"You Don't Know Jack" Hand Buzzers

Phase II

By Nick Vazzana
December 2006

Phase II: Arcade Cabinet Integration

First, identify which tabs on the back of the female jack blocks you need in order to make the connection to the keyboard encoder. You only need 2 tabs, so once you figure out which ones make contact with the respective sections on the male jack (at the end of the handbuzzer), clip the unwanted tabs off and leave the 2 you need.

Only 2 of the 4 tabs are needed. Clip the other 2 off.

Cut 2 lengths of wire equal to the distance between the keyboard encoder and where you'll be mounting the jack. Solder each wire to one of the tabs you saved earlier. If you want to make things a little more organized, you can make a TWP (twisted-wire pair) by following tip #6 located here.

Soldering the keyboard wiring to the jack.

Drill a hole equal to the width of the jack somewhere on or near the CP and push the female jack through the hole from the inside of the cab. I decided to place mine under the front face of the CP so wasnt visible and would keep the lines of the cab clean. Tip: Use a Dremel or narrow file to shape the hole so the jack makes a better fit.

Take your time! Don't hit any other wires!

We'll clean up later!

Position the opening of the female jack block so its flush with the outer face of the cab. Hold it there and fill the drilled-out hole with hot-glue from inside the cabinet, preventing the jack from moving around when you go to insert the plug.

Pre-fit jacks prior to mounting with hot-glue

Make sure you hold them in place while you glue.

When the hot-glue cools, run one wire from the jack to the "ground" on the encoder, and the other to an open input.

Connecting the jack to the encoder.

Finished wiring job.

Removable Buzzers connected to the outside of the cabinet.

Bring on the game shows!

Back To Phase I: Build The Controls

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Head Over To Nick's Site For More Pictures

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