Ribbon cable
A flat ribbon cable is a multi-core cable in which the cores are not arranged in a circular bundle in a round insulating tube, but rather run parallel to one another. It is primarily used to connect multipolar signal lines in electronic assemblies and computers .
For the two-core, symmetrical antenna cable (ribbon cable) used previously, see ribbon cable .
Multi-core ribbon cables have the advantage that a large number of cores can be connected to a post connector , solder adapter or other connector (e.g. D-Sub connector) with little effort using insulation displacement technology , instead of having to strip them individually and then solder them . The crosstalk of signals is also lower in the flat ribbon cable than in the round cable and can be better controlled through the arrangement of the signals and the use of ground lines between critical signals.
Mostly a light gray PVC material is used, with a red or black border indicating the first conductor. However, there are also color-coded ribbon cables in which adjacent cores have ten different colors according to DIN IEC 62 . With larger ribbon cables, the colors are repeated according to the corresponding number of wires.
Ribbon cables have up to 96 cores. The distance between the wires can be 0.5 mm to 2.54 mm. The most commonly used pitch is 1.27 mm (0.05 " = 50 mil ) as it allows for easy connection with double-row post connectors for 2.54 mm headers .
Ribbon cables can also be provided with a shield , usually an aluminum or copper foil wrapped around it .
For aerodynamic reasons, ribbon cables in the PC sector have been partially replaced by round cables since the 2000s, as ribbon cables impair the air flow in the housing much more than round cables.
Special forms
A special form is the flat round cable, in which the flat ribbon cable is rolled up and laid in a round sheath, sometimes with a shield. To connect, the remote ends can be unrolled and crimped onto post connectors.
Ribbon cables are also manufactured as twisted pair cables , whereby only the ends are shaped like normal ribbon cables, while two cables are twisted together in between.
The foil cable (also flat-flex cable) is a type of construction that does not use a stranded wire , but rather metal strips attached to polyester , the ends of which can be plugged directly onto connectors designed for this purpose. Internationally, this design is also known under the name Flexible Flat Cable or FFC .
The FPC cable (Flexible Printed Circuit) is a special form of a flexible printed circuit board .
literature
- Friedrich Wittgruber: Digital interfaces and bus systems. Springer Fachmedien, Wiesbaden 1999, ISBN 978-3-528-07436-4 .
- Helmut Müller, Georg Bieber (ed.): Principles of constructive design. Volume 2, Friedrich Vieweg & Sohn, Wiesbaden 1983, ISBN 978-3-528-04201-1 .
- Alfred Olbrich: Networks - Protocols - Specifications. 1st edition, Friedrich Vieweg & Sohn, Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 3-528-05846-3 .
- Leonhard Stiny: Passive electronic components. 2nd edition, Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-658-08651-0 .
