You can have these.100_7592.jpg. I just spent 3 hours replacing all of them with the crimp type. I think Marco Specialties carries a good selection of IDC for pinball

I don't know about availability in Sydney but I have had no problems getting them in the US. I know last time I purchased any Terry at Pinball Life fixed me up. I used to be hung up on putting back on what comes off but just recently I used 156 Molex just as others here have suggested for years and I feel much better about the connection with them. I now have a plastic parts box full of IDC connectors that I'm not sure I will use again.

PBL has them:

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=catalog&parent=235&pg=1

Marco as well - http://www.marcospecialties.com/control/keywordsearch;jsessionid=EACBD7E595BB249F35F2A01FB13ED1C9.jvm1?SEARCH_STRING=IDC+Connector

I know several people say that IDC fail and can make poor connections!

IDC is far from obsolete. Many other industries use them other than Pinball. Folks may prefer Molex crimp pins, but IDC isn't going anywhere.

Marc

have you tried pinball.co (pinball spare parts australia)? the last time that I looked, they had a quite a large assortment of IDC connectors and they are [more] local to you

Here is a link to digikey, they have all kinds. Let me know if you need assistance.

http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?WT.z_header=search_go&lang=en&site=us&keywords=A31618&x=-768&y=-51&formaction=on

Personally, if you have the right tool, IDC works well for LOW AMP usage -- switch matrix and other signals (and individual lamp drivers on non-matrix'ed boards like classic Bally/Stern). For high amp draw like GI -- if the old was torched, I'd replace those few with trifucon (3 sided) crimp connectors.

Agree, I have never had an issue with my IDC connections. I have had several machines where the wire sheathing was burned/dried out and I just cut the wire back a little to get it where it was good and reset it. I use the tool pictured!

IDCTool.jpg

I bought this, a bit pricey but I was wearing out the plastic t-handled ones. This has a metal tip.

image-124.jpg

IDC all the way. Crimping those TINY connectors is such a pain in the ass. I agree. Low voltage, IDC is still easiest.

Heh - from that GPE listing: "Great Plains Electronics does not sell or recommend IDC type connectors for cable repair."

No, but IDC connectors should only be made in a factory to speed up assembly. In every other aspect, they are inferior to good crimp contact.

I'll never replace IDC with IDC...ugh. It irks me to hell and back that Stern loves them so much all of their light sockets are IDC. If I ever have to replace one, it's going to be a rats nest of wires to figure that one out...

Yep it sucks.... but Stern does it so they can speed up assembly to keep their prices low. =D

Easier to IDC than solder or crimp.

IDC is advantageous for manufacturing, inferior to crimp, and not yet obsolete.

"In insulation displacement technology (IDT or IDC), an insulated wire is pressed into a terminal slot smaller than the conductor diameter, displacing the insulation to make electrical contact. In application, insulation need not be removed, which is a major advantage of this method of termination using Insulation Displacement Connectors (IDC). That is, the advantage to IDC connectors is that assembly time is dramatically reduced, decreases cost. This is why most pinball manufacturers used this (crappy!) style of connector termination originally. IDC connectors are not used for reliability, they are used to decrease assembly cost. Hence as a replacement, this style connector should be avoided."

http://www.pinrepair.com/connect/

The Black Knight I bought had IDC's. There were several failed repair attempts with IDC's on low voltage items. Had numerous issues with things not working. Replaced ALL IDC's with molex crimps the game has been in use for 6 months so far without a single hiccup. The Jungle Lord got the same treatment and when powered up for the first time not a single issue. When doing the Jungle Lord I noticed several wires in the IDC connectors that would spin freely, cannot tell me there was a proper connection there. I say Molex trifucron (or however you spell it) crimps all the way. About 3 hours of PITA work and $25 in parts.

My new Stern Mustang has all IDC's in the back box. So they are not obsolete to them. But they are another reason for the haters to hate.

IDC's are not unsafe per se, but a crimp connection is generally considered superior. As others have said, IDC still has a place in many applications. There are a few IDC's in my SI pin back box, which I'm gonna replace with crimp molex connectors.

We've been using hand crimped Molex connectors on our products for over two decades for superb reliability.

IMG_20140617_072021898.jpg

The best and easiest IDC termination tool.

http://www.onlinecomponents.com/itw-pancon-mmit100f.html?p=11610257

If you have to use IDC or you simply want to re-secure old IDC connectors this is a must have tool hands down.

Jim Shird even sells them at expo because he uses them when designing harnesses.

Low voltage <> Low amperage

Each pin on an IDC is probably rated to about 5A max and realistically only can provide about 2 A before starting to warm up and get worse with oxidation over time. Crimp pins usually are around 5-7A but trifucon pins can be upwards of 10-13A.

A chain of just 20 6.3V GI lamps pulls 5A, more than enough to cause a problem at the pin or the IDC point itself. While a +100V line of 0.1A to a plasma display will never ever cause a problem with a pin overheating.

80-90$ for an IDC tool? I'd better be able to rewire the entire backbox in an hour with that thing...

When I was making tons of connections, I actually bought the next one up, the CTD-156F. It has a ratcheting handle and self-advances to the next wire location. It cut the time necessary for me to make harness to a third of the cheap ones. I got mine used on EBay for $80.

If you're just doing a few, the red metal one above is worth the extra money (to me) over a plastic one.

See, that I can understand. If it was 80 bucks for a ratcheting tool, I'd get it....and especially with how much work you've been doing, YES.

If you can't do an entire Backbox in an hour with the Pancon then there is something wrong. That is how good and easy this tool is not only that it really pushes the wire into the connector the way it should be.

Disclaimer I have nothing to do with Pancon I just like to share great tips.

Where are you getting that "10-13A" figure? Out of thin air? Molex's own data sheets for the KK series connectors shows NO difference in current rating between a standard crimp connector and the Trifurcon variety; 7A for phosphor-bronze tin plated crimp terminals. See for yourself:

Standard: http://www.molex.com/pdm_docs/ps/PS-08-50.pdf
Trifurcon: http://www.molex.com/pdm_docs/ps/PS-40-02.pdf

According to Molex the Trifurcon crimp terminals are "ideal for high-vibration environments with superior electrical reliability".

I haven't had much luck with this tool. Just doesn't seem to be able to insert the wires deep enough and my connections using it look nothing like factory. Have a flaky wire on a connector in LW3. Know exactly which which and it consistently loose connection. This tool won't secure it enough for me.

PoMC, I have had the complete opposite luck with the tool. When I do it I put the connector against a hard surface and push. You can feel when the wire goes into the connector. It does take a little bit of a push! Maybe the tool Tmezel shows above is easier!?!?!

I was just throwing that out as a relative number to doing the thing with molex... I've never used an IDC pusher because......I don't use IDC.

You don't know what you are missing! JK

Yes I too am of the Molex, Trifurcon camp however that being said if there ever is a need to work with IDC connectors the Pancon is the tool to use.

Heh, looks like it is the pins on the board with the issue. I had no problem using that tool on Baywatch, but LW3 was being flaky and I thought it was a loose wire in the connector, but actually it was the board pins.

I go with the older style when possible. Buy Molex or Mode Electronics parts. I just bought 1000 bags of .100 & .156 contacts for $23.54 Canadian + our 15% tax each bag. So that works out to 2.354 cents a contact. ROHS compliant. They discontinued 10 position .156 plastic housing. I bought 60 8 position ones for 34 cents each + 15% tax.

I salvage all the Bally ones I junk, to reuse them. 20 position display ones are used a lot on older style transformers. I don't like GPE ones, Mode are similar to Molex.

002-352.JPG

?
... most of the GPE connectors more than similar to Molex... they *are* Molex brand connectors. All 0.062, 0.084 and 0.093 are genuine Molex. For most sizes of 0.1 and 0.156 - I offer genuine Molex as well as a cheaper alternative ... just like the Vensik/Neltron type plugs offered by Mode.

But when it comes to 0.1 and 0.156 (and 0.062, 0.084 & 0.156) crimp contacts -- I only offer Molex. Yes, I can sell 1000 pc bags of contacts at $20/bag and actually did in the past ... but you get Chinese contacts. I experimented with these contacts several years back - there are several posters on this forum that can attest to how these contacts wear with age.

I have no problems with them over the many years (16+) & hundreds (300) of Bally pins I have brought back to life. I have bought about 7000 Mode Electronics contacts over the years, & they are ROSH compliant. I buy stuff from GPE, but I won't buy anymore contact connectors. Don't like them compared to the white ones from Mode or old used Molex ones in Bally pins. I buy Trifurcon contacts from GPE. That's my observations, if others want to step forward please do. I have no idea if the other Chinese contacts come from others or from Mode Electronics. I buy mine from my biggest local electronics parts distributor RAE Electonics.

I can attest that I haven't seen these wear or break down, as compared to the original Molex? ones used by Bally back in the late 70's.

I plan on buying more parts from GPE in the future, except the for the contact connectors. Which I dislike (my personal opinion). They look like a cream color from GPE.

I'm operating old Bally pins also. It was interesting how in the past techs would solder the wires to the pins for reliability (eliminate contacts). When I see this I bring it back to original & use new boards if needed. Earlier days I just replaced with new pins.

I try and reuse connector housing but when i cant, there is nothing wrong with the value housing. Housing is simple enough for China not to mess up. I could care less about the shade of color to the housing.

I have used probably 1000s of single wipe china crimp contacts only on low current applications and trifurcon molex on high current. My test bed bally has had probably 200 connector cycles, if not many more with them and no issues yet. I should pop some pins and look at them.

I just always assumed this was a tech being lazy and/or lacking the right part

Had a look at my carry case of service parts. Here is a picture of the white .156" contact housing & .100" contact housing. I personally dislike them & use old Bally or new Mode Electronic ones if available. I just find they are too tight for going onto pin headers, & don't like the feel using them. Others may love them, I don't!

I will say it again that I buy stuff from GPE, & like most of the products except for these. My personal opinion repairing hundreds of Bally pins of my own & others.

001-198.JPG

Try Tayda Electronic's china housing. They are dirt cheap, not as bleech white color, and the plastic is a tad softer (probably cheaper plastic). Everything is the right size and pins fit, secure, release as they should.

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/connectors-sockets/wafer-housing-crimp-terminal/serie-2400-3-96mm.html

I use their wafer header pins too. Gone through 1000s of 9pin ones, cheap and good.