Flat ribbon cables are an essential part of many electronic applications, providing features that cannot be obtained by round cables or other cable types. With their unique flat, ribbon-style construction these cables are available in 4 to 80 conductor versions which makes them very flexible for various connectivity requirements. The computing industry uses flat ribbon cables: for example, to connect hard drives and CD/DVD-ROM drives as well as other peripheral devices to the mother board. This is designed for easy organization and takes up very little space in cable management.
The flat ribbon cables (for example) in the picture below, brought to market by so many well-known brands nowadays have a big plus especially when there are longer distances. In the above figure, you can see how conductors within a cable are arranged in parallel to mitigate crosstalk and EMI which is key in maintaining signal integrity. For instance, telecommunication-hostile high data transmission rates are maintained with improved interference resistance.
Flat ribbon cables are not only more cost-effective but also score high ease of use when installing and replacing them. Despite the unique architecture, these cables are cheap and easy to produce. Flat Ribbon Cable - A standard flat ribbon cable costs between $0.10 to $.50 per foot depending upon the number of conductors and insulation quality used on average basis This price point makes them popular for high volume applications requiring more than a few connections, like in the construction of computer servers or industrial control systems.
So being durable and easy to install are important points too. Flat ribbon cables make excellent candidates for folding and navigating tight paths while still maintaining their structure. This makes them perfect for use in situations where space is restricted, like aerospace and military equipment. One example hereof is to assemble flat ribbon cables developed by NASA in spacecraft to facilitate small geometrical packing and compliance with stringent aerospace reliability issues.
Flat ribbon cables are integral in the automotive sector for constructing modern-day vehicles. Control systems: Airbag Systems, Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Infotainment System are the control systems uses these cables Compact design ensure optimised use of space inside the car structure thereby contributing in weight reduction and improved performance. The importance of flat ribbon cables is also found in these systems as they are critical to the safe operation and use of a vehicle.
Many of the big guns (example, Intel) in the industry have highlighted usage of flat ribbon cables needed for their products to improve performance and reliability. Complexity for minimum component costs has increased at a rate of roughly two per year (based on the Theorem) — Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel This highlights the increasing demand for effective, quality cable solutions such as flat flex ribbon cables in an ever-changing electronics landscape.
Flat Ribbon Cables For those contemplating on using flat ribbon cables, it is important that the targeted application requirements are analysed in advance. From EMI shielding in telecommunications, to durability in aerospace and space-saving need of automotive systems — flat ribbon cables is the go-to for a cost-effective solution. For more information about Flat Ribbon Cables, please visit: flat ribbon cable.