You might have a DIY laser, or laser other than K40 and need the MG3 connector specs.

For the large 4 pin power connector on the Mini Gerbil controller, you’ll need to construct the mating part from its two components:

  • 4 position nylon housing – note the vendor’s image shows a generic photo of the type, don’t worry the actual unit is four positions as required
  • Socket terminal – package qty is one only, so you will need to order at least 4.

You will then need to solder or crimp your wires into the terminals, and then insert them into the housing.

For the smaller specialised connectors:

The smaller non-specialised connectors are simply 0.1″ (2.54mm) pin headers, so search for any ‘Dupont’ style connectors that meet your requierd combination of male-female, female-female etc. See this example

The K40 uses a 12 conductor FFC cable (although it’s typically incorrectly called a ribbon cable, even by us!) with 1.25mm pitch. See this handy guide to learn more about FFC. The cable is a tricky one for a few reasons:

  • it’s difficult to buy – A full sized replacement cable cannot be bought anywhere to my knowledge. At some point in the future Awesome Tech may sort this out by having a batch custom made. In the mean time, the best we can find is a very short version. Think carefully about how you might use it before you purchase it. The female socket for the cable is available online.
  • realistically it can’t be cut short, insulation removed or soldered to – trust me, I’ve tried! If your connectors are worn, consider if you can carefully cut a very thin strip (sharp scissors!) from the end of the connector, as this will allow the ribbon socket to connect to a point higher up the conductor where it isn’t worn out.