Definition of FFC Connector

An FFC connector mainly comprises conductors, adhesive films, and reinforcement plates. The conductors (tinned copper) are divided into round and flat conductors. The FFC adhesive films come in black and white. The reinforcement plates are available in different types: transparent blue, transparent white, transparent red, and black. This type of connector features small size, convenient use, good contact, and a wide range of applications. The surface of the conductors in the FFC connector has been specially treated, ensuring high reliability after insertion. Compared with ordinary FC, the FFC connector is easier to weld, less prone to oxidation, and can undergo additional processing such as bending and shaping.

The FFC connector, namely the flexible flat cable connector, is a new type of data cable formed by pressing PET insulating material and extremely thin tinned flat copper wires through a high - tech automated equipment production line. It has the characteristics of being soft, bendable, and foldable at will, thin in thickness, small in volume, easy to connect, convenient to disassemble, and easy to solve electromagnetic shielding (EMI).

FFC has excellent properties such as small size, high precision, convenient use, portability, ultra-thin profile, and good flex resistance. It is widely used in high-tech fields such as audio, digital devices, cameras, car audio, televisions, typewriters, calculators, cash registers, telephones, CD-ROMs, VCDs, DVDs, copiers, printers, wireless instruments, audio-visual equipment, and aerospace products.

Basic Attributes of FFC Connector

• Pitch: Available in specifications of 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 1.25, 1.27, 2.0, 2.54, etc.
• Thickness and Width: For example, for the 0.5mm specification, it corresponds to 0.10.3 and 0.0350.3.
• Same - side / Different - side: When the FFC is laid flat if the copper wire surface in contact with the FPC is on the same plane, it is the same - side; otherwise, it is the different - side.
• Reinforcement Plate: Prevent the soft copper wires from being inserted into the FPC smoothly and prevent the copper wires from breaking during plugging and unplugging, the interface where the two ends are thickened and hardened. If further reinforcement is needed for the layout, it is the reinforcement plate.

FFC connectors are widely used in the connection between the print heads of various printers and the mainboards, as well as in the signal transmission and board-to-board connection of plotters, scanners, copiers, audio equipment, liquid-crystal electrical appliances, fax machines, and various video disc players. They are almost everywhere in modern electrical equipment.

Common Types of FFC Connectors

• Type A: Connected at both ends, and the reinforcement plate is pasted on the insulating paper.
• Type B: The reinforcement plates are crossed and directly pasted on the insulating paper.
• Type C: The reinforcement plates at both ends are directly pasted on the conductors.
• Type D: The reinforcement plates at both ends are crossed and directly pasted on the conductors.
• Type E: One-end reinforcement plate is pasted on the insulating paper, and the other end is directly soldered.
• Type F: The reinforcement plates at both ends are directly pasted on the insulating paper, with half of the interior peeled off.
• Type G: Both ends are directly soldered.

Technical Parameters of FFC Connector

• Conductor Number N: The number of copper wire conductors in the cable.
• Pitch P: The distance between the centerlines of two adjacent conductors.
• Edge Distance M: The distance between the centerline of the outermost conductor and the edge of the cable.
• Total Pitch TP: The distance between the centerlines of the two outermost conductors, TP = P * (N - 1).
• Total Width W: The distance between the two edges of the cable, W = P * (N + 1).
• Total Length TL: The distance between the two ends of the cable.
• Insertion Thickness TT: The thickness of the two connection ends of the cable.

Compared with traditional ribbon cables, FFC uses an insulating film that is only half as thick, making it smaller, lighter, and thinner. It is very suitable for the miniaturization and high-density integration of machines. Its excellent flexibility and bendability endow it with characteristics comparable to those of flexible printed circuit boards. In addition, since FFC connectors do not use PVC, there will be no chloride pollution to the environment when they are discarded. The insulating film is connected to the conductors, eliminating the phenomenon of the conductor floating at both ends of traditional ribbon cables.