If you have to disconnect a wire connector inside a pinball machine, I
recommend that you mark the connector housing. I recommend that you mark
assembly and board connectors for two reasons. The first reason is two fold
- expediency and assuredness. You can correctly replace the connector
faster if you have labeled it. The second reason is that there are,
sometimes, errors and omissions in manuals. If you use the manual as a
guide when replacing the connectors, you can't always count on the manual to
be one hundred percent correct.
When disconnecting wires in your pinball game, pull on the body of the
connector and not the wires. Then, immediately, label the connector. I do
not recommend the use of paper labels. They dry up and fall off. Instead,
use black indelible ink on white connectors and silver ink on black
connectors.
You can mark assembly connectors with their feature designation. (i.e. ULVUK Upper Left Vertical Up Kicker) And, mark board connectors with their location. (i.e. J112)
Most, but not all, connectors are keyed. So they will only go back together
one way. Connectors that are not keyed by shape or stops can also be
labeled with a polarity mark. Use a single stripe that goes over both
connector halves. When its time to reconnect the halves, all you have to do
is complete the line.
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