0151660973

Flat Flex, Ribbon Jumper Cables’ 0-151660973 Application Field and Working Principle

Flat flex, ribbon jumper cables are a type of electrical cable that are preferred in some applications over traditional wires and cables due to their superior flexibility, safety, and cost-efficacy.

Flat Flex and Ribbon Jumper Cables

Flat flex and ribbon jumper cables, also referred to as “FFCs” and “FPCs”, typically consist of a plasticized jacket that houses a number of thin copper wires, similar in implementation to traditional ribbons or ribbon cables. This technology’s main advantages are the fact that it produces a significantly smaller and more flexible cable.

Flat flex designs are generally constricted to applications that use smaller (under 16 AWG) wire though there have been some successful implementations of ribbons directly applied to the contact pads of a circuit board. Currently, usage of this technology is mainly restricted to consumer electronics or small-scale electrical and electronic applications.

Features and Applications

Flat flex cables are designed to provide superior flexibility and enable operations that require the cables to bend radically without causing any potential damage to the conductor. Additionally, the small size, resistance to corrosion, and immunity to dust environment found in these cables make them the perfect candidates for such applications.

The typical applications of flat flex and ribbon jumper cables include a wide range of electronics and electrical applications such as, consumer electronic devices, telecoms, computers, and similar embedded systems where saving space and increase flexibility are key objectives and concerns.

Because of the lightweight, flexibility, and immunity to dust, these cables are also used in the robotics and medical industries. For example, robotic manufacturers have found they are very useful in applications such as robotics arms and in drone mechanisms, where size and weight reduction is quite desirable.

Operation and Working Principle

Flat flex and ribbon jumper cables typically use standard electrical conductors, such as copper wire. This wire is housed in a protective plastic jacket, typically either heat-sealed or extruded. The heat-seal method increases the water-resistant properties of the cable and ensures it is secure, but this does not translate onto flexing properties, which is left to the other specialized materials used within the cable.

The electrical circuit between the two points can be created without soldering when interconnects are used, which consists of contact pads or pins that make contact with both sides of the cable, thus completing the circuit. This property increases the circuit’s reliability as, in some cases, if the soldered joint breaks, the whole circuit may become unlocked.

Conclusion

Flat flex and ribbon jumper cables are the perfect choice for applications that require the combination of small size and flexibility, as well as the cost-effectiveness of traditional wiring solutions. The proper selection of conductors and non-conductors, together with a robust plastic jacket, makes this technology ideal for a vast range of small-scale electronics and electrical applications.