<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title></title><style type="text/css">p.MsoNormal,p.MsoNoSpacing{margin:0}</style></head><body><div>On Sat, 7 Sep 2024, at 05:12, James R. Coplin wrote:<br></div><blockquote type="cite" id="qt" style=""><div class="qt-moz-text-html" lang="x-unicode"><div>Basically, the cabinet has
two of these
installed for LED control.<br></div><div> <br></div><div> <a class="qt-moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.ultimarc.com/output/led-and-output-controllers/pacled64/" style="color:rgb(0, 157, 247);">https://www.ultimarc.com/output/led-and-output-controllers/pacled64/</a><br></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>If it were my project I would be awfully tempted to either<br></div><div><br></div><div>* if open source hardware, modify the pacled64 design to use not-shit connectors, or<br></div><div><br></div><div>* make a “lid” board that bolts down to spacers on the mounting holes, with slots for cabling to pass through and attach to the pin headers. You could 3d-print some snugly-fitting plugs for the slots — then you’d have protection from shorting to the whole board rather than merely the connectors<br></div><div><br></div><div>* or make a “lid” board that bolts down to spacers on the mounting holes, with not-shit connectors on the top side and SMD (so no pads on top to accidentally short to) mating connectors underneath<br></div><div><br></div><div>Either way, a mechanically-secured cover for the pins.<br></div><div><br></div><div>When I read your post I immediately started thinking about automotive wiring. There has got to be a better way to manage this mess. Is there an internal panel that you could mount a bulkhead connector on? And then create separate looms for the “front panel” and “brains” sides. It seems there is a “keeping everything immobile” problem here and this is one approach to it. <br></div><div><br></div><div>As someone else said, crimping isn’t hard. The not-shit crimping tools and connectors can be expensive, but think about how much nicer it might be for the next guy ;-)<br></div><div><br></div><div>Deutsch DTM? Would they be too bulky for your wire count? Yes I know they’re expensive<br></div><div><br></div><div>When I received my System80 880 drum machine (Eurorack module) some years back I was astonished to find that the designer had created a “rear panel” PCB for it that had no circuitry but instead had (a) a slot for the Eurorack power connector, and (b) clearly identified holes for all of the trimpots. Really a significant step beyond every other module in my system.<br></div><div><br></div><div>John</div></body></html>