The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Mikebyrne on November 01, 2017, 10:39:14 am
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Just looking for a bit of advice
I strip the wires and fix them into the I-Pac board but some seem to fall out
Should I solder tint the wires or anything before screwing them in place on the board?
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Strip them twice the length of the terminal, twist the strands together and then bend it over before putting them in the terminal.
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Thats what I hve been doing but it still seems too thin
I'll keep trying, thanks for the help
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i am not a fan of the ultimarc terminals.
i too strip them extra long, tin them with solder, then fold them before inserting.
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What type of screwdriver are you using? A typical screwdriver does a poor job getting the screw down tightly. I used a precision screwdriver set and never had any issue, even if the wire is paper thin (I used cat5 cables on my first build with an ipac 4).
DeL
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Like Del said, Long as you use the proper size driver and do them tight should be no issue.
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What guage wire are you using where double folded wire keeps falling out..? Ive never had an issus with any ipacs
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What guage wire are you using where double folded wire keeps falling out..? Ive never had an issus with any ipacs
My money is on ethernet cable...
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If the wire is falling out it simply means its too thin. It will then also be a problem with the crimps on the switch end of the wires.
The recommended min thickness would be 7 x 0.2mm although thats a metric size, it would equate to around 22 AWG.
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agreed, strip 2x the length needed and fold over back onto itself... apply solder to the folded wire end to make a kind of "lug" much thicker than the original wire. you should then be able to properly tighten down the terminal.
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Mine worked fine for years with cat 5 cable on my Ultra Arcade (the tiny wires inside the cat5 sleeve). It made for easy troubleshooting since everything was color coded. However, over time (7 years or so) the crimp connectors would get flaky on the microswitches, so re-did the wiring with 22AWG. But the ipac connections were rock solid. :dunno
DeL
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I would never recommend using ethernet cables for anything other than networking.
Its not designed to be soldered, crimped or terminated using screw terminals.
Its a very brittle cable and easy to damage.
Fine stranded control wire is the way to go :)
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There are 2 types of CAT5 cable... stranded and solid core.
The stranded core cable is designed for general usage. (under 20 feet) Used for making patch cables etc, it's individual wires have several thin strands of copper wire inside. this allows it to be flexible.
The solid core is designed for long distance horizontal and backbone cable runs inside walls and ceilings where it will be installed and NEVER EVER moved. It has low attenuation (lower than stranded cable) making it more suitable in these long runs.
Stranded cables are expensive to manufacture and as such are more expensive than solid conductor cables for the equivalent length. The result of this, is often when you purchase bulk cable, it is often the sold variety to cut down on overhead and increase profit... except solid cable is no good for wiring panels like this.
If you feel you MUST go the CAT5 cable route, use stranded wire cables... but really, regular old wire like what is found in every other arcade game in existence is just fine. You aren't going to be leaving the panel open like some kind of car meetup anyways.