Breadboard flat cable connector?

Erlend

Hi,

I'd like to have the Propeller on my computer desk, and the 'machinery' on the lab table. Therefore I have made an interface board at the 'machine' and run a ribbon cable to the Propeller (Professional Development Board) to avoid all the wire mess. That will also make it easier when the time comes to transfer from the development board to a permanent Propeller board, and that solution will also make it easer to switch between different development projects.
I have hit a problem though: Where can I find a flat cable-to-breadboard connector? -alternatively, how can I make it?

max72

I'm using "AMP" crimp connectors, and headers with longer pins on both sides.
I find the connectors at the local shop.
The headers are RS-components 251-8339.

I tried also with flat cables, but they are dual row, so not so easy to use and you cannot use half of them, even if they are still handy when you need to carry a lot of signals.

Massimo

John Abshier

Here are 2x5 and 2x7 adapters http://www.winford.com/products/cat_pbc.php
There is a company in Canada that has more. I don't remember their name but they advertise in Nuts and Volts

John Abshier

RobotWorkshop

There are some adapters available from here:

http://www.winford.com/products/cat_pbc.php

http://www.winford.com/products/cat_brk.php

erco

Flat ribbon cables with 0.100" female connectors are a dime a dozen. You could simple use a male/male header to plug into a breadboard.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-x-26-PIN-FLAT-RIBBON-CABLE-12-x-26-PIN-MALE-HEADER-/270653697734?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0437aec6 (This one is a double wide. Use half, or double up on wires)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3x-40-Pin-2-54-mm-Round-Male-Gold-Plated-Pin-Header-Single-Row-/170778955306?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c3380e2a

Tubular

max72 wrote: »

I'm using "AMP" crimp connectors, and headers with longer pins on both sides.
I find the connectors at the local shop.
The headers are RS-components 251-8339.

I tried also with flat cables, but they are dual row, so not so easy to use and you cannot use half of them, even if they are still handy when you need to carry a lot of signals.

Massimo

Nice solution Massimo. I had the same problem and ended up soldering two of the standard headers "back to back" (soldering the 3mm ends together) to give the same result. It is ugly but gives the correct 6mm pin lengths for breadboard and female IDC header.

It is possible to use the second half of the signals by adding a second female IDC header to the ribbon cable, a few mm away from the first one. That second connector plugs into the other side of the breadboard to give access to the second half of the signals.

Duane Degn

There are these. The male pins are spaced far enough apart to span the center section of a breadboard.



To add to Massimo's suggestion, you can (usually) get long headers from SparkFun.

.

Erlend

Thanks, here's what I will try: 36pin male connector and female which means I will have to strip and solder the ribbon cable wire by wire, but that's ok.

Duane Degn

Erlend wrote: »

Thanks, here's what I will try: 36pin male connector and female which means I will have to strip and solder the ribbon cable wire by wire, but that's ok.

It helps when soldering wires to male headers if you use a strip of perf board to hold the pins in place. The third picture in post #46 of my Mecanum wheeled robot thread shows the radio receiver being plugged into the breadboard using male headers with wires soldered on (with strip of perf board). The perf board kept the pins from pulling out of the black plastic spacers.

The fourth (and 2nd) picture of the same post shows wires with female connectors being plugged into the breadboard with extra long male header pins.

(Make sure you all watch the latest Mecanum video in post #49!)

Erlend

Actually it is the connection to the Development Board which is a bit of a pain - the holes are to small to plug in any type of rails I have found so far. I've received the male/female connectors and I'm thinking that I will fit them to the machine end of the ribbon cable so that this is the pluggable end, and to connect the cable to the Development board. I will use a strip of breadboard onto which I solder the cable, then place it over the Development Board and stick through pieces of stripped wire, one by one, into the holes, and solder them to the breadboard. In this way I should end up with a homemade 40 pin connector with very thin pins.

Erlend