Ribbon & Flat Cable
We stock ribbon and flat cable in various formats, and in grades ranging from cat 9 to cat 64. Quality brands we work with include 3M, Amphenol and TE Connectivity.
What types of flat and ribbon cable are available?
- A flat ribbon cable is often known as a multiplanar cable, and typically consists of multiple individual small-grade cable strands placed parallel to each other to form a flattened, single strip.
- The resulting ribbon-type arrangement is most commonly used in electronic systems that require multiple data buses to link internal peripherals
- Examples often include linking hard disk drives to their respective drive controllers on a motherboard
- Colour coding is frequently implemented in ribbon cables to minimise the risk of accidental reverse connections
- A round ribbon cable is one that's also made up of a group of individual strands/wires combined together.
- However, a round ribbon cable only flattens out and places its strands side by side towards each end, where the cable terminates
- For the majority of its run, a round ribbon cable bundles its individual strands together into a more traditional cylindrical shape, and shields them inside a rubberised, plastic or braided sleeve
- A twisted ribbon cable again offers a flattened profile, with the individual strands of wire arranged alongside each other to make a wider, thinner single cable.
- In a twisted ribbon cable, these individual conductor sections alternate between parallel and twisted pairings of two wires
- The effect here is twofold: the twisted pairs reduce cross-talk or noise interference, while the parallel pairs allow for easier termination at the cable input points
- Connector types include IDC, micro-match MOW and micro-match PB
- Our ribbon and flat cables are available with connections at anywhere between 4 and 100 ways