Cabling Removable Control Panels

[Psyklops]

I've seen a few removable CPs wired using DB25 connectors from the CP to the cabinet.  I don't like the idea of accidently bending a pin or 2 from the constant plugging and unplugging.  I was thinking of using CAT5 cable and RJ45 connectors instead.  Anyone else tried this?

[SirPoonga]

first, why I don't like that idea, lots of cat5 connections, you have to organize it.

How often do you really think you will be changing panels?

I use the db25 method.  I also use usb for trackball and spinner.

[Brax]

I have a db 25 connector as well. It works great. Have you EVER bent pins in a connector!? I haven't. They're not that fragile, just take some care man.

They pull straight apart. You can't get much more straight forward than that.

[Lilwolf]

cat5 wont work... only 8 connections going through and you need one for ground, then one for each button... so with a cat5 connector, you could have a joystick and 3 buttons per plugin.

you can get some great connectors if you look around... but the less standard they are... the more they will cost.  They have some cool square looking ones for about 6 bucks a side.

One idea I had a bit ago, but put it off as undoable was to break apart some old motherboards and some old cards... and use isa slots for each control panel.. basically desolder the parts on the motherboard and use that... then cut the cards up and keep the bottom (I have a ton of old cards I'll never use again).  But getting everything lined up didn't seem to doable.

btw, I went with 2 db25's.  I need both for my 4player cp and 1 for almost all the others.

[kgriffin]

Hey guys, to take LilWolf's idea a little further, phone systems use amphenol connectors. They are like isa slots (kind of) but there is a male and female side and they break out into cable. You can get them in many flavors, and I am sure they make one that could accomodate the fanciest control panel (25 pair, etc...)

[hyiu]

Hi there...

I geuss I'm the only one using cat5 connectors here....
 
and I'm happy with it....

I have made/modify several joysticks.... and just finished a cabinet... (was playable on Sat.... but now adding in artwork)

have some temporary pics on:
http://www.geocities.com/hyiu/pics/Arcade/Cab_and_Stick/
will posts more pics later on....

since I use sidewinder hack... I put the hack in a separate project box.... and only expose the connecting wires...
each player will have 2 cat5.... holding 1 stick, and 10 buttons... (since its common ground, I have 15 connections...)

for a 2 player cab... yes.. there will be 4 cat5 cables (which is not exactly very clean...) but I have color codes and I use cable ties to mark them... so, I never need to trace which is which.... plugging and unplugging is a 1 hand operation...
heee heee heee.....

well... for the cab.... since it won't be touched that much once its settled, I guess 25 pin connectors should make more sense... but in my case, I build joysticks first, and I plug and unplug and move around my joysticks every week.... (when friends come over, I plug in the 2nd player one... when I'm alone, I remove it for space for keyboard and stuffs...) and each joystick only has 2 cables... so... its more reasonable for me....

for some joystick pics....
http://www.geocities.com/hyiu/pics/DigiCam/
sorry... its mixed with some of my home made wood working products pics....

plz hang on for a bit... I'm in the process of organizing it and putting together a simple web page for it..... (I'm not exactly a web page person... only know how to surf web... heee hee...)      

hope it helps....
 

[Psyklops]

I have a db 25 connector as well. It works great. Have you EVER bent pins in a connector!? I haven't. They're not that fragile, just take some care man.

They pull straight apart. You can't get much more straight forward than that.

I've worked in computer support for a number of years and you wouldn't believe the number of bent pins I see.  I personally have never bent one, by since I won't be the only person using the cab I can't guarantee that someone else won't.

[Psyklops]

cat5 wont work... only 8 connections going through and you need one for ground, then one for each button... so with a cat5 connector, you could have a joystick and 3 buttons per plugin.

I understand that there is only 8 per cable.  That's why I would run 2 per player.

[Psyklops]

Hi there...

I geuss I'm the only one using cat5 connectors here....
 
and I'm happy with it....

I have made/modify several joysticks.... and just finished a cabinet... (was playable on Sat.... but now adding in artwork)

have some temporary pics on:
http://www.geocities.com/hyiu/pics/Arcade/Cab_and_Stick/
will posts more pics later on....

since I use sidewinder hack... I put the hack in a separate project box.... and only expose the connecting wires...
each player will have 2 cat5.... holding 1 stick, and 10 buttons... (since its common ground, I have 15 connections...)

for a 2 player cab... yes.. there will be 4 cat5 cables (which is not exactly very clean...) but I have color codes and I use cable ties to mark them... so, I never need to trace which is which.... plugging and unplugging is a 1 hand operation...
heee heee heee.....

well... for the cab.... since it won't be touched that much once its settled, I guess 25 pin connectors should make more sense... but in my case, I build joysticks first, and I plug and unplug and move around my joysticks every week.... (when friends come over, I plug in the 2nd player one... when I'm alone, I remove it for space for keyboard and stuffs...) and each joystick only has 2 cables... so... its more reasonable for me....

for some joystick pics....
http://www.geocities.com/hyiu/pics/DigiCam/
sorry... its mixed with some of my home made wood working products pics....

plz hang on for a bit... I'm in the process of organizing it and putting together a simple web page for it..... (I'm not exactly a web page person... only know how to surf web... heee hee...)      

hope it helps....
 

Good to see not everyone thinks I'm crazy on this.  My concern was with the gauge of the wire and if there was any signal problems since the Cat5 cable is twisted pair.  But since someone else is doing this without problems, it's most likely the way I will go.  Thanks for the input.

[dac]

I thought long and hard about this.  I had just gotten finished cat5ing my office, and had plenty of spare parts for doing the cabinet using cat5.  I finally decided on doing it using DB25, for the sheer number of cat5 connections taht would be needed to support  the 3 planned cps (figure for a 4 player, 10 switches (+2 grounds) would need ~6 cat5 wires to keep track of, unhook every time you switch, etc

I've never had a problem using the db25 connectors, no bent pins or anything...
my $.02.

[Rocky]

I once was given a "defective" monitor from an orginization. The only problem was a bend pin on the 15 pin connector  

If you use a little care, the 25 pin connectors will work fine.


Rocky

[Dave Dribin]

I've currently got a Hagstrom KE-72 and use the IDE ribbon cable to attach to my removable control panel.

What have people done for I-PACs?  I love the I-PAC shift function (wish Hagstrom would do it!) almost enough that I think I'm gonna switch.  But I don't want to buy one I-PAC per control panel (though that has crossed my mind).  One major thing against this is that plugging and unplugging PS/2 on a running machine can sometimes piss off the computer.  This sorta applies to this thread.  Do I-PAC users take the  screw terminals and wire them into a DB-25 or IDE cable?

-Dave

[SirPoonga]

I've currently got a Hagstrom KE-72 and use the IDE ribbon cable to attach to my removable control panel.

What have people done for I-PACs?  I love the I-PAC shift function (wish Hagstrom would do it!) almost enough that I think I'm gonna switch.  But I don't want to buy one I-PAC per control panel (though that has crossed my mind).  One major thing against this is that plugging and unplugging PS/2 on a running machine can sometimes piss off the computer.  This sorta applies to this thread.  Do I-PAC users take the  screw terminals and wire them into a DB-25 or IDE cable?

-Dave

Yeah, the db25 connectors we have been talking about.
Check out my cabinet.  I made my cp removable.
(copy and paste the link)
http://free.hostdepartment.com/SirPoonga/images/y_cab16.jpg
You see the cord coming off the ipac to the db25.  The other wires with the quick disconnects (red wires) are for the shelf with is permanently there.

BTW, if you really want to get rid of your hagstrom for a ipac pm me.

[gnateye]

i use cat5 wiring from the controls to a barrier strip then to a db25, the other end of the db25 is wired straight into the ipac. i use the db25 from the control panel to goto the ipac and to my dreamcast hack, my spinner cp is all usb.

no [problems, yet, even though lots of other people use my cab, no one but me changes the panels out.....

[Dave Dribin]

Yeah, the db25 connectors we have been talking about.
Check out my cabinet.  I made my cp removable.
(copy and paste the link)
http://free.hostdepartment.com/SirPoonga/images/y_cab16.jpg
You see the cord coming off the ipac to the db25.  The other wires with the quick disconnects (red wires) are for the shelf with is permanently there.

Thanks for the pic.  That helps.  What cable did you use from the I-PAC to the DB-25?  Is that just 25 individual wires held together with cable ties?  What kind of DB-25 connector did you use?  Male/female?  Solder cup?

-Dave

[SirPoonga]

Thanks for the pic.  That helps.  What cable did you use from the I-PAC to the DB-25?  Is that just 25 individual wires held together with cable ties?  What kind of DB-25 connector did you use?  Male/female?  Solder cup?

actually, 22 wires if I remember, with wire wrap.  That spiral plastic to wrap around wires, you can find it at many computer stores because people use it to organize wires.  Radio shack might have it too.  I believe I got mine from a local hardware chain called fleet farm.

Off hand, not sure which on is on that end, male or female.  It doesn't matter, as long as the cp is the other one:)
I picked up some ends form radio shack.

[Dave Dribin]

Off hand, not sure which on is on that end, male or female.  It doesn't matter, as long as the cp is the other one:)
I picked up some ends form radio shack.

Heh... good point.  One final Q... did you solder the wires into the DB25 or are the just taped or crimped in there?

-Dave

[Skeleton]

On my MAGMA console box and control panels I used a Centronics connector. They are available in a 36-pin variety (like used on printers) or a 50-pin variety (SCSI). The Centronics connector is very durable, can handle many insertion cycles, and doesn't have delicate pins to bend. You can also buy premade cables and even connectors with ribbon cables already attached. This saves a ton of time wiring.  The Centronics connector seems like a good, cheap, easy solution to me.

[Random24]

I have been using a Centronics 50 pin in my cab and love it.

[Psyklops]

On my MAGMA console box and control panels I used a Centronics connector. They are available in a 36-pin variety (like used on printers) or a 50-pin variety (SCSI). The Centronics connector is very durable, can handle many insertion cycles, and doesn't have delicate pins to bend. You can also buy premade cables and even connectors with ribbon cables already attached. This saves a ton of time wiring.  The Centronics connector seems like a good, cheap, easy solution to me.

I hadn't even thought of the Centronics 50 connectors.  That would almost cover every input for an Ipac4.  Since I plan to have at least 13 wires per player (7 buttons, Start, Coin, and 4 for Joystick) that right there would take me over 50.  But I could then use the RJ45 cable and put all my system controls on there (ESC, PAUSE, etc).  Thanks that gives me something else to look at.

[Tiger-Heli]

On my MAGMA console box and control panels I used a Centronics connector. They are available in a 36-pin variety (like used on printers) or a 50-pin variety (SCSI). The Centronics connector is very durable, can handle many insertion cycles, and doesn't have delicate pins to bend. You can also buy premade cables and even connectors with ribbon cables already attached. This saves a ton of time wiring.  The Centronics connector seems like a good, cheap, easy solution to me.

Centronics works fine, but it's a little pricey.  $5-6 per cable connector, not bad for 2 or 3 panels, but alot for 5 or 6 panels.  DB25 M-F cables are $2.00 or so on pricewatch: http://www.pricewatch.com/1/213/3749-1.htm
I hadn't even thought of the Centronics 50 connectors.  That would almost cover every input for an Ipac4.  Since I plan to have at least 13 wires per player (7 buttons, Start, Coin, and 4 for Joystick) that right there would take me over 50.  But I could then use the RJ45 cable and put all my system controls on there (ESC, PAUSE, etc).  Thanks that gives me something else to look at.

[neuromancer]

If you use a little care, the 25 pin connectors will work fine.

If I were going to do it, I would use db25 connectors, and I would make a guide on the CP, with matching parts on the Cab, which would protect the male end from dammage and ensure that it would connect properly every time... The only bent pin I've had to deal with was on a micro-scsi connector. An IT friend does have a story about someone who managed to force (!) a db 25 on backwards.

Bob