Stupid supergun wiring question

So I've accumulated almost all the parts and am getting ready to wire up my supergun, but I ran into a few questions that my electronically-ignorant mind can't quite get around.

First and probably most stupidly, I've got a DPDT switch that I intend to use to cut the +5v and 12v from the power supply (it's an SC200 so no -5v); this is the proper way to go about a power switch, right? Also, the switch is rated 10 amps at 125v; I'm not going to have any impedence problems running such a relatively small current through such a high-rated switch, am I?

For the wiring from the power supply, since I have to have multiple +5v, 12v, and ground connections going to various components or parts of the JAMMA harness, I was thinking of taking the inputs from the power supply and soldering them to a piece of proto board with the long copper traces, from which I could pull my multiple leads for +5v, gnd, etc. Is this a good idea? Is there a better way of doing this?

Finally, I want to wire in a power LED, but don't want it sitting on the input direct from the power supply. What's the best place to put one? I thought about putting it at the very end of the proto board (assuming that's not a stupid idea) and just connecting it between the +5 and gnd traces with proper resistors. Is that how it should work?

Apologies for how stupid these questions sound; most supergun instructions online are pretty general and seem to assume one already knows how this stuff works.

Sounds solid.

That's a lot more planned out than mine was, and mine works fine. Instead of the proto board for the multiple power leads, mine just has the wires clumped together with solder. It was hard just to get it to hold.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103229

I use one of those. Input power at one spot. Connect it to others with a jumper...and suddenly you have lots of screw on terminals to which you can connect things that need power. Your way will work, but I did it my way so I could easily swap out components, should they ever break. My supergun's fan broke a few months ago...and it was a quick, five minute swap after I crimped on a new set of terminals to the fan. But I'm the anal sort and like to have everything neat and modular.

Good luck, GSL...

...now there a vaguely familiar internet name.

If the wire you're using for power from the PSU to the JAMMA edge is small enough to fit into a perf board, you are going to have current issues and most boards won't work. You need to use a decent gauge wire for the power, not thin wire like 22 gauge.

Neo Alec said:

That's a lot more planned out than mine was

Click to expand...

Well, I've done some pretty piss-poor planning on some other small soldering projects I've done, so I want to make sure I get this one right. It's annoying enough to have to run back to Radioshack if I screw something up, but considering half my parts were mail-order, there's a zero-tolerance policy in place for bungling.

Blur2040 said:

Good luck, GSL...

...now there a vaguely familiar internet name.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I had considered using one of those but didn't think about how I'd go about wiring everything. Might go your way to save on soldering. And yes, it's probably the vaguely familiar name you're thinking of.

madman said:

If the wire you're using for power from the PSU to the JAMMA edge is small enough to fit into a perf board, you are going to have current issues and most boards won't work. You need to use a decent gauge wire for the power, not thin wire like 22 gauge.

Click to expand...

What gauge would you suggest? I think the wire I'm currently going to use is 18 gauge; is that still too small? Should I use the larger wire for all of the power and ground connections to various parts, or just for the +5 and 12 volts to the harness?

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses.

18 gauge wire is perfect.


As far as the PSU I think you should go for a PSU that will supply you with all 3. A lot of boards out there require the -5v. Why make a limited use supergun? Everytime you buy a PCB you are gonna have to find out if it needs -5v.

Here's a diagram I made if you need it:
http://www.jamma-nation-x.com/jammax/tutorials.html?show=basicsg

I'm using the current +5v and 12v only PSU I have because, well, it's the one I have right now. The only PCB I've got happens to be an MV-1F, and unless the issue is severely under-represented, it sounds like there's just a handful of board which have problems without the -5v line (at least, judging from the thread on the topic). I do intend to make all of the wiring as modular as can be and eventually spring for a proper arcade PSU (Happ has some decently priced ones) once I start buying more boards, if the wife doesn't kill me for suggesting such a thing. But since this is the "My First Supergun" project, I'm just keeping things simple with as many parts as I've got onhand as possible. If I don't botch this up, I'll think about adding bigger and better things.

That diagram of yours I actually stumbled across a few weeks ago; it's definitely going to be one of the main points of reference for the assembly. Thanks for putting it together.

Use a 5 pin din socket for your PSU, this way you can easily prepare for the future upgrade of the PSU.

Yep, that's what I'll be implementing, once the replacement part arrives from Mouser. I inadvertantly ordered a 5-pin DIN with the pins in a 240-degree arc instead of the 180 required by the current PSU. That was a bit frustrating.

I've used an SC200 with a 240 arc and had no problem, it's just a little tighter than the 180 which I think is better. I hate that loose feeling.