A ribbon cable is a thin cable composed of multiple small-grade cables parallel to each other. Each cable’s cores are right side by side; they make a wide flat cable resembling a ribbon, hence why it is named a ribbon cable.
Benefits of Flat Ribbon Cables
The ribbon cable’s most beneficial and prominent characteristic is that it is flat and flexible. This flexibility feature makes flat ribbon cables extremely beneficial as they can be easily routed in confined spaces or utilized in applications with less space to connect two components. Ribbon cables are usually colour-coded or edge-marked for orientation purposes and:
- To make installation easier.
- To align the cable conductor to particular pins on the connector
- To minimize the risk of reversed connections.
Folded Flat Ribbon Cable Assemblies
Flat and ribbon cables can be customized when spacing constraints are a limiting design factor. When folding is vital during the assembly process, pre-creased cables limit the stress that cables can usually endure from the standard folding process. Folding cables need specific tools and equipment to ensure the folds are complete and permanent.
Colour Coded Ribbon Cables
Colour-coded ribbon cables are also known as rainbow ribbon cables because they consist of a repeated pattern of colours used to identify conductors. This pattern commonly uses the industry standard resistor colour code where brown would refer to conductor 1, 11, and 21, red refers to the conductor and pin 2, 12, 22, etc. These colour-coded ribbon cables usually feature insulated conductors pulled parallel to each other or produced with twisted pairs with a repeating flat area used for termination on particular length intervals.
Applications of Flat Ribbon Cables
Ribbon cables are typically used for interconnecting internal peripherals in computer systems such as CD drives, hard drives, and floppy drives. The standardization of flat cables allows them to be quickly terminated through insulation displacement or IDC connectors. The ribbon cables are simple and are commonly preferred within computer systems, printers, and many other electronic devices.