Cables and Plugs with 46+ Conductors

[Markie]

Hi all

I could use some help and suggestions on a special wiring problem I have:
I am building a pretty special kind of arcade controller. It's basically two
one-player controllers, which can be linked together both physically as well
as electronically and used as one big 2-player controller, or physically
separated and used as either two 1-player controllers (which players can
use while *not* sitting next to each other), or just the first controller that
is connected to the PC while the second controller is entirely disconnected.
Let's call it the "Separable Controllers Project".

One of the two controllers I will build, the "master controller", will be
connected to the PC for input signals for both controllers. I will be using an
Ultimarc I-PAC 4 for digital input (27 connectors per player) and an
Ulitmarc Opti-PAC for analog input (trackball and spinners) (17 connectors
per player).
Now the player-2 controller, the "client controller" or "slave controller" must
be connected to the player-1 controller with a total of 46 (or more) wires.
In other words, I need a cable with 46+ conductors. I want to be able to
disconnect the player-2 controller, the "slave controller" from the player-1
controller, the "master controller", so I will need to use some kind of plug.

Now I've got two problems I could use help with:

The 46+ Conductor Plug:
This is probably the easiest problem: Does anyone have any kind of
suggestion as to what would be a good plug to connect 46 or more
conductors between two controllers? They should have a long life-time,
be sturdy, easy to use but not easily come apart by themselves and be
reasonably available and priced (also in the future).
If not, I will go ahead and use an SCSI-1 (large) 50 connector
CENTRONICS plug.


The 46+ Conductor Connecting Cable:
I would like to make a long connecting cable to connect the two
controllers I am building. The idea is that the two controllers can be used
with two dedicated screens facing away from each other. For this I figure
the connecting cable for my needs should be about 4 meters long (about
12 feet), just to be sure.
So to connect, I am looking for a cable with at least 46 (stranded!) wires.
Because the cable will be used outside of the controllers and might face
a lot of bending, naturally it really needs to be stranded wire and not
solid wire.
Here in Switzerland I found a local big vendor which carries a 50 connector
stranded wire. However, the wire is only gauge 28 (AWG), or 0.08 mm2.
I could not find anything thicker. So now the question: If I use gauge 28
wire instead of the standard 20 – 26 AWG wire, my wires will be quite a lot
thinner than usual arcade wires. Will this be a problem?
Will the wires cause too much resistance because they are so thin? Perhaps
even heating up?

I know from experience with my Hanaho Hot Rod Joystick and KVM
switches, that the keyboard-signal (currency) is not particularly strong.
Will the signal be strong enough when it goes about 1 or 2 meters to the
"master controller" for player-1, through the I-PAC or Opti-PAC, then one
or two feet to the Centronics 50 connector plug, through 4 meters (12 feet)
of thin gauge 28 (AWG) wire, through another centronics plug, into the
"slave controller" for player-2 and then to the individual buttons and
joysticks, trackball, etc.?
What I'm worrying about here is simple loss of currency due to too thin
a wire. Am I safe with this thin gauge 28 (AWG) wire or do I really need
something thicker, gauge 24 (AWG) or perhaps even something thicker?

If I DO need a thicker wire for the connecting cable, where on earth can I
get it?
I checked the still working link provided by Slagcoin
(http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/example1.html) for wires:
http://www.electronicplus.com/search-return.asp?search=24+gauge

ElectronicPlus.com only has the following cable products:
- No 46+ CONDUCTORS thinner than 24 GAUGE
- 24 GAUGE 50 SOLID CONDUCTORS (25 PAIR) OUTDOOR GRAY PVC
- 24 GAUGE 60 STRANDED CONDUCTORS OUTDOOR GREY PVC
- 22 GAUGE 55 STRANDED CONDUCTORS BRAIDED SHIELD WHITE PVC
- No 46+ CONDUCTORS thicker than 22 GAUGE

Does anyone know where I can get a 24 gauge (AWG) (or thicker) cable
with 46 or more stranded (not solid) conductors?


Kind regards,
Markie