Autosport Labs

I have an RCP mk2. I'm currently using all 7 analog inputs, about to be using all 3 digital PWM inputs. Not to mention I'm using up the 3 GPIO outputs for a ShiftX, yada yada yada.

Suffice to say my wiring is pretty substantial yet somewhat neatly done. Despite that, I'm OCD so I'm going to be redoing my wiring. Aside from Power, Ground and 5V Ref output which will remain 18 AWG wire, I will be dropping all sensors/inputs to 22awg milspec wiring to reduce the size of the wiring harness. I will be incorporating the ASL breakout board (https://www.autosportlabs.com/product/s ... out-board/) but i want to do something a bit above and beyond which brings use into terminal talk:


- I want to put the ASL breakout board into a small housing. Then wire it to plug-in connectors mounted to the housing.

- I want to be able to just plug any 2-3 wire sensor and it is receives +5v ref power and ground from the socket and passes off it's 0-5v signal (or PWM).

- I want a connector that's small and somewhat rugged.


So options I have thought of:

+1/4" Stereo. The price, form factor and availability are all good but not sure how rugged it would be. I dont like that the recepticle jack work on contact pressures, so not sure if there is a potential to short while plugging and unplugging. And also building a stereo cable end is no fun with anything > 22awg wire.



+XLR. That is too big so...

+Mini-XLR. Mini-xlr has a nice size, tab to release lock, and has some nice options as far as chassis mounting panels. To me this is worth the jump up from a stereo plug as each wire would have it's own pin/contact. Would prefer the sensors to be the male end of the cable and the chassis to be female end to avoid any shorting potential. Only cons seems to be not as popular and might be tricky to assemble depending on wire gauge as well.



+Binder 711/712. Anyone familiar with AIM stuff should recognize them. Not entirely sure about stock or how to order these though.

When dealing with connectors, something with a positive retainer clip would be good - even an expanded terminal block, again, or a molex connector like we use on the Megajolt.

Let us know if you've found more connector types!

found another. some generic "aviation" plug.

pros: cheap.
cons: no dimensions posted



ebay link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281782878213?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

I went ahead and ordered 10 of those 3 wire aviation plugs in the post above. It was under $10 shipped so I cant complain. I'll post dimensions when they show up.

Looks like these - http://www.switchcraft.com/productsumma ... Parent=473

If you want to use good connectors, Deutsch DT or DTM connectors are a great place to start and a decent price.

http://www.deutschconnector.com/product ... onnectors/

You need a crimping tool, but they are excellent connectors. They are basically what mid level motorsport uses.

If you want the absolute best, you should go to autosport connectors. https://www.prowireusa.com/c-6-deutsch-autosport.aspx They are what Indycar, endurance racing, and anywhere that is super concerned with performance and size use. F1 used to use them, but I think they are on to something new now. We used them exclusively on the Nissan LMP1 team. Be aware, Autosport connectors super expensive and then you buy the pins.

All of that said, our chump team uses the DT connectors when we replace or add a connector. We don't need anything nicer.

Binder USA is another supplier of ruggedized connectors. AIM uses them in their products. https://www.binder-usa.com/

Yea I had listed the Binder parts. Couldnt find many sources to purchase, but costs looked to be over a $10 a connector.

I received the aviation connectors listed in post #3 in the mail today. Surprisingly quick shipping from china, only 7 calendar days. Also surprising, they are pretty nice quality. They are smaller than I expected compact, probably best for 22 AWG wiring.




wanted to post quick sizes

cable side connector:
length: 35mm
barrel/body diameter: 11mm
widest diameter (around the screw down): 15mm
opening for wire entry: 6mm


chassis side receptacle:
diameter: 12.6mm
overall length: 20mm

Now it's just a matter of finding a decent enclosure to mount the ASL breakout board along with these connectors.
Kinda wish the breakout board had chassis mounting screw provisions.

i made a thing.

Looking forward to see the results when you wire it up. Obviously any pro's or cons you encountered are awesome to know about. Cheers.

Mo, that's really great looking. Are the wires wired up in the box?

If you have connectors that are vertical PCB pins, a circuit board could be made that they could all be soldered into.

Did you check out the connectors from Binder?

I'd like somehow to make proper connector RCP itself. Could anyone tell me what is the pitch of it? Is it 3.81mm or 3.5mm? My installer hidden it so deep in the car that I can't reach it at all and next weekend I need to install it at the shop, so need to buy a connector.

Thanks

P.S. BTW - I plan to just use 24AWG DB25 wire with double insulation and use 4 wires for ground and 4 wires for ref voltage. Right now I did everything with separate wires and it's a large mess with labels and thick single core wires.

Hi Mash,

The terminal block is a fairly standard 3.5mm right angle pluggable block. We have them in our online store, but I'm sure you can find one locally as well.

-Brent

Thanks Brent. I wish there were some kind of screw-in type connection. Any plans on MK3? 1ghz, 512Mb ram, 30 adc, 8 audio opto-coupled adc/dac (192khz), 10 tc, bt 4.1, wifi, IP68, sdxc, Lemo/Hirose/... connector.