Cat 5E and related equipment viable for arcade stick construction?

[DarkBubble]

Typically, the recommended gauge of wire for joystick construction is 22 awg.  In the past, I've seen projects in which Cat 5/5e was used for wiring.  However, the 5e that I have on hand is 24 awg.  Would this be cause for concern, or is it a viable solution?

I've yet to start any projects, mostly due to a lack of a concrete design and funds, but I'm seeing more and more projects set up to utilize multiple hacked boards, though generally through the use of DB25 connectors and seperate housings for the boards.

If Cat 5/5e is indeed acceptable, building a slightly larger housing for the stick or an all-in-one housing for multiple boards would be as simple as installing a 1-2 rackspace network patch panel and using multiple patch cables to change models.  It would also help in assigning an extra stick in place of the standard SNES/PS1&2 face buttons for games such as Smash TV, allowing me to reroute a portion of the controls without installing a switch.

Mind you, this is more out of curiosity and frugality on my part.  Outside of the buttons and stick, my only other expense would be the oh-so-inexpensive used controllers and cosmetics.

[menace]

considering the very minute voltage actually running through joysticks/buttons--i'm sure cat5e wiring is good enough.  Use proper wiring for lights/leds etc though.

[CheffoJeffo]

I always use AWG20 or 22 when wiring myself, but I recently acquired a Virtua Tennis 2 in a Dynamo showcase and the entire CP was wired using Cat5 (which meant I soldered in addition to crimping when rewiring the molex connectors).

Cheers.

[DarkBubble]

Thanks for the replies.  At least now I know that I can do the following:

-Venture outside the box, possibly offering alternatives to others.
-Save some $$$

One thing that occured to me about 10 minutes after creating this topic was that in place of a patch panel, I can easily use Cat 5 jacks.  Granted, I could adjust a patch panel to fit my needs, but I think that cutting holes with a Dremel and using standard Leviton Cat 5e jacks will probably require less work on my part.

A side effect of working the electrical and data industry...you see things at work and think, "Could I do this instead of that?"

[Doc-]

Go to the wiring page on my web site below.  It has a lot of details on my cabinet that uses cat 5 wiring and patch panels  on a modular cabinet.

  Key advice:
   - Use stranded Cat 5 cable and NOT the solid core type
   - Recommend patching to conventional larger guage wire to make it more robust where needed.

Doc

[DarkBubble]

Go to the wiring page on my web site below.  It has a lot of details on my cabinet that uses cat 5 wiring and patch panels  on a modular cabinet.

  Key advice:
   - Use stranded Cat 5 cable and NOT the solid core type
   - Recommend patching to conventional larger guage wire to make it more robust where needed.

Doc

Nice to not only know it's possible, but to also see it in action.  Thanks for the info!

I dig the modular design too.  I was considering going that route when it comes time to build a MAME cab.  Did you have any trouble with alignment of the seams for comfort?

[Doc-]

Each of the panels required a little bit of "fitting" which consisted of doing a little bit of manual work to widen a few key holes so it fit properly on the rails and was straight.  Once that was done, it was not difficult to swap panels or achieve good alignment.

You do need to cut the panels carefully slightly smaller than the panel spacing (I used a table saw, set the fence once and then cut all panels of one size at once).  You also need to carefully drill the holes to match the dowels on the rails.

However, at least one friend locally has duplicated the system on his MAME with excellent results.

Doc