Ribbon Cables and their applications
Single- and multi-coloured ribbon cables are used e.g. in fixed connections in telecommunication devices or electronic control systems for machines.
Telephone cables in practice
These cables are used not only in telecommunications, but they also proved to be good for standard telephone connections with the most common number of cores.
Crimped joints
Crimped connections are the foundation of today’s automotive industry and electrical engineering. They become increasingly popular in electronics and industry, especially that they can be automated relatively easily.
Crimped connections are designed for connecting multiwire cables (strands) with:
- cable terminals,
- connectors,
- pins,
- sleeve terminals.
Properly assembled, they ensure durable, stable connections and resistance to environmental conditions, mechanical factors, or high temperature.
Using crimped joints
Crimped joints are permanent and suitable for high current. They can be used for connecting cables to multicontact signal or high current connectors. As no alloy is used, they ensure higher quality than soldered joints. And unlike wire wrapped joints, they can be used for cables of both small and large cross-sections.
Crimping mechanism
Crimping requires removing the sheath at the end of the cable and inserting it into a dedicated, properly shaped mounting area of a pin or a terminal. Next, using a tool that is a combination of pliers and a lever working as a pressure multiplier (crimping tool), the cable is crimped inside the terminal.
Strong clamp creates diffusive contact between the wires of a strand and the joint enclosure, which ensures high mechanical resistance.
Choosing a crimping tool
High quality connection can be created only by using a good crimping tool, matched in terms of socket shape, and preferably recommended by the manufacturer of the particular pins or terminals. As there is no one universal model, there are numerous types of crimping tools available on the market. Each connector manufacturer provides different recommendations for their products.
See also:
Summary
The cable to be crimped shall be a strand with as many wires as possible, so that potential damage to a few wires won’t affect the parameters of the contact. Various electrotechnical elements can be crimped, such as eyelets, connectors or sleeves (photo 1). Cable terminals, such as pins used in electronic engineering and industry (photo 2), are also an important part of the market.