What Is a Ribbon Cable?

A ribbon cable is a cable that has multiple wires that are tied together by a flat, wide band. The concept of a ribbon cable is simple, but its implementation varies.

The original 3-M ribbon cable was embedded with multiple wires in a thick and prominent gray plastic insulation medium. Later color

For many years, traditional round wire cables have been widely used in industry and agriculture,

The conductor is made of a variety of metals such as copper, aluminum, steel, nickel and other alloys. Among them, copper and aluminum are the most commonly used. The conductor of a round conductor ribbon cable can be composed of a single or 7 stranded wires, and a flat conductor can be made by cutting copper foil or flattening a round wire with a corresponding cross section. In order to identify the convenience of welding and improve the oxidation resistance of the conductor, tin, silver or nickel plating is allowed. Where sufficient adhesion between plastic and metal conductors is required, conductors with black copper oxide on the surface can be used. Some special occasions Brass, bronze, silver or stainless steel can also be used as the conductor. ^[1]

The most common ribbon cable has a conductor center distance of 0.06 inches (1.27 mm). When the specification is AWG26 or 28 (0.13 ~ 0.08 mm), the conductor is a single wire or a wire; when the specification is AWG30, the conductor is a single wire. There are 18 different widths, 9 ~ 64 cores. The cable is rated at 150 volts or 300 volts and is rated at 1 amp. Standard ribbon cable connectors are suitable for a range of cable sizes. Some cables also include a flexible braided metal ground plane or braided metal shield. When transmitting large currents, use wires and cables with a large center distance. ^[2]

Ribbon cable is a general term that refers to a cable consisting of multiple conductors or multiple single cores, with cables arranged in parallel on the same plane and insulated or fixed. ^[1]

Ribbon cable general application

Because of the many advantages of ribbon cables, it is now widely used not only in military radio electronics but also in civilian applications. Especially with the increasing development of space technology, ribbon cables that can meet stringent requirements are increasingly available. Welcome to Vietnam. It has been widely used in aircraft, rockets, missiles, satellite and spacecraft ground support equipment, electronic computers, instruments, control systems, sending and feedback equipment, telemetry and communication equipment, etc. ^[1]

Special applications for ribbon cables

Flat conductor ribbon cables can perform special tasks that cannot be accomplished by general round cables. ^[1]

1. Make fine vertical corrugations along the length of the ribbon cable to make it softer. This type of cable is suitable for installation on one end of a fixed, and the other end is an electrical connection of an electronic control cabinet that can be switched or pulled out, and can ensure reliable work.

2. Utilizing the heat setting characteristics of the polyacetate film, the ribbon cable can be made into a flexible cable component such as corrugated protection and convolution. The corrugated ribbon cable is mounted on a fixed end plate and the other end is mounted on a flexible Move on the pull-out device.

3. The U-shaped ribbon cable can be used in the electrical connection of the pull-out device made in translation. It can allow very small bending radii.