Ribbon Micro Coaxial Cable

Q: Minimum order quantity?

10 assemblies for terminated ribbon cables. 100 m minimum for bulk ribbon cable on reel. Prototype: 5 assemblies at prototype pricing. Need ultrasound probe cables for OEM manufacturing or probe repair? Share channel count, AWG, and platform compatibility - engineering quote within 48 hours. Get A Quote Now Related Words: Ribbon Micro Coaxial Cable, Micro Coaxial Ribbon Cable, Flat Micro Coaxial Cable, I-PEX Micro Coaxial Cable, Hirose Micro Coaxial Cable, 0.50mm Pitch Coaxial, Micro Coax Ribbon, Zif Coaxial Cable, Fine Pitch Coaxial Ribbon, LVDS Micro Coaxial Cable

Ribbon micro coaxial cable — 0.40/0.50/0.635 mm pitch, 40–44 AWG, 4–64 cores. I-PEX and HIROSE ZIF compatible. Flat ribbon geometry for direct termination. For LCD/OLED displays, ultrasound probe-to-board, high-speed board-to-board. 50 Ω ±2 Ω, ePTFE dielectric.

Ultra-Fine Gauge × Ultra-High Core Density

ePTFE Low-Loss Dielectric Technology

Dual-Layer Shielding — Channel Isolation >40 dB

High-Flex — 1M Flex / 5M Torsion Cycles

ISO 9001 Certified · Fast Turnaround · Full Customization

Phase Matching ±1% — 100% TDR Verified

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Multi-Core Cable Assemblies

Products

Ribbon Micro Coaxial Cable arranges individually shielded 50 Ω micro coaxial elements in a flat, parallel configuration at controlled pitch — typically 0.40 mm, 0.50 mm, or 0.635 mm center-to-center. This flat geometry enables direct termination into zero-insertion-force (ZIF) connectors from I-PEX (CABLINE series) and HIROSE (DF series) without the fanning and pitch conversion required by round bundled cables.

We manufacture ribbon Micro Coaxial Cable from 4 to 64 cores at 40–44 AWG. Application include LCD/OLED display panel connections, ultrasound probe-to-board interfaces, laptop internal camera/display links, and high-speed board-to-board interconnects in medical and industrial equipment.

Pitch and Connector Compatibility

Pitch	Element AWG	Element OD	Connector Compatibility	Max Cores
0.40 mm	44 AWG	0.38 mm	I-PEX CABLINE-CA II, HIROSE DF56, Samtec	40
0.50 mm	42 AWG	0.48 mm	I-PEX CABLINE-VS, HIROSE DF36, JAE FI-X, Samtec	64
0.635 mm	40 AWG	0.57 mm	I-PEX CABLINE-SS, HIROSE DF14, legacy ZIF , Samtec	64

Each pitch corresponds to a specific AWG: the element OD must be less than the pitch to maintain inter-element gap for handling and soldering. 0.50 mm pitch with 42 AWG (0.48 mm OD) is the most common configuration — used in the majority of medical ultrasound probe-to-PCB connections and laptop display cables.

Technical Specifications

Parameter	40 AWG (0.635 pitch)	42 AWG (0.50 pitch)	44 AWG (0.40 pitch)
Element OD	0.57 mm	0.48 mm	0.38 mm
Impedance	50 Ω ± 2 Ω	50 Ω ± 2 Ω	50 Ω ± 2 Ω
Dielectric	ePTFE (Dk ≈ 1.45)	ePTFE (Dk ≈ 1.45)	ePTFE (Dk ≈ 1.45)
Capacitance	≤ 90 pF/m	≤ 95 pF/m	≤ 110 pF/m
Conductor	Ag-plated CuAg	Ag-plated CuAg	Ag-plated CuAg
Shield	Foil 100% + braid	Foil 100% + braid	Foil 100% + braid
Ribbon width (20 core)	13.7 mm	10.5 mm	8.5 mm
Ribbon width (40 core)	26.4 mm	20.5 mm	16.5 mm
Flex life (7-strand)	> 200K cycles	> 200K cycles	> 200K cycles
Bend radius (flex)	≥ 5 mm	≥ 4 mm	≥ 3 mm

Ribbon vs. Round Bundle — When to Choose Which

Factor	Ribbon Micro Coaxial	Round Bundle
Connector termination	Direct ZIF plug-in (no fan-out)	Requires fan-out board or solder
Form factor	Flat — routes under PCBs, in hinges	Round — routes through tubes, channels
Core count sweet spot	4–64 cores	32–512 cores
Phase matching	Possible but less common	Standard (±1.0% / ±0.5%)
Routing flexibility	Flat bend only (no twist)	3D routing, torsion capable
Typical application	Display, board-to-board, probe PCB	Ultrasound bundle, NDT, catheter
Cost at ≤ 40 cores	Lower (simpler assembly)	Higher (bundling process)
Cost at > 64 cores	Higher (wide ribbon, handling difficult)	Lower per channel

Decision: Choose ribbon when connecting to ZIF connectors at ≤ 64 cores with flat routing. Choose round bundle for higher core counts, 3D routing, or phase-matched application.

Application

Medical Ultrasound Probe-to-Board Interface
Short ribbon cables (50–200 mm) connecting the probe transducer PCB to the main cable bundle fan-out board. 20–64 cores at 0.50 mm pitch, terminated with I-PEX CABLINE-VS or HIROSE DF36 ZIF connectors. Phase matching at the ribbon level is inherited from the main bundle — the ribbon section is short enough that its contribution to phase error is negligible.

LCD/OLED Display Panel Connection
Internal display cables in medical monitors, ultrasound console displays, and portable device screens. LVDS or eDP protocol. 20–40 cores at 0.50 mm or 0.40 mm pitch. I-PEX CABLINE-CA II is the industry standard connector.

Laptop and Tablet Internal Cables
Camera module, display, and antenna connections. High-volume application using 0.40 mm pitch for maximum density. We supply cable assemblies to laptop and tablet ODMs requiring custom lengths and configurations.

High-Speed Board-to-Board Interconnect
Data links between PCBs in medical imaging equipment, industrial controllers, and test instrumentation. Ribbon micro coax provides per-channel shielding that flat flex cables (FPC/FFC) cannot — critical when signal integrity at 1+ GHz matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use ribbon micro coaxial as a direct replacement for FPC/FFC?

Physically, ribbon micro coax is thicker (1.0–1.5 mm vs. 0.3 mm for FPC) and less flexible in tight flat bends. Electrically, it provides dramatically better performance: per-channel 50 Ω impedance control, > 40 dB crosstalk isolation, and bandwidth to 6+ GHz — versus uncontrolled impedance and 5–15 dB isolation in FPC. Replace FPC with ribbon micro coax when signal integrity or EMI compliance fails with FPC.

What ZIF connectors are compatible?

I-PEX CABLINE series (CA II, VS, SS, UX II) and HIROSE DF series (DF36, DF38, DF56， DF81). We stock common I-PEX and HIROSE connectors for fast turnaround. Confirm your connector part number and we will verify cable compatibility.

Can ribbon micro coax be phase-matched?

Yes, though less common than for round bundles. For short ribbon lengths (< 200 mm), phase error contribution is small relative to the main cable bundle. For longer ribbon runs or standalone ribbon application requiring phase matching, we apply the same TDR bin-sorting process as for round bundles.

Minimum order quantity?

10 assemblies for terminated ribbon cables. 100 m minimum for bulk ribbon cable on reel. Prototype: 5 assemblies at prototype pricing.

Need ultrasound probe cables for OEM manufacturing or probe repair? Share channel count, AWG, and platform compatibility — engineering quote within 48 hours.

Get A Quote Now

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Applications

Ultrasound Probe & Transducer

Modern 3D ultrasound probes contain 128–512 piezoelectric elements requiring precisely matched electrical path lengths for accurate beamforming. Multi-core micro coaxial cable provides per-channel shielding with phase-matched construction, serving as the core interconnect for GE, Philips, Siemens, and Mindray platforms.

Medical Endoscope Camera

Endoscope insertion tubes of 2–4 mm diameter must transmit HD/4K video while enduring 1M+ flex cycles. Using 42–46 AWG stranded conductors, OD achieves as small as 1.2 mm, supporting HD-SDI and 4K LVDS signals while meeting ISO 10993 biocompatibility requirements.

Robotic Surgery Cable

Robotic surgery arms must carry imaging signals, electrosurgical RF power, motor drive currents, and fiber optic illumination through ±270° articulating joints — all within a single hybrid assembly. Micro coaxial elements serve as the signal core, qualified to 5 million torsional flex cycles.

NDT Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT / TOFD)

Weld inspection and corrosion mapping in petrochemical, nuclear, and aerospace industries use PAUT and TOFD — requiring 16–256 core, phase-matched ±1%, 50 Ω micro coaxial bundles with industrial PUR/FEP/PTFE jackets, compliant with ASME V and EN 583-2 standards.

MRI-Compatible Device Cables

The MRI bore presents three electromagnetic environments requiring all metals to pass ASTM F2503 ferromagnetic assessment. Non-magnetic silver-plated copper alloy conductors meet 1.5T/3T MRI safety requirements for MRI-guided interventions, coil connections, and CT detector array interconnects.

Semiconductor / Industrial Robotics / Aerospace

Semiconductor wafer AOI inspection, industrial robot joint routing, and aerospace sensor arrays all demand high-density, fine-gauge cables with tight impedance control and signal integrity — areas where micro coaxial cable delivers unmatched performance in high-frequency transmission, channel isolation, and compact construction.