Ethernet cable suitable for wiring?

[Danny R]

I'm thinking of making a modular sort of control panel.

What I'd like to do is set up a patch panel with each control being able to be plugged right in.  I was planning on using standard Cat 6 cable with ethernet RJ45 connectors.  Since I work with this stuff often, it would be an easy way of hooking things up.

I'd have the i-pac and opti-pac hooked to a patch panel.

Joysticks 1-4 would each have a port with each cable wired thus: 4 directionals, 2 rotary, 1 fire, 1 ground  

Player 1-4 buttons would also each have a port (6 game buttons, 1 start, 1 ground).  Thus plugging in a 3rd player button port automatically enables the start button on that console to work as player 3.

Same for spinners, trackballs. etc.

Thus each module just has one or two standard ethernet cables coming from it, and I plug them into the appropriate slot and voila, instant control panel.

Anybody ever do anything like this where I can see how they might have wired it up?  The alternative is to use IDE cables and connectors, but I have the ethernet wiring already, and don't have the other.

Are there any problems with using cat6 cabling to wire up these switches?

Thanks!

[DYNAGOD]

Problem=attenuation...
or just plain resistance..
i think that wire is just too thin fo rthis application...
im certainly no electrical engineer and i may very well be dead wrong.
but the difference between 18 to 20 awg and the indiviual strands of cat cable is HUGE!!

i like the train of thought though

[NoOne=NBA=]

HEY!!
This guy's stealing MY idea!!!

Seriously though, that's exactly what I'm in the process of doing with my CP's.
I got a bunch of Cat5 cables that were left by the previous company when we moved into our new building.

Unless something REALLY weird (freak inductance from the monitor, or the like) happens inside your cabinet, you shouldn't have any problem at all with the cat6 cables.

I'm currently using a combo of hacked off Sega 9-pin connectors and soldered up 9-pin connectors using 8-conductor phone wire.
Both these use approx. 28 gauge wire, and I've had no problem with it at all.
The wires are carrying data-level signals, so 18-20 ga. wire is really overkill.

The main reason they use those gauges in the arcades is so that the quick disconnects fit the wire properly.

[patrickl]

I have seen several posts about people using CAT 5 cables. Flexible wire (with not just one solid core) is best I think. The solid core stuff breaks too easy.

I wonder how you'll use RJ45 connectors though. You plan on using 8 of those on a panel? And then some extra if you add trackballs and spinners?

I went with Centronics connectors. They come in 36 and 50 pin variants. I went with the 36 pin ones since I plan to do only 2 player panels. I bought several meters of 36 strand multi colored cable for these connectors and will use that to connect the stuff inside the panel and to the i-PAC. I did get very heavy cable though (half an inch thick). Another benefit is that the cable has 36 colors in it. Well at least I see that as an advantage.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I've got a 6-port wall plate, and am going to use keystone jacks just like you would for networking.

The wall plate will sit in the back wall of my CP area, and the keystone jacks will connect to my I-pac inside the cabinet.
Then when I want to swap modules, I just have to unclip the current one, and clip in the new one.

My spinners and trackballs have their own USB converters, so those will still hook to the USB hub inside my CP area.

That way I can swap out individual components, rather than entire CP's like I'm doing now.

[cheetah]

I am also in the process of doing the same thing.  I have a 6 port patch panel at each player location.  In most cases I am only using 2-3 cat5 cables for each player, but with 6 at each location, it will allow me to expand and use modular/swappable control panels in the future.  

I have also been able to use several colors of patch cables to identify different functions (ie.  yellow = joystick, green = buttons, red = admin functions) and each patch cable has 8 individual wires, each with their own distinct colors so it is fairly easy to wire up and to see exactly what goes to what on the keyboard encoder.  

I am building a cocktail table with vertical and horizontal controls, but it is only going to be 2 players.  Using cat5 and RJ45 will allow me to easily plug in player 3 & 4 control panels when I need them.  

I have wired up my player 1 controls and tested it out and I have had no problems with the cat5 cable.

[2slk]

 My friend used CAT5 in his cabinet and it works like a charm. He has a swappable control panel system so making the change is a breeze. clip, clip!

[Lilwolf]

I used cat5 initially..

but with a hot swappable control panels... The wiring moved to much... and I was recrimping ends ALL the time.  Every time you move the wire, the forces hit the crimp area.

Go get some flexible stranded wire and you wont regret it.

[DYNAGOD]

QUOTE
"The main reason they use those gauges in the arcades is so that the quick disconnects fit the wire properly."
END QUOTE

Well damn!!
learn something new everyday.
i got 500 ft of cat5e under my desk,
are you saying i can use that and use RJ45 as a quasi quick-disconnect?!

youve ruined me for all time if this is true,ill be up all nite ripping my present project apart and replacing all the wiring with my networking goods.