Main > Main Forum
Quick disconnects for control panel?
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.