Printer Cable

[Ghouly]

I am sorry if this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find anything int he forum search.  

...Anyway, I am using an I-Pac and was wondering if I could use a printer cable as a "quick disconnect" between the I-Pac and the control panel?

Allowing me to construct different control layouts for the same cabinet without having to use multiple I-Pacs. Thanks for the help.

[grafixmonkey]

If all you're gonna do is use the printer connector to attach your buttons to your ipac, I don't see why you can't.  It's just a connector, all it does is connect two sets of wires together.

You might want to split your ground loop between two pins on the printer cable, as I'm not sure what gauge wire would be inside, might be pretty small...   and if you have four people on your cab at once you might be pressing enough switches at once to generate a decent amount of current through it.  (might cause the "ground" voltage not to be zero if wire gauge is small.)

You might consider getting Molex connectors, they are available in a large variety of sizes and numbers of pins.

[Ghouly]

I've never heard of Molex connectors... and i don't have a lot of electrical experience. Are they fairly simple to hook up? And could you possibly post a web site ...?   Thanks

[grafixmonkey]

Molex is like the biggest brand name of "random connector" ever.  I believe the 4-pin power connectors in computers are Molex, as well as the connectors that attach power supplies to motherboards.  The connectors on Happ trackballs are Molex.

I don't think there's a Molex website.  If there is, it's not what you're looking for.  You can get them just about anywhere.

To use them, you crimp little insertion pins to the ends of your wires, then slide those inside the plastic connector in any order you want, and they click in place and stay.  Then you can plug it into things that have the counterpart Molex connector.  If you try hard enough, you can rearrange the pins in them after they're made.

And, if you attach them to the end of a frosting tube full of mashed potatoes, they make fries.

[RacerX]

I am using printer cable on my swappable panels, and it works great for me.  Mine is a two player cab, though.

[TomJBart]

Hi Ghouly,

Printer cables and cheap and easy and hi recommended.  The main reasons I use them is they are significantly neater then 25 separate wires, and the female / male connectors you contect them to are cheap and easy to attach, ever for someone as bad with a soldering iron as I am.

Good luck
TJB

[taz-nz]

I'd go with 36pin Centronics connectors, almost as cheap as parallel cable (DB25) but more robust, large pin contact area for better conductivity. Near indestructible design, as where it is very easy to bend the pins on a DB25 plug and the sockets on DB25 tend to ware out fairly quickly. You can also get Centronics plugs with clips to hold them together when connected.

Just get a Male to Female 36pin Centronics cable and cut it in half, or rip apart an old printer and take out the Socket and us the Centronics end of the printer cable, or if you need more pins buy a cheap removable HDD rank and take the 50pin Centronics connectors out of it.

[Hoe]

I don't know what your saying, dsubs dieing on you. I've been a blind dsub advocate for a while now and never suffered much trouble.

www.futurlec.com, you can get some db37's for cheap, and hoods.

It wouldn't suprise me that what ever connector these guys are saying is better, but I've never had experience with them. DB's have been good to me- never saw a reason to solder around.

[kspiff]

I've tried several other solutions (d-subs, etc.), and would have to agree that molexes are best.. lots of flexibility due to varying pin quantities, easy to crimp, durable, and they're what real arcade machines use!

[Ghouly]

Thanks for the help everyone, I think I'm gunna see what kind of Molex connectors I can find. Thanks again.