Flat Ribbon cable insulation removal

[Sceadwian]

Can anyone suggest any methods to remove the insulator from flat ribbon cables? I have a modest collection of the stuff that I want to try a few things with but I have no idea how to go about getting to the copper on the ends (the contact ends have been cut off on most of them)

Any suggestions? Linked bellow is an image of the type of ribbon cable I'm talking about.

 

[crutschow]

You can separate each wire slightly from the bundle and use a wire stripper.

 

[Sceadwian]

You're thinking of a different kind of ribbon cable crut, this stuff isn't wire, it's flat almost like a PCB trace only on a flexible substrate, regular wire strippers don't work. The insulator seems bound to the conductor somehow not just surrounding it like regular insulated wire.

 

[HarveyH42]

Guess you should better define 'strip' in this case. Never tried it, but worth a shot... Acetone melts some plastics, so you might try some masking tape to protect the insulation you want to keep, maybe a towel or rag slightly damp with acetone. If the plastic softens, just scrape it off. Chemicals don't work, there is always fire...

 

[Sceadwian]

I was trying to avoid the chemical methods, but I have access to harder acids and what not, would just be a pain. I was thinking of pressing the main part of the cable between two pieces of aluminum and torching the insulation off but that's not much neater or cleaner than a chemical removal. I'll have to play around with it.

 

[BrownOut]

I'd try a hot wire before I would chemicals.

 

[3v0]

You may be talking about flexible PCB material etched to form a ribbon cable.

 

[Reloadron]

I have never had any degree of success trying to take that stuff apart. Heck knows I have tried to repair it a few times and it was a nightmare.

On another note, if you can use regular ribbon cable let me know how many conductor (too many you can trim but too few you're screwed) and I will send you some. I have several flavors of the stuff lying around you are welcome to.

Ron

 

[crutschow]

You're thinking of a different kind of ribbon cable crut, this stuff isn't wire, it's flat almost like a PCB trace only on a flexible substrate, regular wire strippers don't work. The insulator seems bound to the conductor somehow not just surrounding it like regular insulated wire.

Yes, I didn't look closely at your picture.

I think the hot (nichrome) wire approach suggested by BrownOut would have the best chance of working.

 

[kinarfi]

Can anyone suggest any methods to remove the insulator from flat ribbon cables? I have a modest collection of the stuff that I want to try a few things with but I have no idea how to go about getting to the copper on the ends (the contact ends have been cut off on most of them)

Any suggestions? Linked bellow is an image of the type of ribbon cable I'm talking about.

Yolo Amateur Radio Society (YARS) - Motorola GTX Mobile Remote Head Modification

 

[Sceadwian]

I then cut the cable in half, and with a razor blade, carefully removed the insulation from one side of the cut end:

10 points kinarfi for a relevant link, -5 for it not actually describing a method =) If they did it with a razor blade though I guess I can, I have cable to burn trying. I'm guessing you'll shave the insulation off and not cut the metal if you get the right angle on the razor blade. Just like shaving, only a little more complicated => That entire mod was done really well by the way.

Thanks for the offer Ron but I've saved every IDE cable that ever came with any piece of hardware I've ever used, I got a box full of the stuff =) The chances are I'll never use even 10% of what I have.

 

[kinarfi]

Thanks for the 5 points, actually I was looking for a source for that kind of cable and remembered your post, but would like a little heavier conductor, 20 to 16 awg, 3 conductor. plus or minus. I plan to wrap it around a 9/16 shaft that rotates so it rolls up and unrolls as the the shaft rotates and this kind of cable should be able to do that without binding up, looking at 700 degree rotation on the shaft.
Kinarfi

 

[Boncuk]

Hi Sceadwian,

purchase some strong tweezers and bend the ends almost rectangular. Use a triangular file to work an opening just slightly over the wire diameter.

Grab the wire and twist the tweezers slightly - then pull.

I would like to attach a photo of mine, but the camera has just quit. (opens but no display)

Instead I made a small sketch.

My tweezers have done a good job for more than 30 years. They just require slight sharpening from time to time.

Boncuk

 

[Sceadwian]

You can use IDE cables for that Kinarfi 700 degrees is only a couple turns, IDE cables are 24 gauge I believe. If you need higher gauge it's easy, every time you double the number of conductors used the effective wire gauge goes down 3. So 2 wires of 24 gauge = 21 gauge, four wires = 18 gauge, 8 would be 15 gauge. As long as the width isn't too much of an issue just do the math for the effective wire gauge you need, at the 9/16 shaft dimension you gave you'll need approximately two inches of ribbon cable per 360 degrees. Whatever conductors you don't use are easily trimmed using an exacto knife and a steady hand.

 

[Sceadwian]

The notch would have to be rectangular not triangular wouldn't it? This isn't round ribbon cable, it's flat traces. I'll keep that tweezer reshaping trick in mind though, I have a pair of tweezer on hand that I could do it with.

 

[Boncuk]

No, with a rectangular notch you don't cut the insulation all around the wire.

With a triangular one you just increase pressure on the tweezers to do that.

 

[Sceadwian]

Boncuk, are you sure we're talking about the same kind of ribbon cable here? This isn't round ribbon cable, this is flat ribbon cable, using a V like that should shave the edges of the conductor and completely miss the center of the insulation.

 

[Boncuk]

After I downloaded your image and magnified it I came to the conclusion that the "ribbon cable" is sort of conductive material embedded in foil as used for printer heads.

The tweezers work only well with "real" wires.

 

[Sceadwian]

Not just printer heads, this stuff is everything, CDROMs AV/equipment laptops, any generally compact device.

 

[Cloe]

I just stripped my 16-pin flat ribbon cable with pure acetone...soaked the end of the ribbon for a few minutes (in a tiny closed container, so it doesn't evaporate), and voila!! Now I have to figure out how to solder it back to the motherboard...Any suggestions...