Covered Jack

[rdagger]

I want to add  a jack to the front of my cab so I can plug in additional controls.   The jack needs to have at least 4 pins, but I'm flexible on the type (molex, USB, XLR, DB9, etc...) 
I'll probably put the jack on my coin door.  Therefore, I want something very inconspicuous.  I was hoping to find something covered.  Possibly a black cover that you flip up.

Anyone know of any good solutions?

[Jess--]

I would suggest using one of the 5 pin Din (Old keyboard plug type), the sockets are normally black and blend in quite well, (plus they are cheap, available with up to 9 pins, and fairly robust)

you may be able to find a clip on cover for the socket aswell (I know that some old handheld CB radios used to use them to seal up the external mic socket)

here is one in use (hacked into my old creative speaker system to replace the stupid custom plug that you cannot get spares for)

yes it really is that dusty where this sub lives

[rdagger]

I found some cool Jack Covers but they are designed for 1/4" stereo plugs.

[rdagger]

I would suggest using one of the 5 pin Din (Old keyboard plug type)

Thanks for the good suggestion, instead of the old style I decided to go with the newer mini keyboard DIN.

[brian23]

How about a USB extension cable?

http://www.happcontrols.com/electrical_supplies/55027800.htm

You mount it on your CP box in the front for additional controls. Probably could mask the connection part and spraypaint it black.

[markrvp]

How about a USB extension cable?

http://www.happcontrols.com/electrical_supplies/55027800.htm

You mount it on your CP box in the front for additional controls. Probably could mask the connection part and spraypaint it black.

That would require the control to have the USB encoder built in.  rdagger is probably wanting to add controls which would patch into a fixed encoder inside the cabinet.

[brian23]

Oh, well I was thinking he could use a controller adapter. Like Ultimarc sells. Also, he stated that he didnt care if it was USB or not.

[markrvp]

Also, he stated that he didnt care if it was USB or not.

You're right.  USB does have 4 separate connections inside that could be tapped to whatever you wanted inside the cabinet.

[rdagger]

How about a USB extension cable?
http://www.happcontrols.com/electrical_supplies/55027800.htm
You mount it on your CP box in the front for additional controls. Probably could mask the connection part and spraypaint it black.

I chose the DIN over the USB route because I thought it would be harder to find the right cover.

[ahofle]

I would suggest using one of the 5 pin Din (Old keyboard plug type)

Thanks for the good suggestion, instead of the old style I decided to go with the newer mini keyboard DIN.

[rdagger]

That female plug is awesome.

[ahofle]

Awesome thanks!

[rdagger]

The jacks and covers arrived today.  They look great.  The 4 conductor A/V jack fits in the cover but may not have enough thread to make it through the coin door.  I'll probably go with the 6 pin DIN although I will need to drill the hole on the cover a little larger.

[ahofle]

Man you must've had better luck than I did.  When I called, I ended up being connected to some Indian lady who couldn't tell me a thing about the the USB connectors I was interested in.  Not even the price!!  She said I would have to go through a distributor, and she would have someone call me (of course they never did).  How did you order your stuff? 

[rdagger]

Man you must've had better luck than I did.

[jmelan]

I have been looking for this type of USB jack for my CP as well.

Markertek sells the switchcraft USB panel mount jacks listed above, as well as some similar ones by neutrik that seem to be a better deal. 

Both are available in silver and black.

Here is a link. 

[MonMotha]

You may also find Mouser Electronics useful for procuring parts such as this.  They have no minimum order (unlike Digi-key, who will nail you with an extra $5 if you don't buy $25 worth of stuff), have cheaper shipping (at least to my area), and competitive pricing.

They'll also help you out with really tiny orders over the phone if you're not sure exactly what you need (I just bought $7 worth of connectors for my Kortek monitor from them and had a tech on the phone finding mating parts for me). [As a reference, the Kortek/Betson multisync "VGA" connector on the chassis board is a 2.5mm 6 pin Molex SPOX connector - took me a while to figure that out] The only downside is that their stock is not as big as Digi-key, so they may not have exactly what you want.

There's also Arrow Electronics if you really can't find what you want, but they don't enjoy catering to small orders (I usually go pick mine up in person since they're in Indianapolis).  They distribute for a huge array of manufacturers.

[ahofle]

I ended up using markertek:

http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp?baseItem=EHBNC2&cat=CABLESCONN&subcat=DATACON&prodClass=FIREAD&mfg=&search=0&off=

The USB jacks worked out great, BTW.  Nice to be able to quickly plug in the gamepads to the arcade cabinet for some N64 Mario Kart, and then easily unplug and stow them away when not needed.