wiring help needed

[muell67]

Ok before anyone tells me to do a search or check the faq. I did I just want a little clarification. Im not that great with wiring and just want to make sure I have a good understanding before I go forward with wiring my control panel.

1. I know I should use 18 to 28 guage wire acording to Bob Roberts page. He says use 18 guage for ac power and ground and 22 -28 for everything else. Does this meen the wire I use to go from the switch to the I pac can be 22-28 guage and the ground from the switch should be 18? Why not just use 18 for everything? Is there a reason I should not just use 18 guage for everything? The only downside I see is that the larger wire would cost slightly more.

2. Is it better to use wiring blocks for the ground. all wires go to a block and then one wire from the block to the Ipac, or should I wire everything in a series and not use the blocks.

3. I still have not ordered my I pac yet but I did just get my happ perfect 360 joysticks in. Can someone please tell me if there is a place to screw the 5 volt wire to the I pac or do I need to solder it? can the ground from the joysticks go to the same common ground as the buttons?

4. What type of wire is more common or better for the controls, solid core or spiral?

I know some of these questions may seem stupid but Id rather be safe than sorry.
Thanks for the help.

[HaRuMaN]

1)  Ok...  If you are wiring a control panel, there are no AC connections to wire.  Everything between the control panel and the IPAC can be 22-28 guage, no problem.

2)  Just daisy chain your ground (wire in series).  That's the easiest way and it won't give you any problems.

3)  Ok.  You will not need the 5 volt connection on the IPAC.  Just ignore it.  It's there if you wanted to power a LED or something.  It does not go to your controls.  All your player one controls (joystick and buttons) go on one ground.  All your player two controls go on the #2 ground.

4)  Personally, I tend to use stranded (spiral) wire over solid core.  Solid core wire can break if it is bent repeatedly.

I hope this helps ya...  happy Maming!  

[Crazy Cooter]

1- For the microswitches, the wire size doesn't matter.  Use whatever is appropriate for the connectors you are using.

2- I use terminal blocks.  Otherwise, you can daisy chain a wire to each microswitch.  Basically one wire with the insulation removed at each microswitch.  Whichever you want, it doesn't matter.  I use terminal blocks in case I switch my layout.

3- The Ipac gets all the power it needs from the usb or PS/2 port.  You don't need to wire 5 volts to it.  Your joystick & buttons don't need it either.  The Ipac will have a + terminal for all buttons & each joy direction and one common ground for all.  You won't need any additional power.

4- Use stranded wire.  Solid core breaks easily.

[HaRuMaN]

Lol...   Crazy Cooter must have been typing his reply the same time I was, lol.

[muell67]

if I dont need a 5volt connection why does my perfect 360 joysticks have a 5volt wire and a ground coming out of them.

and is it ok to use 18 guage wire for the switches? if Im buying rolls of wire id rather not have to buy two sizes.

[Samstag]

I think they assumed you were asking if you needed to power the IPAC.  Yes, you do need 5v at the p360s to power the optical sensors.  The IPAC can supply a limited amount of 5v power at the LED header.  I can't tell you whether it's enough, but Andy of Ultimarc probably could.

As for the 18g wire, you may have issues with it fitting in the IPAC.  I don't have mine yet so I can't say.  The other problem is it's an odd size for quick-disconenct connectors.  If you use the red ones (18-22g) you will have trouble getting two wires in the same connector (for ground chains) and if you go with the blue (14-16) you may not get secure crimps on single wires.

I would go with 22 for the entire control panel.  I think the Bob Roberts suggestion of using 18 for ground may have been in reference to power ground, not control panel ground.  The tiny currents used in the control panel really shouldn't require heavier wire.

[warreng]

I think they assumed you were asking if you needed to power the IPAC.  Yes, you do need 5v at the p360s to power the optical sensors.  The IPAC can supply a limited amount of 5v power at the LED header.  I can't tell you whether it's enough, but Andy of Ultimarc probably could.

I had this same question when trying to figure out my CP setup. I e-mailed Andy and this was his reply.

"The perfect 360s can be powered from the header connector on the I-PAC. The pinout of this connector is shown on www.ultimarc.com/ipac2.html
But if you are using an Opti-PAC as well, it is easier to connect the p360 power to the 5V and GND screw terminals on the Opti-PAC.

One tip: never reverse the 5v and gnd wires on the 360s otherwise they will be damaged!

Hope this helps

Andy"

[muell67]

I dont plan on using a ipac. My trackball and spinner will both hook up with usb.
so I guess im stuck using the 5v on the ipac. should I get a plug so I can hook it to the ten pin header or can i just solder it to the appropriate pin. Would I be better off getting the 5 volts from my computer power supply directly?