What is the gauge of wire used in a typical commercial 40 pin IDE cable?
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1\$\begingroup\$ Be aware of the double-density cables - 80 conductor cable, but still 40 pin connectors - used on high speed interfaces. \$\endgroup\$– Chris StrattonJul 2, 2012 at 3:24
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\$\begingroup\$ Correct, data lines interspersed with grounds or NC wires to shield against interference. I am trying to size wire for a cable I'm making and the ballpark AWG for 40-pin IDE is helpful--no IDE cables will be harmed in the making of this cable. =] \$\endgroup\$– Alex HirzelJul 2, 2012 at 20:57
3 Answers
26 or 28 AWG for typical ribbon cables (like the one in the O.P. picture). Ribbons with bigger wires (smaller AWG) are more of a specialty. Here's a datasheet for your generic ribbon cable, which specifies the wire gauge (bottom of the page).
P.S. Of course, if one wire in the ribbon can't carry enough current, you could use several in parallel.
The wire is usually stranded copper wire, usually either 0.32, 0.20, or 0.13 mm^2 (22, 24, or 26 AWG).
One of the most popular sizes of ribbon cable employs 26AWG wire.
In my defense, the latter has a "citation needed" tag. :)
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\$\begingroup\$ For some reason that citation needed tag is gone, but it doesn't sound like reality to me at all. In my experience ribbon of this type is rarely anything other than 28AWG - occasionally 26AWG. I don't think anything bigger than 26AWG is possible given the standard 1.27mm pitch. \$\endgroup\$– tom r.Mar 22, 2021 at 6:11
The stuff I use (from www.reichelt.de, this is the 10-wire version):
Flachbandkabel AWG28, 10-pol., grau, 30m-Rolle
• Typ: Flachbandkabel
• Rastermaß: 1,27 mm
• Aderanzahl: 10pol
• Kabelquerschnitt: 0,09 mm²
• Verpackung: Rollenware
• Kabellänge: 30,5 m
• Farbe: grau
• Gewicht:0,61 kg