What is IDC ribbon cable?

“An insulation-displacement contact (IDC), also known as insulation-piercing contact (IPC), is an electrical connector designed to be connected to the conductor(s) of an insulated cable by a connection process which forces a selectively sharpened blade or blades through the insulation, bypassing the need to strip the …

What do numbers on ribbon cable mean?

Sizes. Ribbon cables are usually specified by two numbers: the spacing or pitch of the conductors, and the number of conductors or ways. Finer and coarser pitch cables are also available.

What is the pitch of a ribbon cable?

0.050 inches
Ribbon cables are often specified with the number of conductors and the spacing between them. With this type of cable, the conductors may also be referred to as “ways” and the spacing may be referred to as “pitch.” The most common pitch for ribbon cabling is 0.050 inches or 1.27 millimeters.

How does IDC connector work?

An insulation-displacement contact (IDC), also known as insulation-piercing contact (IPC), is an electrical connector designed to be connected to the conductor(s) of an insulated cable by a connection process which forces a selectively sharpened blade or blades through the insulation, bypassing the need to strip the …

What is the purpose of ribbon cable?

Ribbon cabling is used for data transmission and communications. It is often chosen for computer cable applications, where it is used as internal wiring for hard drives, CD drives, and more. Ribbon cables are also commonly used as internal wiring for other electronics and appliances.

What is a ribbon cable used for?

Ribbon cables are usually used as interconnects for internal peripherals in computers, such as hard drives, CD drives, and floppy drives. On some older computer systems they were also used for external connections.

How do I identify a ribbon cable connector?

To measure the pitch of a ribbon cable, measure the cable from outside-edge to outside-edge of the cable, then divide by the number of conductors. Ribbon cable conductors are also called “ways.” This means that a ribbon cable with eight conductors would be called 8-way ribbon cable.

What is pitch of a connector?

The pitch of a connector refers to the distance between the pins on a connector. A pin header, often simply called a header, is an electrical connector with one or more rows of exposed male pins set in a plastic base.

What is FFC cable pitch?

The pitch is the distance measured between the center of one conductor to the center of the neighboring conductor on an FFC. Some of the common measurements you might see in relation to a cable’s pitch include 0.5mm, 1.0mm and 1.25mm, although custom cables can be made with variable pitch length.