I have a ribbon cable and want to solder a single wire to all the
conductors.

This is a flatter ribbon cable than the sort of cable found in PCs for
for IDE drives. ISTR it may have come from a printer where it was
subject to a lot of movement.

I don't have any ancy equipment. Is it possible to solder onto the metal
in the conductors? Or is that metal made of aluminum or something like
it which is difficult to solder?

"Don" wrote in message
...
I have a ribbon cable and want to solder a single wire to all the
conductors.

This is a flatter ribbon cable than the sort of cable found in PCs for
for IDE drives. ISTR it may have come from a printer where it was
subject to a lot of movement.

I don't have any ancy equipment. Is it possible to solder onto the metal
in the conductors? Or is that metal made of aluminum or something like
it which is difficult to solder?

If you are talking about the white flexiprint type ribbons, you can scrape
the white insulation back from the conductors using something like a blunt
curved scalpel blade, and then solder to the exposed metal. I've done it
many times. However, you need a small iron, you need to be quick, and it is
a good idea to 'stagger' your connections back and forth by a couple of mm
on each alternate conductor, as this helps to eliminate the possibility of
getting solder runs, and hence shorts, between the individual conductors.

Arfa

On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:46:50 GMT, Don
wrote:

I have a ribbon cable and want to solder a single wire to all the
conductors.

This is a flatter ribbon cable than the sort of cable found in PCs for
for IDE drives. ISTR it may have come from a printer where it was
subject to a lot of movement.

I don't have any ancy equipment. Is it possible to solder onto the metal
in the conductors? Or is that metal made of aluminum or something like
it which is difficult to solder?


The safe answer is hunt down a compatible connector to mate
with it. Someplace like Digikey, Mouser, Newark, Allied
Electronics might have them.

"kony" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:46:50 GMT, Don
wrote:

I have a ribbon cable and want to solder a single wire to all the
conductors.

This is a flatter ribbon cable than the sort of cable found in PCs for
for IDE drives. ISTR it may have come from a printer where it was
subject to a lot of movement.

I don't have any ancy equipment. Is it possible to solder onto the metal
in the conductors? Or is that metal made of aluminum or something like
it which is difficult to solder?


The safe answer is hunt down a compatible connector to mate
with it. Someplace like Digikey, Mouser, Newark, Allied
Electronics might have them.

It's called an IDC -- insulation displacement connector.

However, I suspect the OP wants to "short together" all the conductors. At
least, that's what his post suggests. (See above.)

On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:27:44 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:

"kony" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:46:50 GMT, Don
wrote:

I have a ribbon cable and want to solder a single wire to all the
conductors.

This is a flatter ribbon cable than the sort of cable found in PCs for
for IDE drives. ISTR it may have come from a printer where it was
subject to a lot of movement.

I don't have any ancy equipment. Is it possible to solder onto the metal
in the conductors? Or is that metal made of aluminum or something like
it which is difficult to solder?


The safe answer is hunt down a compatible connector to mate
with it. Someplace like Digikey, Mouser, Newark, Allied
Electronics might have them.

It's called an IDC -- insulation displacement connector.

However, I suspect the OP wants to "short together" all the conductors. At
least, that's what his post suggests. (See above.)



I'm not so sure it would be an insulation displacement
connector in this case, from the description of it being
flatter and that when a cable is subject to a lot of
movement it's best to avoid insulation displacement type
connectors since they usually either pince or stab the
middle of the conductor which can weaken it more when it
flexes a lot.

Some of these cables have individual wires sticking out the
end of the insulation and the connector is molded with
several small holes and a strip that presses down onto it
after the wire is inserted, creating a wedged sort of
friction fit. Other types have a flat metal conductor a bit
like you'd see on a laptop keyboard, though overall the
connector isn't so different except it has a slot for the
entire thing to slide into and one side of the cable has the
contacts exposed, flat contacts.

Don wrote in message
...
I have a ribbon cable and want to solder a single wire to all the
conductors.

This is a flatter ribbon cable than the sort of cable found in PCs for
for IDE drives. ISTR it may have come from a printer where it was
subject to a lot of movement.

I don't have any ancy equipment. Is it possible to solder onto the metal
in the conductors? Or is that metal made of aluminum or something like
it which is difficult to solder?


If the wiring form is not RF critical or HV then braid up some insulated
magnet wire and go from actual solder points on pcb to solder points and
ignore the original ribbon connectors and ribbon.


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

On Nov 24, 6:46*pm, Don wrote:
I have a ribbon cable and want to solder a single wire to all the
conductors.

This is a flatter ribbon cable than the sort of cable found in PCs for
for IDE drives. *ISTR it may have come from a printer where it was
subject to a lot of movement.

I don't have any ancy equipment. *Is it possible to solder onto the metal
in the conductors? *Or is that metal made of aluminum or something like
it which is difficult to solder?



GIFTING MADE EASY, PLEASE READ ON TO FIND OUT HOW

This is a new program as you will see. It can be done from anywhere in
the world This is a fantastic opportunity, try it for yourself!!
EVERYTHING DONE ONLINE. With just $5 and a Paypal PREMIER or BUSINESS
account, you could make Thousands in 2 simple steps

READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY THEN READ IT AGAIN. THIS IS FAST, THIS IS NOT
THE ONE YOU WILL BE WAITING TO WORK.

GUARANTEED - you will have a lot of money in two weeks. Only $5, a
Paypal account and 30 min are all that is needed to get this going.

GIFTING MADE EASY, PLEASE READ ON TO FIND OUT HOW

If you want to make a few thousand dollars real quick, then please
take a moment to read and understand the MLM program I'm sharing with
you. NO IT'S NOT what you think. YOU DON'T have to send $5 to five or
six people to buy a report, receipt or get on their mailing list. Nor
will you need to invest more money later to get things going. THIS IS
THE FASTEST, EASIEST PROGRAM EVER, you will be able to complete it in
LESS THAN 30 MINUTES and you will never forget the day you first
viewed this online.

If you're already running a home business, you can easily do this one
along with it. If not, this is the FASTEST and EASIEST way to earn
serious money online that you've ever seen so far in the history of
the Internet! This program works no matter what country you are in, or
what currency you use. It doesn't matter how old or how young you are.
And you certainly won't need any special knowledge or talent. You
won't need to run a website, or make phone calls, or make photocopies,
or send out letters through the mail, or pay for advertising, etc. The
only things you will need a

* An email address * A Premier or Business PayPal account with at
least $5 deposited in it * 30 minutes of your time

ONLY 2 SIMPLE AND EASY STEPS ! !

If you are doing other programs, by all means stay with them. The more
the merrier, BUT PLEASE READ ON!! First of all, there are only TWO
POSITIONS, not four, five or six like many other programs. This
program is more realistic and much, MUCH FASTER. Because it is so
easy, the response rate for this program is VERY HIGH and VERY FAST,
and you will receive your reward in FOURTEEN DAYS. That's only TWO
WEEKS - not one or two months. Just in time for next months BILLS.

TRUE STORY -- June Alscar tells how she ran this gifting summation
four times last year. The first time, she received $6,000 in cash in
two weeks and then $14,000 in cash the next three times.

When this program is continued, as it should be, EVERYONE PROFITS!!
DON'T BE AFRAID to send gifts to strangers. It will come back to you
ten folds. A person can give you up to $10,000 per year and you don't
have to report it to the IRS.

THIS CAN AND WILL WORK FOR YOU! HERE ARE THE DETAILS:

Post this letter in 45 message boards, chat rooms, or newsgroup. You
don't need to post 200 like others programs or email 100 people just
to get started. Even if you are already in a program like the send six
dollars to six people. CONTINUE IT and stay with it, THOSE DO PAY OUT,
but do yourself a favor, DO THIS ONE TODAY as well, RIGHT NOW!!! It is
simple and takes a very small investment, only $5 and a Paypal PREMIER
or BUSINESS account. IT WORKS AND IS DONE IN 2 SIMPLE AND EASY STEPS !
This program WILL PAY FASTER before the other programs you are working
on even trickle in! Just give one person $5. THAT'S IT! Follow the
simple instructions and in two weeks, you should have $10,000 because
most PEOPLE WILL RESPOND due to the LOW ONE TIME INVESTMENT, SPEED AND
HIGH PROFIT POTENTIAL.

PLUS, since its done all ONLINE, there is no time wasted mailing out
letters and the such !
We are not even figuring a 50% response! So let's all keep it going
and help each other in these tough times. We all owe money to bill
collectors, and creditors. But, with this, if people take the time to
help each other, the good fortune will follow. SO, Take the measly
minutes this SIMPLE
and REWARDING program offers and give the gift that gives back
TODAY !.



Simply send a $5 gift to the person at POSITION #1, if your birthday
is BETWEEN JAN 1 THRU JUNE 30, OR, if your birthday is BETWEEN JULY 1
THRU DEC 31, send the gift to the person at POSITION # 2.




HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. . .

STEP 1

Ok, if you're not already a PayPal user, the very first thing you need
to do is use the PayPal link below and SIGN UP. It takes just two
minutes and its free to join!

You can send money with Paypal without revealing your debit or credit
card numbers, or your bank account details.

Paypal Premier/ Business account


Be sure to use this link so you can sign up for the free PREMIER or
BUSINESS account. You'll need to have a Premier or Business account
(and not a PERSONAL account) otherwise you won't be able to receive
credit card payments from other people.

STEP 2

It is an undeniable law of the universe that we must first give in
order to receive. So the first thing to do when you have your Premier/
Business PayPal account is to IMMEDIATELY send a $5 payment from your
PayPal account to the PayPal email address in the position(1 or 2 -
depending on your birthday in the timeline), along with a note saying:
"HERE IS A $5 GIFT FOR YOU." Be certain to add this note, as this is
what KEEPS THIS PROGRAM LEGAL. Instructions on how to send a payment
are under "SEND MONEY" at the Paypal Site. It's so Easy!!

When you send your $5 payment to the address on the list, do it with a
great big smile on your face because "as you sow, so shall you reap!"

After you have transferred a $5 payment to the Paypal email address,
something very eerie happens. It gives you an indescribable,
overwhelming sense of certainty, belief and conviction in the system.
You've just proved to yourself that, because you have done it, there
must be a great number of other people ready to do exactly the same.
Thus you have now seen for yourself, first hand, that this business
actually works!

REMOVE the paypal email address you are replacing (the one you sent $5
to), and REPLACE it with your own paypal email address.

REMEMBER: Use the same EMAIL ADDRESS that is used with YOUR Paypal
account!!

Paste your newly typed email address over the old one and then post to
45 Message Boards, Chat Rooms, or Newsgroups. DON'T MULL OVER IT, JUST
30 MIN OF YOUR TIME, THAT'S IT THERE IS NO MORE TO DO!!

ACT FAST AND GET THE GIFT. HONESTLY AND INTEGRITY MAKE THIS PLAN
WORK!! DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.

Position#1

Position#2




YOUR NAME COULD CYCLE FOR A LONG TIME!! THIS MAKES IT THE GIFT THAT
KEEPS ON GIVING.

This is excellent seed money to start or expand a business, buy you
dream home, car, and pay off what ever bills you may have. Good luck
and God Bless. Play fairly, Good fortune will follow.



REMEMBER TO COPY THIS WHOLE POST





P.S. I know that maybe you have seen or heard of this on Oprah or even
received numerous messages about this simple program and have probably
just deleted them. I know I have! But for some unknown reason this
time I decided to give it a try. After all, it’s only a $5.00
investment! Please give it an honest effort, you will not be
disappointed and will be very glad you did when it starts to work.
Remember, all you’re going to be out of pocket is about the cost of a
couple of coffees with the opportunity of banking thousands of dollars
into your PayPal account!

Generally connectivity to those is provided by a PCB-resident connector-
here's an example:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...ctive%26sa%3DG

I haven't tried, but I don't think you'd have a lot of luck trying to
solder to it directly. I'd be afraid it would melt.

Jim

ncrawler wrote:
On Nov 24, 6:46 pm, Don wrote:
I have a ribbon cable and want to solder a single wire to all the
conductors.

This is a flatter ribbon cable than the sort of cable found in PCs for
for IDE drives. ISTR it may have come from a printer where it was
subject to a lot of movement.

I don't have any ancy equipment. Is it possible to solder onto the metal
in the conductors? Or is that metal made of aluminum or something like
it which is difficult to solder?



GIFTING MADE EASY, PLEASE READ ON TO FIND OUT HOW

This is a new program as you will see. It can be done from anywhere in
the world This is a fantastic opportunity, try it for yourself!!
EVERYTHING DONE ONLINE. With just $5 and a Paypal PREMIER or BUSINESS
account, you could make Thousands in 2 simple steps

READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY THEN READ IT AGAIN. THIS IS FAST, THIS IS NOT
THE ONE YOU WILL BE WAITING TO WORK.

GUARANTEED - you will have a lot of money in two weeks. Only $5, a
Paypal account and 30 min are all that is needed to get this going.

GIFTING MADE EASY, PLEASE READ ON TO FIND OUT HOW

If you want to make a few thousand dollars real quick, then please
take a moment to read and understand the MLM program I'm sharing with
you. NO IT'S NOT what you think. YOU DON'T have to send $5 to five or
six people to buy a report, receipt or get on their mailing list. Nor
will you need to invest more money later to get things going. THIS IS
THE FASTEST, EASIEST PROGRAM EVER, you will be able to complete it in
LESS THAN 30 MINUTES and you will never forget the day you first
viewed this online.

If you're already running a home business, you can easily do this one
along with it. If not, this is the FASTEST and EASIEST way to earn
serious money online that you've ever seen so far in the history of
the Internet! This program works no matter what country you are in, or
what currency you use. It doesn't matter how old or how young you are.
And you certainly won't need any special knowledge or talent. You
won't need to run a website, or make phone calls, or make photocopies,
or send out letters through the mail, or pay for advertising, etc. The
only things you will need a

* An email address * A Premier or Business PayPal account with at
least $5 deposited in it * 30 minutes of your time

ONLY 2 SIMPLE AND EASY STEPS ! !

If you are doing other programs, by all means stay with them. The more
the merrier, BUT PLEASE READ ON!! First of all, there are only TWO
POSITIONS, not four, five or six like many other programs. This
program is more realistic and much, MUCH FASTER. Because it is so
easy, the response rate for this program is VERY HIGH and VERY FAST,
and you will receive your reward in FOURTEEN DAYS. That's only TWO
WEEKS - not one or two months. Just in time for next months BILLS.

TRUE STORY -- June Alscar tells how she ran this gifting summation
four times last year. The first time, she received $6,000 in cash in
two weeks and then $14,000 in cash the next three times.

When this program is continued, as it should be, EVERYONE PROFITS!!
DON'T BE AFRAID to send gifts to strangers. It will come back to you
ten folds. A person can give you up to $10,000 per year and you don't
have to report it to the IRS.

THIS CAN AND WILL WORK FOR YOU! HERE ARE THE DETAILS:

Post this letter in 45 message boards, chat rooms, or newsgroup. You
don't need to post 200 like others programs or email 100 people just
to get started. Even if you are already in a program like the send six
dollars to six people. CONTINUE IT and stay with it, THOSE DO PAY OUT,
but do yourself a favor, DO THIS ONE TODAY as well, RIGHT NOW!!! It is
simple and takes a very small investment, only $5 and a Paypal PREMIER
or BUSINESS account. IT WORKS AND IS DONE IN 2 SIMPLE AND EASY STEPS !
This program WILL PAY FASTER before the other programs you are working
on even trickle in! Just give one person $5. THAT'S IT! Follow the
simple instructions and in two weeks, you should have $10,000 because
most PEOPLE WILL RESPOND due to the LOW ONE TIME INVESTMENT, SPEED AND
HIGH PROFIT POTENTIAL.

PLUS, since its done all ONLINE, there is no time wasted mailing out
letters and the such !
We are not even figuring a 50% response! So let's all keep it going
and help each other in these tough times. We all owe money to bill
collectors, and creditors. But, with this, if people take the time to
help each other, the good fortune will follow. SO, Take the measly
minutes this SIMPLE
and REWARDING program offers and give the gift that gives back
TODAY !.



Simply send a $5 gift to the person at POSITION #1, if your birthday
is BETWEEN JAN 1 THRU JUNE 30, OR, if your birthday is BETWEEN JULY 1
THRU DEC 31, send the gift to the person at POSITION # 2.




HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. . .

STEP 1

Ok, if you're not already a PayPal user, the very first thing you need
to do is use the PayPal link below and SIGN UP. It takes just two
minutes and its free to join!

You can send money with Paypal without revealing your debit or credit
card numbers, or your bank account details.

Paypal Premier/ Business account


Be sure to use this link so you can sign up for the free PREMIER or
BUSINESS account. You'll need to have a Premier or Business account
(and not a PERSONAL account) otherwise you won't be able to receive
credit card payments from other people.

STEP 2

It is an undeniable law of the universe that we must first give in
order to receive. So the first thing to do when you have your Premier/
Business PayPal account is to IMMEDIATELY send a $5 payment from your
PayPal account to the PayPal email address in the position(1 or 2 -
depending on your birthday in the timeline), along with a note saying:
"HERE IS A $5 GIFT FOR YOU." Be certain to add this note, as this is
what KEEPS THIS PROGRAM LEGAL. Instructions on how to send a payment
are under "SEND MONEY" at the Paypal Site. It's so Easy!!

When you send your $5 payment to the address on the list, do it with a
great big smile on your face because "as you sow, so shall you reap!"

After you have transferred a $5 payment to the Paypal email address,
something very eerie happens. It gives you an indescribable,
overwhelming sense of certainty, belief and conviction in the system.
You've just proved to yourself that, because you have done it, there
must be a great number of other people ready to do exactly the same.
Thus you have now seen for yourself, first hand, that this business
actually works!

REMOVE the paypal email address you are replacing (the one you sent $5
to), and REPLACE it with your own paypal email address.

REMEMBER: Use the same EMAIL ADDRESS that is used with YOUR Paypal
account!!

Paste your newly typed email address over the old one and then post to
45 Message Boards, Chat Rooms, or Newsgroups. DON'T MULL OVER IT, JUST
30 MIN OF YOUR TIME, THAT'S IT THERE IS NO MORE TO DO!!

ACT FAST AND GET THE GIFT. HONESTLY AND INTEGRITY MAKE THIS PLAN
WORK!! DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.

Position#1

Position#2




YOUR NAME COULD CYCLE FOR A LONG TIME!! THIS MAKES IT THE GIFT THAT
KEEPS ON GIVING.

This is excellent seed money to start or expand a business, buy you
dream home, car, and pay off what ever bills you may have. Good luck
and God Bless. Play fairly, Good fortune will follow.



REMEMBER TO COPY THIS WHOLE POST





P.S. I know that maybe you have seen or heard of this on Oprah or even
received numerous messages about this simple program and have probably
just deleted them. I know I have! But for some unknown reason this
time I decided to give it a try. After all, it’s only a $5.00
investment! Please give it an honest effort, you will not be
disappointed and will be very glad you did when it starts to work.
Remember, all you’re going to be out of pocket is about the cost of a
couple of coffees with the opportunity of banking thousands of dollars
into your PayPal account!

Jim Bogard wrote:


Generally connectivity to those is provided by a PCB-resident connector-
here's an example:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...ctive%26sa%3DG


I haven't tried, but I don't think you'd have a lot of luck trying to
solder to it directly. I'd be afraid it would melt.


I have, and depending on the particular construction and materials used, it is
doable, but not recommended if alternatives exist. I have repaired broken
traces in metal film flex cables, using fine gauge wire, and also soldered
directly to the tinned ends, using tiny low wattage tips, flux, magnification
and patience.

Michael

On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:51:20 -0500, Jim Bogard wrote:

Generally connectivity to those is provided by a PCB-resident connector-
here's an example:



If the ribbon is made of Kapton, you should have no problem soldering to
it. Just keep the soldering time down to one sec or so.

Al