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What type of ribbon cable connector is this in the picture below? I would like to order a compatible male end for a converter plug I am designing.

Edit: The pin spacing (as measured with a digital caliper, by averaging the inside and outside measurements of two pins) is approximately 0.1", so I think the Molex KK is correct.

Ribbon Cable Connector

For the curious, this is from an OWI robotic arm kit.

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Hm, could we get another picture directly facing the metal contacts? If you just want to have a male plug for this type of connector you could try using a standard pin header. – 0x6d64 Dec 23 '11 at 17:32
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Please measure the pin spacing for us. If it is 0.1" spacing, it looks like a Molex KK connector to me. – markrages♦ Dec 23 '11 at 17:47
Agreeing with markrages, it looks a lot like a KK, which are available in either .100 or .156 inch pitches. But I don't remember KK having the wide reflective surface on the fem. connector, or the two friction bumps on the header. Whatever it is, this would normally be considered a "discrete wire" connector rather than a ribbon cable connector -- though as you see here it can also be used with ribbon by seperating the wires out before attaching the connector. – The Photon Dec 23 '11 at 18:17
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It looks like 2.54mm and a KK type connector to me too. I think most of the Molex ones have the tab on the upper side though. Having a quick look on Farnell seemed to confirm this, though there were some with the tab on the bottom like this one from Multicomp. Either way, pretty much any molex shrouded/unshrouded type 2.54mm pitch connector should be able to be used with that socket. – Oli Glaser Dec 23 '11 at 18:24
This is a connector with no name (at least it seems like that to me, I have a hard time finding them). For German people, here is a source: reichelt.de/Platinen-Steckverbinder/0/500/… – starblue Dec 23 '11 at 18:39
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1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

The connector on the PCB is a MOLEX KK Series HEADER, SQUARE PIN, 0.1", 8WAY and the one on the cable is a MOLEX KK Series CRIMP HOUSING, 0.1", 8WAY.

So in order to make a compatible male end, you'll need to get a 8-pin crimp housing (The picture from Farnell isn't accurate, as it shows a connector with only 5 pins) and connect the other end of your cable to it with the help of a 8 x Crimp Contacts. And on the converter's PCB you'll have to solder an 8-pin Molex Header.

Here's a video tutorial on how to make a Molex KK crimp connector.

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Does any crimp tool work with those, or do you need something special? – CMP Dec 23 '11 at 19:14
Nothing special; you can even use some pliers – m.Alin Dec 23 '11 at 19:20
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Great answer, thanks! My eyes were crossing from looking at random connectors in the Digikey catalog and trying to guess… – Kaelin Colclasure Dec 23 '11 at 21:59
Actually, you're better off getting the right crimp tool for the job if you don't want the wire pulling out. A proper crimp works better than a pliers crimp, even if the pliers crimp is soldered post-crimp (which actually creates a strain point where the solder stops; this area is prone to breakage). P.S. The connector section of the online Digi-Key site search is one of the hardest to search things ever. There is little consistency in their keywords. – Mike DeSimone Jan 9 '12 at 15:08

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