Wiring control panel using Cat5 ?

[ground_squirrel]

Probably people are doing this already but I thought that using Cat5 cable seems perfect for wiring all the controls. Cat5 has 8 wires in it, so one nice clean cable can take care of all 4 switches on a joysick. Buttons that are close together can also run through one cable. I wired up by happ 8 way using cat5 and it works great. It looks very clean and simple as well. I peeled the outer covering to get the little wires, then peeled each little wire and solderd them each to the right cherry switch contact. I was just curious if others were doing this. Seems like a cheap option as well, I can wire my whole panel with little more than 6 feet of cat 5.

[GGKoul]

Yes, people have used CAT5 in the past.  Search the forums.

-GGKoul

[NoOne=NBA=]

I wired mine using a 4-port keystone jack wall plate at the back of the CP area, to allow me to interchange modules.

I then hacked a bunch of patch cables I had in half, and hooked the wire ends to the modules.

[JustMichael]

I used cat5 because it was what I had laying around.  I used the quick disconnects though so I had to strip more wire than I needed and fold the wire over onto itself so I could get a good crimp.

[Sasquatch!]

IMO it's a bad solution if you plug/unplug a lot, since they're usually solid wires, and solid wires don't bend as easily and they'll break over time.  But if you're not going to be moving the wires once they're in, it'll do.

[NoOne=NBA=]

All the ones I've stripped/cut so far have been stranded.
I can't say that ALL Cat5 is stranded, but I've never seen solid core.

[Sasquatch!]

All the ones I've stripped/cut so far have been stranded.
I can't say that ALL Cat5 is stranded, but I've never seen solid core.

Really?  Almost all of the Cat5 I've worked with has been solid...it's a rarity if I see stranded.  Huh.

[froggerman]

Cat 5 cable for building wiring is always supposed to be solid. Cat 5 cable for patch panels is always supposed to be stranded.

[NoOne=NBA=]

That would explain it.

I've always had patch cables laying around, just waiting to be cut up, so I've never had to rip any out of the wall, or buy a roll of it.
If I had bought some, I would have bought the stranded stuff anyway.
I learned that early on buying single wire, and phone cable wire.

As for the quick disconnect thing, I soldered all of mine directly to the switches, so I didn't have to worry about that part.

[Sprucemoose]

I used solid core CAT5 because I have access to it at work, but I have had wires break a few times and it is a real pain to have to fix.  Not hard, just tedious.  Next time I will use stranded and recommend that people stay away from solid core.  My $.02