> Consumer electronics are full of all sorts of cable > connectors that have assorted and widely varying keyed > shrouds around them, in pitches from 2.54mm on down to 1mm or > so. But "new" prices for these (eg Hirose connector from > digikey) are high and assembly is a pain.) How come I never > see these hit the surplus markets? > > BillW If you ever figure that one out, please do let me know. Like this cable I need, a SIL ribbon cable. If a DIL connector is basically 2 SILs why are there no SIL IDC connectors? Or rather, why is the only one I could find (by Semtec) 4 or 5 times the cost of the same thing in a DIL? If they were made SIL, they could be used as SIL OR DIL by putting one or two on the cable. If the ribbon cable to pin conductor was offset a half a pin, then the DILL could be assembled by putting one SIL on one way and the other SIL on the other. The result would be the same as the current DIL IDC clamp on connector. Then you could make the unit with a dove tail or 3 so that the two halves are locked together before they are clamped onto the ribbon. Finally, why not make the SIL like the break off headers: Any length you need. Only the top of the clamp would have to be made in different lengths and that could probably be avoided by making one side of the spike that pierces the insulation long enough to go all the way through and then stick into a cut to length top bar much like the Samtec system. One part, manufactured in massive volumes for just about any ribbon cable to header connect. And the headers should ALL be SIL break away. I mean really, why does anyone buy anything other than SIL break away headers? What CAN'T you do with that? Now, if they made male to female SIL break away headers, why would you buy IC sockets? Any size chip at any width could be made from those. Then if you need a male ribbon cable connector, you just stick a standard break away header into the end of the female IDC clamp on. Have to run a length? Ribbon cable in a round shield. They make that, but it is insanely expensive. And with just that set above, what could you not hook up? Maybe some things would need a stronger connector or strain relief? More current? Why don't they make AWG 18 ribbon cable and IDC connectors? Just set it up on .2" centers instead. But no, they have to have a billion different sorts of weird connectors that can only be used one way. PS2 and the old DIN connectors are my personal favorite for stupid designs. Getting those oriented correctly is hit or miss at best. I'll bet half the keyboard failures are from that connector getting jammed up. Those Hirose connectors aren't much better. What numnuts figured that out... Lets see, we have a multipin connector, so it has to be oriented a specific way, so what shape will we make it? Oh, I know! ROUND. How stupid is that? And the Navy uses them all over the place with cables that have 50 or so conductors, and come out of a bulkhead about 6 inches from the box they plug into. How do you rotate a 50 pin cable over 6 inches trying to figure out where the key slots are to get it into the connector the right way? And why do they expect the connector to hold each and every pin in place? If I had a $1 for every "pulled pin" I repaired in the Gulf, I'd be... Well... I'd have a few hundred dollars anyway, but you know what I mean. 50 wires all pulling back separately on pins that the hirose is trying to push into the connector; if one pin lock fails, the wire is going to pull the pin back and break contact. Why not secure the cable so that it is pressing a standard IDC header into the box? They should have invested in some sort of metal housing for IDC connectors on shielded twisted ribbon cable. Then all the wires are pulling or pushing together. Ok, enough ranting... I should get work done. --- James. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist