Sanwa JLF + Ultimarc MiniPAC

[MedJim]

Hi there, got a little wiring issue I would greatly appreciate some assistance on. Since starting up work on my MAME cabinet a few months ago, I decided on JLF-TP-8YTs for the sticks - with the octagonal gate they work especially well with fighters and classics. Of course I bought the 5-pin cable that's usually recommended, but I haven't been able to find a satisfactory method of wiring up to the MiniPAC. Unlike Ultimarc products (such as my buttons) the cable lacks any sort of snap-in connector at the end of the wires, so while the naked wire will still technically work upon contact, it will inevitably fall out of place and lose connectivity.

Does anybody know any way I can get this set-up to work without resorting to soldering or other advanced techniques? Not that I outright won't, but as it is a rather popular stick and encoder I'm sure there's got to be something I'm missing. Many thanks for any help

[BobA]

If you have a harness for you minipac it has female connectors.   You would need a male connector on the wire end of you joystick to connect.

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/w/images/e/ee/QuickDisconnects.jpg

[MedJim]

Ah, thanks for that. Is there any general consensus on where to get male disconnects, in the UK if possible? My google-fu isn't turning up much.

[bkrownd]

Does anybody know any way I can get this set-up to work without resorting to soldering or other advanced techniques? Not that I outright won't, but as it is a rather popular stick and encoder I'm sure there's got to be something I'm missing. Many thanks for any help

I would solder the wires to a connector compatible with the minipac, or in your case get a friend to do it.   Then you'll  have a solid and convenient connection.  Soldering is not an advanced technique, though doing it properly is a skill. 

[MedJim]

Does anybody know any way I can get this set-up to work without resorting to soldering or other advanced techniques? Not that I outright won't, but as it is a rather popular stick and encoder I'm sure there's got to be something I'm missing. Many thanks for any help

I would solder the wires to a connector compatible with the minipac, or in your case get a friend to do it.   Then you'll  have a solid and convenient connection.  Soldering is not an advanced technique, though doing it properly is a skill.

Thanks for your input but it's not really feasible, no friends of mine know how to solder and I'd rather not run the risk of damaging anything (I've lost enough money ). My preferred method would certainly be the male QDs but not only can I not find a UK seller but I can't even find a US one that'll ship here! Ebay has a few available but it's upwards to £20 for shipping from the US and I'm not even sure what I'm buying. Can anybody who's performed the technique chime in with what I need in regards to measurements and such?

With the amount of grief this has given me so far I'm half-tempted to just buy some Ultimarc sticks, it'll end up costing about the same at this rate and Andy's stuff is always reliable.

[dkersten]

Don't you have an electronics shop or a car audio shop around your area?  These are VERY common connectors.  They would be called 4.8mm male spade crimp terminals or quick disconnects.  The 4.8mm will fit both 4.8 and 6.3mm female terminals.

A quick google search showed them on the amazon uk site for pretty cheap for a box of 50 or 100..
http://www.amazon.co.uk/4-8mm-Terminals-Connectors-Electrical-RSL240/dp/B00EPFJL5G/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1407364614&sr=1-4&keywords=4.8mm+male+spade

You will need some kind of crimper to attach them to a wire, but those are easy and cheap to find too. 

[MedJim]

Don't you have an electronics shop or a car audio shop around your area?  These are VERY common connectors.  They would be called 4.8mm male spade crimp terminals or quick disconnects.  The 4.8mm will fit both 4.8 and 6.3mm female terminals.

A quick google search showed them on the amazon uk site for pretty cheap for a box of 50 or 100..
http://www.amazon.co.uk/4-8mm-Terminals-Connectors-Electrical-RSL240/dp/B00EPFJL5G/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1407364614&sr=1-4&keywords=4.8mm+male+spade

You will need some kind of crimper to attach them to a wire, but those are easy and cheap to find too. 

D'oh, my mistake...I was searching specifically for quick disconnects, a quick google for male spade crimp terminals actually does bring up a lot of results, as you said. Now I know the title to use!

I'll grab a pack along with a crimper and see where that gets me Thanks.