Molex pin question

demogo

Well-known member

Donor 14 years: 2012-2025
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Messages
14,951
Reaction score
2,102
Location
Texas
Guys,

I have a CP that is all wired up with 9 pin .093 Molex connectors and I think I'm in a situation where I'll have to switch to 12 pin connectors. (I only have 3 buttons; whouda thunkit)?

Anyway, I can cut off every connector and repin every wire or I can use the molex pin removal tool (which I suck at) and extract every pin and transplant them into a 12 pin shell.

Will using a molex pin removal tool compromise these pins in any way over the long haul? As I said, I suck at it and can barely get the removal tool to work so I may be forced to cut them off anyway but I'd rather not re-pin 150 wires if I don't have to.

I will re-pin them if it'll compromise the long term reliability of the connectors/pins.

Thoughts?
 
if you are having problems with the tool, maybe its the wrong one? I have a set of IIRC 4 that are for pretty much every pin, and when I do pin removal, its as simple as insert tool wiggle it a bit to bend in the tabs a bit and slide out the pins.
Somethines though I would have to push up on the wire a bit to get the tabs to stick up some then just wiggle a bit and the pop right out.
 
It's the radio shack one -- I'd read people saying it worked okay.

I thought I read somewhere that the actual Molex tool was better but it was like $20 or so.
 
The Radio Shack tool is a cheapie, but it does work.

The genuine Molex/GC/Waldom tool is much better. I use mine all the time with no adverse problems to the pins.
 
I bought my Molex pin removers from Frys. IIRC they were about $14 each. I think they were the Waldom brand and they work great. I don't have a lot of trust in anything Radio Shack sells these days.

Like everything else, practice makes perfect. It sounds like you are going to be near perfect by the time you are done with that much practice ahead of you...

ken
 
2nd'ed :) . .

The problem is that I'll be using these for my control panel connectors to any of 3 game boardsets in the cab. I currently have one 9 pin connector for each player so to switch a game I'll unplug/plug 4 connectors.

If I add another 3 pin plug to each then I have to swap 8 connectors every time I change a game. I'd rather take my lumps and bruises up-front and stay with 4 connectors to be swapped. :)

> Like everything else, practice makes perfect. It sounds like you are going to be near perfect by the time you are done with that much practice ahead of you..

I can make the RS tool work it's just painful and can take 1-3 minutes per pin. Yuck! Not sure how much of that is the tool or me. Probably some of both.

I think I'm going to get Bob's industrial spring loaded remover for $20 from his website. He said it's a complete breeze to use.
 
Last edited:
So make an adapter so it's all removable easily later

Well, all of the player controls will end up in a 12 pin plug and each of the games that feed each player control will have a mating 12 pin plug.

Is that what you mean by an adapter?
 
Well, all of the player controls will end up in a 12 pin plug and each of the games that feed each player control will have a mating 12 pin plug.

Is that what you mean by an adapter?

Not really

I mean a totally removable piece that mates with your cabinet as it is, but allows for the extra wires / controls
 
Yeah, I understand now.

I'm going to try rethinking this wiring; I think I may have missed something.
 
Yeah, I missed a level of detail.

I think I was making this more complicated than it has to be. :)

There is a place where I have to carry more than 9 wires but it doesn't propagate through all of the wiring so I get to keep my 9 pin connectors. Yay!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom