Where is everyone getting their wire?

[SirPeale]

I note that most of the control panels are using multi-stranded red-jacketed wire.

I was using CAT-5E, but it's not nearly as flexible as I'd like.

Where is everyone getting this wire?  I tried my local hardware store, and they didn't have diddly.

[Jakobud]

Home Depot, Lowes, Radio Shack,  etc

[papaschtroumpf]

I steal mine from work (just kidding)
I've got an electronic surplus warehouse close to me and they sell it super-cheap

[ashardin]

Radio Shack sells a nice 3 pack of wire for $4.49.  Its got red (player one), green (player 2) and black (ground).  Its available in a few gauge sizes.

That's what I used.

[tmasman]

I note that most of the control panels are using multi-stranded red-jacketed wire.

I was using CAT-5E, but it's not nearly as flexible as I'd like.

Where is everyone getting this wire?  I tried my local hardware store, and they didn't have diddly.

I've got tons of red 24 AWG 7 strand wire... (I've got an 8000ft spool... [minus what I've used])
How much do you need?
$5/100ft... + actual shipping... (should be cheap shipping... No spool, just coiled wire)
Need more than 100ft? Make me an offer...

[STL_Steve]

I tried lowes and home depot both only carried 14 gauge stranded. The 18 gauge was all solid core, I ended up finding everything in needed at radio shack. They had a decent selection of stranded wire and not terribly overpriced.

[usedelectronics]

http://www.mcmaster.com

[SirPeale]

I note that most of the control panels are using multi-stranded red-jacketed wire.

I was using CAT-5E, but it's not nearly as flexible as I'd like.

Where is everyone getting this wire?  I tried my local hardware store, and they didn't have diddly.

I've got tons of red 24 AWG 7 strand wire... (I've got an 8000ft spool... [minus what I've used])
How much do you need?
$5/100ft... + actual shipping... (should be cheap shipping... No spool, just coiled wire)
Need more than 100ft? Make me an offer...

I should have responded to you sooner.  I'm looking for a larger gauge - 18, preferably.

Checking out some electrical supply shops, barring that, McMaster.  Not sure about their shipping, though.

[Silverwind]

I bought a lot of my wire from the real bob roberts..  Purchased a different color for each player...  

[Brad Lee]

I steal mine from work (not kidding)

I work at a telephone co, and we also do PC work so Ive got literally endless supplies of wire of all sorts, as well as connecters and the like


If youre using cat-5, you might do better with patch cords as opposed to bulk boxes. Patch cords are designed to be flexible, some use stranded wire. THe bulk stuff is generally intended to be run and left alone in the walls

[RandyT]

I should have responded to you sooner.  I'm looking for a larger gauge - 18, preferably.

Just out of curiosity, why 18ga.?  Some of the old arcade machines actually used that heavy stuff, but it's really not necessary.

Checking out some electrical supply shops, barring that, McMaster.  Not sure about their shipping, though.

McMaster is pretty good on the shipping in that they charge you exactly what it costs them to ship to you.  They have warehouses all over and can usually get you stuff within 2 days (sometimes next day) using standard ground shipping.  The only thing you have to watch out for is oversize stuff.  You can pay $13 for shipping a 6' piece of threaded rod that costs only $2.  Other than that, no problems.

RandyT

[OSCAR]

I'm with Randy, why 18ga specifically?  For use with controls, I try to use 22ga stranded whenever possible because it is a lot easier to deal with because it is more flexible and you don't end up with huge bundles of wire if you are wiring up a full 2-P control panel.  I even found 20ga that I got from Bob Roberts was a bit bulky (http://www.oscarcontrols.com/sinistar/cp09.jpg) when doing my MultiWilliams control panel.  Most techs will say that 18ga is only really be necessary if you are running the +5V, +12V, and GND wires.

I normally purchase my bulk wire from www.newark.com or www.mouser.com when placing orders for other items.  They are probably not the cheapest around, but convenient enough because I try to consolidate my purchases to only a few different vendors at a time.

I remember a similar thread a while back, and Ken Layton replied with a pretty good source for wire.  A search should turn it up.

[slycrel]

  I got two 90 foot spools of red 22ga stranded wire for just under $10 including tax from the Radio Shack down the street.  They also had a ton of resonably cheap components that may come in handy later.  The multi-colored spools as mentioned above cost the same but I think you only get 60 feet (20 ft each color) with that, so I went for the red.

[SirPeale]

I chose 18G because that's the size of the disconnects that I have.  it's not terribly large, and it'll stand up to the stress that I know will be exerted on it by my kids.

I'll take a look at the 22G stuff, assuming I can find it.

[Wade]

I know it's not the cheapest but I'll mention it anyway.  I recently bought some of the 10 foot x 10 color wire from Bob Roberts.

I thought I'd rewire my panels with different colors for different inputs, and see how clean and easy-to-work-on I could make my panels, for a change.  I'm just ready to wire a new project so I thought now would be a good time to make the switch.

My current Mame upright was wired with "leftover" wire from a variety of sources.  Some is multicolored, a lot is black.  Since I was using scraps, length was a premium so it isn't a "clean" wiring job at all.  It's time to do an Oscar wiring job on it.

Wade

[APFelon]

I got mine from my old work. I asked them if they had a spare JAMMA harness and the shop foreman pulled out a large box of them. He told me to take as many as I wanted; I took one (foolish me, I may not get back down there for a while now). It seems that a lot of conversion kits include the harness along with the PCB.

So, I guess the moral of this story is to check with your local arcade distributor. You never know what kind of free crap you might come up with.

APf