Arrrhg!!! What did I just cut?!

So a couple of weeks ago I told you about a stash of vintage computer equipment I picked up. Since I am definitely not scrapping the Heath/Zenith pieces, I've been trying to be extra careful with them. Well, with all my other scrapping activities I am running out of basement space so I stacked them on my workbench. Temporarily, since I do want to take a much closer look at them soon and try to get them running...

This morning I was ripping apart a couple of towers using the same workbench and ended up with a pile of ribbon cables. Time to cut their ends, right? So I grab one, cut, another one, cut, another one, cut... wait, this one is suspiciously long... Arrgggh! I just cut the end of a long ribbon cable coming from inside the Heath system!!!! ;( ;( ;(

Now I have a nicely decapitated ribbon cable with its head taped to the back of the box "for future reference" :)

OK, so how do I fix this? Of course, the 1st question is whether the other end of the cable has the same type of end connected to a board of some sort, in which case I just need to find a replacement hoping that a shorter cable will do. But what if it's soldered to the board? Is there a way of attaching this connector, or an equivalent one, back the cut end? Or it would be easier to solder the other end of a replacement cable to the board?

(Sorry don't yet have the photo of the inside of the Heath box showing the other end of that poor cable. Hopefully I'll be able to take some in the near future)

can't see the cable connector, got a photo of it ? what's the pin count on it ?

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Originally Posted by Bear

can't see the cable connector, got a photo of it ? what's the pin count on it ?

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Here it is. It's a female connector with 2 rows of 17 holes so I guess it's a 34-pin connector. On one side of it it says "FEED CABLE HERE PAT. NO. 3858159"

Don't know the odds of you hand installing the connector but most of them ends are designed like a Scotch Loc. The pin has a sharp metal edge and as the wire is pressed in, the edge pierces the wire jacket to make connection. They are usually done by robot or computer but if you have some good nerves then maybe.

Too many treasures in the basement!

So which Heathkit got its cable chopped? I'm pretty sure that cable won't be soldered to the board. Remember, most of these were sold as kits for assembly by hobbyists, so they're pretty modular.

Ribbon cables are not something a normal human being should try to repair unless under extreme duress.

i think 34 pin was an earlier common size, would have to dig through some stuff in the back to check, and it's a bit nippy out there right now ; )

Mechanic688 is right. You should be able to gently spread the latches on the sides and pull off the back piece of that connector Pull out the old wire, noting the orientation of the color coding on the wire. Then lay in the new wire and press it back together with some flat blocks in a vice or some other press that will give you good even pressure. You might test your skills on some of those other ribbons you were cut-cut-cutting on before tackling the real one.

This is off topic but isnt the price of connector ends down ? I just sold 6 pounds at $ 1.00 a #