MB-6582 Ribbon Cable Question.

MIDIbox SID
1

Cant believe i’m almost there.

In the CS guide it says to cut into the flat side of the ribbon cable.

The problem is, that my ribbon cable is ribbed on both sides,

and its almost impossible to strip the insulation without cutting into the wire as a result.

The insulated piece is 50mm long, and the wires stick 4mm out on each end.

which is a total of about 58mm.

Would it be okay to solder it as is, or would it be too long?

The guide does say that the perfect length would be 42mm to 43mm.

The only other way i can think of stripping the insulation,

is by pulling on the 8 wires with a long nose pliers, so the insulation slides back.

And then cutting across the excess/overlapping insulation,

and pushing the insulation back down the wires again.

2

The “ideal” length I specified is for when the cable is stiff and can’t bend much. Any longer and the case won’t close. Maybe very flexible cable could form another bend in it when closed, but unlikely.

In your situation, I suggest marking where you would get 42mm of insulation, cutting the insulation between the wires up to that point, then stripping off the insulation using wire cutters, instead of the “score and pull” method that I found worked better for the stiff cable.

Moving the insulation like you suggest might lead to other problems, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

3

The “ideal” length I specified is for when the cable is stiff and can’t bend much. Any longer and the case won’t close. Maybe very flexible cable could form another bend in it when closed, but unlikely.

In your situation, I suggest marking where you would get 42mm of insulation, cutting the insulation between the wires up to that point, then stripping off the insulation using wire cutters, instead of the “score and pull” method that I found worked better for the stiff cable.

Moving the insulation like you suggest might lead to other problems, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

Thanks for the advice wilba. I actually tried it that way (after scoring the cable), but after seeing the marks i decided to stop. Should be fine this time.

4

Thanks for the advice wilba. I actually tried it that way (after scoring the cable), but after seeing the marks i decided to stop. Should be fine this time.

I used the 6" ribbon from mouser that were already pre-scored at the ends cables and soldered them from the underside of the control surface to the top side of the base board. I just tucked the rest inside making sure that the cable did not fold completely. The nice thing about the longer cable is that I can take the top off and unscrew the baseboard without additional cable tension. I’ve had no problems with them. I can post some pictures if that helps.

5

I used the 6" ribbon from mouser that were already pre-scored at the ends cables and soldered them from the underside of the control surface to the top side of the base board. I just tucked the rest inside making sure that the cable did not fold completely. The nice thing about the longer cable is that I can take the top off and unscrew the baseboard without additional cable tension. I’ve had no problems with them. I can post some pictures if that helps.

HI Digineural, thanks for the reply!

I’m using the same cable you described, ordered it from Mouser too.

I would really appreciate the pics, as im trying to figure out how you tucked them in.

I bought 10, already ruined one, and since I need 8 cables + 1 with only 2 wires for the 5v / GND, i dont really want to risk damaging the 9th one.

6

Sure no problem. You might want to gently prebend the ends then hook the boards together before soldering. since these are semi rigid cables, when it comes time to bend the cable they will be aligned quite well. I’ve opened and closed this case about 15 times when adding the fan and other miscellany. So far the cables haven’t snapped.

Dan

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7

Woah! Youre are actually using cable twice as long, i overlooked the 6" in the description.

Mine are just left than half. Thanks a lot for the pics,

it looks like there will be a lot less strain on the cable doing it that way, at least where the ends of the wire are concerned.

Thanks a lot for sharing the pics Dan.

8

One last thing i forgot to ask is if you put 90 degree bends at the end of the wires,

or did you just solder them straight?

The latter im assuming.

9

One last thing i forgot to ask is if you put 90 degree bends at the end of the wires,

or did you just solder them straight?

The latter im assuming.

I did bend them a little and set them in the sockets before soldering. Doing so allowed me to make sure the alignment was right.