Wire Help

[topdawgg]

Hey guys I wanted to know what wire I should go with for the controls/buttons on my CP.  I was told 22 guage is good... but what strand should I be looking for?  I dont want to spend alot of money but I dont want to do it cheap ethier.... so what should I get and if you have any suggestions of where I should get them please let me know.

-Thanks.

BTW 3 happ supers, 20 bushbuttons, keywiz encoder

[Ed_McCarron]

I don't think the actual gauge/strand count is critical.  I used some spare 24/stranded I had laying around work.

That being said, stranded would seem the better choice - easier to work with.

As long as it fits in your quick disconnects and works for you, it'll be fine.    Not like theres any current being carried.

YMMV

Ed

[topdawgg]

So i can just go down to the local supply store and pick up some stranded wire and it really doesnt matter what guage it is?  And it doesnt matter how many strands it has?  I abviously dont want to fry or screw anything up ... pretty new to all this.

-Thanks.

[pointdablame]

It doesn't even have to be stranded really, it's just a bit easier to work with.  Any old stranded wire will do.  If you're using quick disconnects, just makes sure you get matchin disconnects and wire... one is for 14-18gauge i think, and the other is 20-24??? Or something similar... just make sure you get the right stuff for the right connects.

Really though, any old wire will do... Cat5, stranded, solid, and gauge isn't critical at all.  Just go to your local Radio Shack or what have you and pick up what they have on sale

[Sensei]

You can also check out this older thread.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=41259.0

I hope this helps.

I've seen people use everything from automotive wire (the kind for wiring up signal lights) to the twisted pair wire in serial cables (my personal favorite).

Oh yeah, and definitely use the quick disconnects.  They're life savers (well stress savers anyway)

[topdawgg]

Thanks for all the help.  One last quick question (and no I didnt search for an answer) do the grounds from the buttons/joystick/trackball get connected together and then one wire from them being connected together goes to the ipac or keywiz that I am using?

Thanks.

[pointdablame]

yes

[topdawgg]

So I dont need a wiring block?  Seems like alot of wires to be connected together ... 20 buttons... 3 joysticks = 32 wires?  So just tie all 32 wires together with some type of big crimper and then one wire comes out to the encoder?

[LPZ]

Daisy chaining them together would be alot eaiser.  What I mean by "daisy chaining" is leap from one button ground to another and so on, etc.  Run a lead ground wire to button #1, daisy chain the rest , and on the last button, run another lead ground wire back as a return.  This way if the chain breaks somewere, you won't lose the rest of your inputs after the break in the chain.   

[topdawgg]

"run another lead ground wire back as a return"

On the last button you state to run another lead ground wire back as a return... where does this wire go?  Back to the encoder or back to button 1?  I believe by lead ground wire you mean back to the encoder... so there would be 2 wires hitting the encoder... one form button 1 and one from button last and everything else in between is daisy chained?

[pointdablame]

Just make a wire loop... it'll look like an actual loop.

Run a wire to each button/joystick, so that the wire "jumps" from switch to switch.... the encoder will then have two wires connected to it... a "beginning" and an "end" to the loop.


You should really do a quick search on this, it's been answered a thousand times.

[LPZ]

yeah, what he said