Inside db25 cable / changeable panels

[Jason]

In my effort to create interchangeable control panels, I thought I would cut up a 25-pin cable and use the ends as the main plugs for each panel.  My question, before I go looking inside all my spare cables:  Does anyone know a particular brand/model of cable whose individual wires inside are color coded, or otherwise distinguishable from each other?  Or should I plan going through the process of matching up the pins with the wires for each cable?

Or is there a better/easier/cheaper alternative?  One controller will use 23 wires, maybe 24.  The other, only 10 or 11.

Thanks,
Jason

[Dave_K.]

You could use a multimeter set to continuity (beep) test, to trace the wires connect to which pins.

[SirPoonga]

In my effort to create interchangeable control panels, I thought I would cut up a 25-pin cable and use the ends as the main plugs for each panel.  My question, before I go looking inside all my spare cables:  Does anyone know a particular brand/model of cable whose individual wires inside are color coded, or otherwise distinguishable from each other?  Or should I plan going through the process of matching up the pins with the wires for each cable?

Or is there a better/easier/cheaper alternative?  One controller will use 23 wires, maybe 24.  The other, only 10 or 11.

Thanks,
Jason

Here's what I did, and you can see it in the pics of my cabinet.  I went to radio shack, picked up wire, db25 ends, and labels.  I kept a chart of what each lapel goes to, the letter the wire is, where it goes to on the ipac, and what key code and shift code it uses.

Most db25 cables will have color coded wires, they don't follow any standards other than they are different colors.  printer cables are not as standardized as ethernet cables.  The big thing is the same color is matching on both ends:)

[cdbrown]

Just make sure the cables are db25 extension cables and not specifically related to a printer or modem or something else, this will ensure it has 25.  I didn't have any spare ones at home so I went to the local pc store and bought the second hand ones they had and every one of them has colour coded wires.  Just by looking the cables all have the same coloured wires.  Printer or modem extensions will only have the required number of wire for them, might still have a db25 connector but some of the inputs won't actually have any wires coming from them.

Other alternatives, DB15, DB9 cables, hard drive flat cables, some have used 50 pin flat cables.  Short extension cables are cheap, first controller needs a DB25 to cover the inputs plus a ground (don't forget that one).  Cut in half (male or female end is wired to the panel, the other to the ipac (if that's what you've got).  Then cut another cable in half and wire it to the 2 panel (10 or 11 inputs) - use the coloured wires going to the encoder as a guide for which wires you will use on the panel.  Easy as that.

Hope that explaination makes some sense
Cheers
-cdbrown

[Jason]

Thanks for the speedy and helpful replies!

(I must admit in my haste I posted a similar question on the avscience forum)

Sirpoonga, I've got those same Double Dragon latches, our swapping process will be very similar!

J

[Larry Smith]

The cheapo non-IEEE 1284 parallel cables from Belkin part # F2A036-06 plus a Belkin gender changer worked for me. I got the parallel cables $1.99 each with free shipping a while back from Dell. The gender changer (for hooking them together) was about $7.00.
All pins fron the DB25 have wires coming from them and they are consistantly colored!

[Larry Smith]

Oops sorry wrong info The BD25 end only has 19 wires plus a noninslated wire for ground. Still, they are cheap and two of them would give you 39 wires if you used one of the the uninsulated ones for ground. Just make sure you color code them so you don't plug them in wrong.

[liche]

Actually, the wire colors in cables do follow a standard.  They follow exactly the same color code as resistors except brown is #1 (as there is no #0 wire - black)

For higher number colors:

i.e. 10

The cable color would be brown with black stripes

Also, forget about radio shack D-pin connectors.  They absolutely suck.  Very poor quality.

Best best is to get some bare connectors with solder-cup ends, and make your cable assemblies.

Try the military M24308 type D-Sub connectors.  These can be purchased through www.newark.com, www.alliedelec.com, www.digikey.com etc...

Check out ITT Cannon or Amphenol's website for actual part numbers.

[gnateye]

i bought belkin brand from compusa they have all different colored wires that are the same for all cables, very helpful

[ErikRuud]

I bought a 25 conductor ribbon cable at Radio Shack and crimp on 25 pin sub-d connectors.  Just make sure that the red wire is pin 1 (Or pin 25) on each side.

[eightbit]

I've cut up a half dozen or so different 25 pin extension cables and every different brand had a different color to different pins. They all appeared to have the same colors but they didn't go to the same pins.

I ended up with a big box of surplus ones from work and sorted out a bunch of the same brand. They work great. I'm working on my secound panel now.