Not all copper cables are the same. While they all feature copper conductors, they are available in different styles, such as ribbon and flex. What’s the difference between ribbon cables and flex cables exactly?
What Are Ribbon Cables?
Ribbon cables are flat cables consisting of multiple parallel-running conductors. They are typically insulated with flexible plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Ribbon cables are also color-coded so that they are easier to identify. Regardless, ribbon cables feature multiple side-by-side conductors that are covered in a layer of insulating plastic.
Ribbon cables are available in different sizes. Common sizes for ribbon cables include 1 millimeter, 0.25 millimeters, 0.5 millimeters, 0.1 millimeters and 0.156 millimeters.
Common applications for ribbon cables include the following:
- Hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SDDs)
- DVD and CD drives
- Printers
- Scanners
- Copiers
- Fax machines
What Are Flex Cables?
Flex cables are flat cables consisting of thin conductors bonded to a plastic film. They are known as “flex cables” because they are flexible. Bending a traditional cable may break its conductors, resulting in loss of power or data transmission. But this isn’t an issue with flex cables.
You can bend flex cables without fear of breaking them. This design trait makes flex cables particularly useful for applications in which the conductors must turn at a sharp angle. Laptop screens, for example, often feature flex cables. Many laptop screens are connected to the motherboard with a flex cable. When you open a laptop screen, the flex cable will bend.
Common applications for flex cables include the following:
- Laptop screens
- Keyboards
- Printers
- Cameras
- Automotive steering wheels and head units
- Smartwatches
- Medical devices
- Smartphones
- Video game consoles
Differences Between Ribbon Cables and Flex Cables
Ribbon and flex cables differ in several ways, one of which is flexibility. As previously mentioned, flex cables are designed to be flexible. Thanks to their use of thin conductors bonded to a plastic film, you can bend flex cables without fear of breaking them.
Flex cables typically cost more than their ribbon counterparts. They both feature copper conductors, and they are used in many of the same applications, such as computer peripherals. Flex cables, however, are more complex, resulting in a more lengthy production process.
Flex cables are also lighter and smaller than ribbon cables. Ribbon cables can be somewhat bulky. When used in computers, in fact, ribbon cables can interfere with cooling. They can essentially blow airflow, which is why many modern computers now use round cables instead of ribbon cables.
In Conclusion
When shopping for copper cables, you may encounter ribbon and flex cables. Ribbon cables feature multiple parallel-running conductors, whereas flex cables feature multiple side-by-side conductors that are covered in a layer of insulating plastic.