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A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
- rubber_jonnie
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A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
Hi all.
I'm trying to get a 10 or 20 cm FFC and the pitch is as follows:
To me the contacts look like 1mm with a pitch of somewhere between 1 and 1.5mm. If anybody can advise on the pitch I'd be grateful as I may be missing something and every one I've ordered has had the wrong contact size and pitch despite what the details said.
I'm trying to get a 10 or 20 cm FFC and the pitch is as follows:
To me the contacts look like 1mm with a pitch of somewhere between 1 and 1.5mm. If anybody can advise on the pitch I'd be grateful as I may be missing something and every one I've ordered has had the wrong contact size and pitch despite what the details said.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
Re: A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
I would guess 1,27mm which is half of 2,54mm and both are standard. Otherwise I would use a caliper to measure.
EDIT: But searching seems to suggest that normal FFC pitch is 1,25mm.
EDIT: But searching seems to suggest that normal FFC pitch is 1,25mm.
- rubber_jonnie
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- Posts: 15200
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- Location: Essex
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Re: A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
ThanksDoG wrote: Wed Apr 02, 2025 3:07 pm I would guess 1,27mm which is half of 2,54mm and both are standard. Otherwise I would use a caliper to measure.
EDIT: But searching seems to suggest that normal FFC pitch is 1,25mm.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
- rubber_jonnie
- Site Admin

- Posts: 15200
- Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
- Location: Essex
- Contact:
Re: A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
Wouldn't surprise me tbh. It's a laptop keyboard ribbon and very annoyingly dead.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
Re: A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
Senior Principal ASIC Engineer - SystemVerilog, VHDL
Thalion Webshrine - http://thalion.atari.org
ST,STf,STfm,STe,MegaST,MegaSTe,Falcon060
A500+,A600,A4000/060,CD32,CDTV
Thalion Webshrine - http://thalion.atari.org
ST,STf,STfm,STe,MegaST,MegaSTe,Falcon060
A500+,A600,A4000/060,CD32,CDTV
Re: A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
Looks like 1.25mm pitch to me. I think @alexh has it right.
BW
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DFB1 Open source 50MHz 030 and TT-RAM accelerator for the Falcon
Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
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Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
FrontBench The Frontier: Elite 2 intro as a benchmark
- rubber_jonnie
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Re: A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
Thanks, I think that's correct in terms of pitch, but 8" is way too long and my other concern is the digi-key pricing for shipping, which in this case is £12!!!alexh wrote: Thu Apr 03, 2025 10:11 am Something like this ?
https://www.digikey.co.uk/en/products/d ... 69/4427997
Food for thought though, thanks.
BTW I broke out the calipers and it is 1.25mm pitch with 1mm contacts.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
- rubber_jonnie
- Site Admin

- Posts: 15200
- Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
- Location: Essex
- Contact:
Re: A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
I agree. Off on a cable hunt.Badwolf wrote: Thu Apr 03, 2025 10:32 am Looks like 1.25mm pitch to me. I think @alexh has it right.
BW
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
- rubber_jonnie
- Site Admin

- Posts: 15200
- Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:40 pm
- Location: Essex
- Contact:
Re: A little help please - Flat Flex Cables
OK, I found some possible candidates at AliExpress with the correct pitch and pin count, so fingers crossed!
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
