.Info about Cabling and Connectors

This page has my notes about Molex Connectors and Hookup Wire

Molex 0.062″ (1.57mm) Housings and Pins

This is the series we used to use for the 24-pin connectors when looming arcade machines. The maximum current rating per pin is 4A.

A full list of 0.062″ pins and housings is available here -> Molex Online Product List

The best source of information is this current Molex Webpage (has links to part numbers for pins and housings): http://www.molex.com/molex/products/family?key=standard_062&channel=products&chanName=family&pageTitle=Introduction

Housings

This is the Molex 1625 Series.

These connectors used to be available in up to 36 circuits. I used the 24-pin version extensively back in the 1980s and 1990s. Sadly, it seems that the larger connectors are now obsolete. This series (as of 12/2022) is only available in up to 15 circuits.

24-pin plug is Molex P/N 03-06-2241 (formerly 1625-24P): Molex Product Page and Engineering Drawing

24-pin receptacle is Molex P/N 03-06-1241 (formerly 1625-24R): Molex Product Page and Engineering Drawing

Female Pins

These used to be known as H9008. Suits AWG 18-24.

A part number for these is Molex 02-06-1101. Part of the 1561 Series. Suits AWG 18-24. Product Information PDF

Another part number is 02-06-1103 (also part of the 1561 series, and also for 18-24AWG). Product Information PDF

They are available from:

Male Pins

These used to be known as P/N H9007. Suits AWG 18-24.

A part number for these is Molex 02-06-2101. Part of the 1560 Series. Suits AWG 18-24. Product Information PDF

Another part number is 02-06-2103 (also part of the 1560 series, and also for 18-24AWG). Product Information PDF

They are also available from:

Molex 0.093″ (2.36mm) Housings and Pins

Here is the main product specification for Molex 0.093″ housings and pins -> Molex Product Specification

Housings

The main 0.093″ housings that I use are as follows:

  • 2 Pin: 1545 Series. Plug: Molex 03-09-2021 (1545-P). Receptacle: Molex 03-09-1027 (1545-R3)
  • 3 Pin: 1396 Series. Plug: Molex 03-09-2031 (1396-P). Receptacle: Molex 03-09-1031 (1396-R)
  • 6 Pin: 1261 Series. Plug: Molex 03-09-2061 (1261-P). Receptacle: Molex 03-09-1061 (1261-R)
  • 12 Pin: 1360 Series. Plug: Molex 03-09-2031 (1360-P). Receptacle: Molex 03-09-1121 (1360-R)

The pinout for the 1261-R is shown to the right here, looking into the receptacle from the mating face.

Female Pins

These used to be known as M1189-TL. For AWG 14-20.

AMG has these available (12/2022) for $0.22/ea for QTY of 100.

Element14 has them as:

  • AWG 14-20 (1189 Series): Molex P/N 02-09-1102 (Element14 P/N 2063727) for $0.10/ea in 100+ in 12/2022. In 07/2017 was $0.122/ea in QTY of 100+
  • AWG 18-22 (1381 Series): Molex P/N 02-09-1117 (Element14 P/N 2396358) for $0.909/ea in 100+ in 12/2022

They are also available from Wiltronics (Ballarat) for $0.015 each (in QTY of 100+): https://www.wiltronics.com.au/product/3305/2-36mm-diameter-crimp-socket-suit-housings-2/

Male Pins

These used to be known as M1190-TL. For AWG 14-20.

AMG has these available (12/2022) for $0.22/ea for QTY of 100.

Element14 has them as:

  • AWG 14-20 (1190 Series): Molex P/N 02-09-2103 (Element14 P/N 2725172) for $0.185/ea in 100+ in 12/2022. In 07/2017 was $0.085/ea in QTY of 100+
  • AWG 18-22 (1380 Series): Molex P/N 02-09-2118 (Element14 P/N 2725171) for $0.221/ea in 100+ in 12/2022. In 07/2017 was $0.101/ea in QTY of 100+

They are also available from Wiltronics (Ballarat) for $0.016 each (in QTY of 100+): https://www.wiltronics.com.au/product/3304/2-36mm-diameter-crimp-pin-suit-housings-2/

Hookup Wire

Useful charts for wire size

The Engineering Toolbox’s AWG Wire Gauge Chart and Table

Stranded Wire Chart (AWG) [local copy of this table is available here]

Calmont’s Solid and Stranded Conductor AWG Chart

Canford’s Metric/AWG wire size equivalents chart [local copy of this table is available here]

Thin hookup wire (24 AWG, 0.22mm²)

The thin hookup wire that I use is “7×0.2”, meaning 7 strands of 0.2mm diameter wire. This equates to 7 strands of 32 AWG wire, giving an overall result of 24 AWG, which is 0.22mm². The insulation has an outside diameter of 1.12mm.

The existing reels that I have name two manufacturers:

  • Tycab Australia (with a part number of HVT1702, for black wire)
  • Australian Isola Materials, of 4 Capital Drive Dandenong

Medium hookup wire (20 AWG, 0.5mm²)

The hookup wire that we used for looming up arcade machines (and for making adapter harnesses for arcade PCBs) in the 1980s and 1990s was typically 10 strands of 0.25mm diameter wire. An example is Tycab Australia’s HVT110025 (datasheet available here). This equates to 10 strands of 30 AWG wire, giving an overall result of 20 AWG, which is 0.5mm². The insulation typically had an outside diameter of 1.75-1.85mm. 20AWG wire currently available on the market (as at April 2025) is typically 16 strands of 0.2mm.

It appears there is no longer any locally-manufactured hookup wire available in Australia. Some traditional retailers, such as Radio Parts, have partial stocks available (often only one or two colours). For the full range of colours it appears the only options are major multi-national suppliers (Farnell, Mouser, etc) or direct from Chinese sellers via eBay.

The most economical options I can find for ongoing supply (in all 10 standard colours) are as follows:

  • Multicomp’s “Defense Standard 61-12 Part 6 and BS 4808 Part 2” Equipment Wire (datasheet available here). The part number for 0.5mm² black wire in 100m rolls is MP005355 and has a nominal outside diameter of 1.55mm (+/- 0.1mm). As at April 2025 it is A$51.56 (incl GST) per roll (Element14 P/N 3536107). This price has increased about 30% in the past 24 months
  • Multicomp’s “Tri-Rated Flexible PVC Equipment Wire” Equipment Wire (datasheet available here). The part number for 0.5mm² black wire in 100m rolls is PP001185 and has a nominal outside diameter of 2.7mm (+/- 0.3mm). As at April 2024 it is A$49.18 (incl GST) per roll (Element14 P/N 2501424). I have some samples of this product (in varying wire thicknesses) but have not bought it in quantity as I prefer the thinner outside diameter of the other Multicomp product line

There are plenty of other alternatives available (at Mouser, Element14, etc) but these are typically A$2.00 per metre, or more.

Arcade Machine Wiring

Back in the early 1980s, we operated a large number of video arcade machines (think moon patrol, frogger, scramble, rally-x, etc).

Like most other operators, we wanted to be able to change games on site without moving entire machines around.

However there was no standard PCB pinout for video games back then (JAMMA fixed this in about the mid 1990s). So arcade machines were typically custom-wired to suit one specific game board. To overcome this, we adopted a standard wiring scheme for our arcade machines, so we could easily move games from site to site. Each game board would have a short harness to adapt between the game-specific edge connector, and the standard wiring scheme in our arcade cabinets. We literally made hundreds of those adpater harnesses over the years!

The system we used was based on the Molex connectors described above. We didn’t invent this wiring scheme. We adopted it from Graham Costello (Dynavision) and I think it was in use by a couple of other operators at the time as well (possibly Child Amusements and Astro Action Amusements). It used a 1261-R for power to the game board, a [24-pin-062]-R for video, coin, speaker and player 1 controls, and a 1360-R for player 2 controls (for table-top machines, or for uprights with controls for 2 players).

Later, when control panels needed to be expanded to 6-buttons-per-player (think Street Fighter 2), we added a second 1261-R for the extra 3 buttons per player (ie the one connector had the extra buttons for both player 1 and player 2).

3 Extra Buttons

A 1261-Series connector is used to provide 3 extra buttons to player 1 and player 2. The receptable (female connector and pins) is wired to the control panel, and the plug (male connector and pins) is wired to the game PCB.

The pin connections on the 1261 connector is as follows:

  • Pin 1: Player 1 Button 4
  • Pin 2: Player 1 Button 5
  • Pin 3: Player 1 Button 6
  • Pin 4: Player 2 Button 4
  • Pin 5: Player 2 Button 5
  • Pin 6: Player 2 Button 6