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Want to upgrade CP to Molex cables
pmc:
Removable control panel. 2-Player IPAC in the cabinet. 26-total (current) switch positions on the cabinet (6-buttons per player, two JS, coin&start 1/2, pause and exit).
I used an (internal) SCSI cable when I built the cab last summer. Works fine, but the wires are pretty small and hard to work with. They also want to jiggle loose sometimes. I've got plenty of space for expansion given that I have 50-pins to work with. Connect/disconnect is easy to execute.
I used butt connectors to connect the wires from from my microswitches to the stripped ends of the SCSI cable. They can sometimes (rarely) jiggle loose too.
I want to upgrade to something more "industrial". Something that isn't susceptable to bumps and jiggles. Something I can beat on but still have confidence in the integrity of the connections. I was thinking Molex, but don't know much about it.
I did some searching here. Looks like those rectangular 15-pin jobs would do it. That'd give me 30-total pins if I used two of them. I was thinking about using heat-shrink tubing instead of butt connectors. That should make it near bulletproof, eh?
Where to buy them? Is the 15-pin thing the most appropriate? Bob Roberts seems to sell lots of variations and I'm not sure what to buy (headers versus housings, pin extractors, etc.). Do they come with the wires sticking out of them or do I have to "install" each pin and wire manually?
I'm near You Do It Electronics in Needham MA -- do they carry 'em? I figured that Rat Shack would only carry the 4-pin PC power supply models but I haven't gone browsing yet.
Thanks in advance and sorry if these was discussed ad-nauseum here! I did some searching and learned alot. But not enough to place an order with any amount of confidence.
- pmc
Dave_K.:
I use two 15pin molex connectors (one for each player side). Works great for me since I use console pad hacks (DC and PS2) and just swap out the contollers. Should be fine for wiring both to a single ipac. And yes, it comes with the pin seperately so you intsall only the pins you use. I didn't go with tubing, I just used small ties to bundle up my wires. Still looks fairly clean.
Minwah:
I used 12-way Molex connectors - they are very good, although in my limited testing so far I find they are a little difficult to get apart (maybe because mine are new + hardly used?). I had to use a small screwdriver to gently prise them apart...
pmc:
--- Quote from: Dave_K. on March 08, 2004, 12:55:10 pm ---I use two 15pin molex connectors (one for each player side). Works great for me since I use console pad hacks (DC and PS2) and just swap out the contollers. Should be fine for wiring both to a single ipac. And yes, it comes with the pin seperately so you intsall only the pins you use. I didn't go with tubing, I just used small ties to bundle up my wires. Still looks fairly clean.
--- End quote ---
That looks really nice. I have the samle application (adding a Dreamcast soon and also a spinner/trackball CP later). One 15-pin for each side will give me 30 so I'm good for the total number of inputs.
I like the way you run clean from microswitch to molex connector. I have to splice in the middle. I cut all my wires coming from the microswitches at the edge of my CP and wired to the SCSI cable there. So if I put the Molex connector that that point, it'd be difficult to get to. I need to have the Molex connector haning down from the CP by 1/2 to 1 foot (the current length of the SCSI cable). So I expect to have to install a Molex connector with 1.5 foot of extra wire and splice the wires together with butt connectors, a barrier strip, or shrink tubing. There's no room for barrier strips and you already know how much I dislike the butt connectors.
So I need several of those connectors (male and female side) plus the pins. Where to get them? Do I need special tools? Special wire gauge?
Maybe I'll take a couple of pics tonight to post. Maybe it's OK the way it is (nah).
TalkingOctopus:
--- Quote from: pmc on March 08, 2004, 05:57:03 pm ---
So I need several of those connectors (male and female side) plus the pins. Where to get them? Do I need special tools? Special wire gauge?
--- End quote ---
I recently added a dreamcast to my cab using molex connectors. I got them at radioshack. They came in packs of 2 - 1 male, 1 female. They come with the pins. They required assembly. I had to solder the a to the metal connector that goes into every hole of the molex connector. Then I had to jam the connector in the proper plastic hole. That's it really. No special tools needed other than a soldering iron. I used some helping hands to hold the small metal connectors. I used 22 gauge wire.
Good luck!