female pins.



Once the preform is done insert the stripped wire and pinch the insulation tabs in just enough to provide enough friction so the wire doesn't shift too easily.

Position the pin and wire in the jaws for crimping with the wire on the numbered side and the open ends facing into the recessed side of the crimp.





You end up with a not-very-pretty crimp that has a good mechanical and electrical connection.





Unlike D-sub connectors, the molex housing has lots of room for ugly/flat crimps.
The one for the green wire turned out a little better, but I don't have a pin extractor.




Scott

[MonMotha]

Ah, OK.  You're basically just mashing them.  I didn't think there was any realistic way to get a contact that big into the little Radio Shack tool (which, while remarkably versatile, is not really meant for stuff this big) and do a normal wrap-around crimp.  You can probably get a lot more force than the normal needlenose trick, and hey, if it holds, it'll work.

The crimp tool will probably not last nearly as long as it might when using it on "appropriate" size contacts, but they're a whopping nine bucks, so who cares.

FWIW, the PA-21 I have crimps this series pretty well (down to the #18 size contacts - it can't do the ones intended for giant wires correctly), but it's like a $60.00 tool.

Despite having a couple of generally nicer tools, I actually keep one of the Radio Shack ones around.  It actually works better on certain kinds of contacts (the ones where the jacket retension is meant to form a circular opening and has the two prongs offset e.g. Harwin M20) than my PA-21 and PA-09 does.  Price is certainly right, and they're easy to get.

If you want a nicer tool for this series, Molex has a largeish "Universal" tool.  It's commonly found in KK and 0.093/0.062 field service kits and is reasonably priced standalone (~$30, I think).  It does OK on things about this size.  It looks like the Molex contacts for this series don't have the excessively long insulation prongs that the AMP ones do, which is what makes the real crimping tool somewhat essential.

[PL1]

A somewhat controlled and slightly shaped mashing, but yeah, I've been just mashing them.  I have been looking for some better crimpers before I (eventually) wire up the D-subs on my portable/modular.

I've used some nice ratchet crimpers before and they are definitely the way to go if you don't mind shelling out the big bucks.

For those of us who are a little more budget conscious, Nep posted some suggestions and links for inexpensive crimp tools here.


Scott

[Unstupid]

Molex .062 FTW! 

[darthpaul]

I'm using Molex connectors as well, it can be a real pain connecting and disconnecting 3 control panels to an I-pac. I crimped and soldered my connections. 

[shponglefan]

Another suggestion would be to get another interface for the buttons on the cabinet and wire it up seperately.  Then you could just mount the Jpac to the CP itself and use a single USB.

[Unstupid]

So as not to confuse everyone by PL1's work... Here is what a proper crimp looks like:



Read all you need to know about good crimps here: http://www.molex.com/molex/common/staticLoader.jsp?fileName=/tnotes/crimp.html

[PL1]

So as not to confuse everyone by PL1's work...

Hey!  I only posted that because MonMotha asked to know how it looked.

I put in disclaimers about it not being the right tool and not being neat or pretty.

MFW your connector pr0n is so much purtier than mine.   


Scott

[Franco B]

I'm not a fan of Molex connecotors on the whole, especially not those god awful Mate n Lock connectors.

Personally, I would use something like Amp Universal Power or JST YL connectors.

[MonMotha]

FWIW, I don't like the latching mechanism on the JST YL.  The same mechanism on the (larger) VL works OK, but on the YL, I find it hard to fully disengage the latch if the connector is the least bit dirty.  The latches on the Mate-n-Lok are pretty straightforward.  I do like the contact design (spring-loaded box/flat rather than the bifurcated cylinder sleeve/pin) on the JST YL series better, though.

Of course, good luck buying EITHER of those (JST YL or AMP UP) in the USA.  Near as I can tell, nobody sells the whole line (IIRC, there's a vendor who sells a couple sizes of the JST YL series, but I don't remember who off hand).  The Mate-n-Lok series is readily available (from AMP plus the cross from Molex), though, and it's way better than the 0.093"/0.062" pin and socket series a lot of people use.

Oddly, you CAN buy the JST VL series (Digi-Key carries the whole line).

Yes, I'm a connector snob   I spec a lot of them and have found various things I like and dislike about all the major series.

[Franco B]

You can request 'samples' from JST in the US and they will send you a few free of charge which can often be enough for a small project.

You can also by them from JSTs International shop. They ship from Japan but most of them are available in quantities as little as 10. 

[MonMotha]

Yep, that's what I do for JST.  Works pretty well.  Their international web shop doesn't have everything in sub-box quantities, but they're getting much better.

No such luck for the AMP UP yet.  Best solution I've found is to ask you for them

[Lilwolf]

I bought a bunch of super cheap serial cables (some m-f, some m-m) on ebay for like 3 bucks each (3 feet).  Cut them in half and use the m sides on the control panels, and the female sides on the arcade.  Then I used screw down terminal on each control panel.  One cable per side works fine.  (get the big serial cables, not the small ones)

biggest trouble is the wires is that they are really thin and hard to strip (I used finger nails).  And hard to get around the terminals. 

But I haven't had one break in years.  And they are molded ends.  Easy to swap later.