Ribbon cable

Many-wire ribbon cable was invented in 1956 by Cicoil Corporation, a company based in Chatsworth, California.

The company's engineers figured out how to use a new material, silicone rubber, to 'mold' a flat cable containing multiple conductors of the same size.

Methods and materials were developed to simplify and reduce the cost of ribbon cables, by standardizing the design and spacing of the wires, and the thickness of the insulation, so that they could be easily terminated through the use of insulation-displacement connectors (IDC).

Based on availability of standard connectors, the number of conductors is usually restricted to a few values, These include 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 24, 25, 26, 34, 37, 40, 50, 60, 64 and 80.

Sometimes a larger width is used & stripped back to what is needed e.g. a 26way IDC cable can have one wire easily removed to give a 25way (before adding the connectors).

[citation needed] These unintended signals could interfere with domestic TV reception, putting snow on the screen.

The FCC issued edicts and injunctions to the personal-computer industry, restricting the use of ribbon cables to connect devices together.

This rule led to solutions such as ribbon cables covered by a copper-braid shield, which made it impossible to see or separate the individual connectors.

On the Apple II, these cables passed through the holes on the back of the computer that were grounded to the power supply.

Knowledge of the characteristic impedance is one step toward understanding and control of interference that may be caused by ribbon cables.