What are FFC (Flat Flexible Cables)?
FFCs (Flat Flexible Cables) consist of multiple flat conductors insulated with a flexible plastic film that is laid out with conductors that are straight. FFCs are available in many pitches such as 0.5mm, 1.00mm and 1.25mm. FFCs typically have a stiffener attached to the opposite side of the contact portion to be inserted into a connector. They are simple one-to-one hookup jumpers found on LCDs, mother boards, touch screens, cameras and other various devices.
What are Type 1, Type A, or Type BD FFCs?
These are FFCs that have the contacts on the same side.
What are Type 2, Type D, or Type AD FFCs?
These are FFCs with contacts on the opposite sides.
Can You Shield an FFC?
Yes, we can add a shielding tape layer to an FFC. Custom built FFCs can even have pins tied to the shield.
What is a Ribbon Cable Used For?
An FFC ribbon cable is used for straight through board to board connections.
What is an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit)?
An FPC is a Flexible Printed Circuit. FPCs are flexible and foldable printed circuits that consist of a layer or multiple layers of copper traces with a polyester base layer. FPCs can have electronic components mounted to its traces and have overlapping traces.
What is the Difference Between a FFC and FPC?
FFCs and FPCs are often confused as they look very similar, both are flat, and they both transfer data. However, they are very different.
- FFCs typically must have conductors that are straight through with pinouts that are either 1 to 1, or 1-n.
- FPCs on the other hand can have a variety of pinouts as they can be multi-layered with conductors that cross over each other. FPCs can also be impedance controlled which makes them a better choice for data cables such as LVDS. FPCs can also be designed to have bends and angles, rather than just being rectangular.
Selecting using an FPC or FFC would depend on what application you will be using it for. We can help you select the right cable for your purposes.
What Does the “Pitch” of an FFC or FPC Mean?
The pitch is the distance between the center of one conductor to the center of the conductor next to it.
What is an FFC/FPC Connector?
FFC and FPCs can mate to very common ZIF (zero insertion force) type connectors. FPCs can have connectors mounted to the conductors on the FPC. We also stock FFC/FPC to Round Wire connectors. Quadrangle Products can help suggest connectors for your application.
Do You Stock FFCs and FPCs?
We do stock many different FFC parts in various lengths, pitches, and conductor counts. Quadrangle has over 100,000 individual FFCs in stock at any time. With our unique ability to SLICE and NOTCH our FFC products we are able to support rapid prototypes often within a few days.
While we do stock some FPC parts, most of these tend to be custom built, designed for your application. Quadrangle Products is a leading cable assembly manufacturer and our engineers will help to guide you from conception to final product throughout the entire process. We use UL & CSA approved components in all of our cable assemblies.
Are There FPC Extension Cables Available to Extend FPCs?
Yes, Quadrangle Products has several solutions to extend an FPC tail.
To learn more about custom cables from Quadrangle Products visit our FAQs page or reach out to us via our contact form.