History of Ribbon Cable

Ribbon cable was invented in the late 1960s as a solution to carry large number of signal paths in a tightly packed bundle. The earliest ribbon connectors contained 7, 14, 26, 34 or 50 individual wires arranged side by side and laminated between layers of flexible plastic. This design allowed transferring multiple electronic signals using a single cable assembly which was much more compact compared to using individual wires. Early applications included connecting peripheral devices to main computer systems.

Types of Ribbon Cable

Based on number of conductors:
Ribbon Cable vary widely based on number of individual conductors or wires enclosed within. Common configurations include 7-conductor, 14-conductor, 26-conductor, 34-conductor, 50-conductor and 84-conductor cables. Higher conductor counts enable transfer of more signals through a single ribbon.

Based on wire size:
Standard ribbon connectors contain 30 AWG (American Wire Gauge) wires which have diameter around 0.2515 mm. For applications requiring greater current handling, lower AWG sizes like 28 AWG or 26 AWG may be used. Wires of different diameters are available to meet specific electrical needs.

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