Hey everybody.. Incase you haven’t checked out my sale thread lately, some crazy things have been happening in the GB1 Ribbon Cable world.
We all owe Oblagon the credit for using Shrink Wrap Tape instead of the more common adhesives that get used.. Well i got the leftover roll he had left so it wont goto waste and I have been building and rebuilding cables to test out since.
The tape is extremely strong, flexible, not messy, wont split, is clear as a window, wont bleed any colors, and will withstand any abuse you can dish out, ect.. It is normally used to patch holes in boats.. Right now i conducting some hot/cold weather tests that George (BlkMesaHero) has suggested. So far so good with the results.
I will be posting up any progress that i have but for now here are 2 videos i took of some really rough draft cables i’ve been plying around with while i work on making a better rig. But, believ me when i say that ANYBODY can makea decent ribbon cable with this stuff in less then 30 minutes!!
Any input or constructive criticism is wanted!!
1st rough cable twist test
2nd cable twist test with a cable i rebuilt with the same set of wires. This was right after being in my fridge for amost 3 hours on the top shelf, which usually freezes everything lol
So far it’s looking like the adhesive methods are becoming old news. What do you guys think??
I’ve always preferred the tape method as it looks the most accurate compared to the real deal cables. This is more then likely the same tape SolidGoldCaddy used sometime back on his cables. Under humidty and high heat temperatures the tape can release in some spots from adhesion. What I have on my current is pack is a SGC GB1 cable with the shrink tape and It’s held up for over a year now with no problems.
I believe this particular tape is only recommend for temporary patching and after some time loses its initial tack so you’ll have to take this into account when making the cables. I always thought of using some kind of spray adhesive before applying the tape that might help the tape from releasing in higher temperatures. Overall I think this is the superior method for a great cosmetic looking GB1 cable.
I’ve never seen any cable made by this method hold up over time. I had an SGC that fell apart before it even made it to a pack, and just gave it to Jack.
Well so far the tape is holding up to different temperature changes and alot of
Abuse. Does sgc have a build thread that shows the same tape? I’m searching but i’m not finding one. Theres alot of different kinds of shrink wrap out there made from different plastics so i’m just wondering if it was just something similar
SGC never posted exactly what kind of tape he used. It’s a clear, heat shrink tape but I believe he found 3" tape. The stuff you found may be different since its coming in 4" wide tape. But the only way to really know is to contact him yourself.
That being said, I remember multiple people complaining about SGC’s cables falling apart. I think you can chalk some of that up to people not hitting the cable with a heat gun before application.
Yeah thats why I asked. I’ve read his thread before and noticed he never mentioned what it was. So far this stuff is holding up pretty amazing. I’ll throw another rough one together with pics of the process. You shouldn’t need toapply more heat before installing it
This is flat also, it looks similar but i’m not sure its the same stuff. The tape melts to down solid enough that when I took one apart about an hour after making it, it almost unwrapped like a slim jim around the wire sections, not nearly as easy obviously. Lol All of the spaces and edges were fully sealed.
I’ve decided that i’m going to buy some some cheap bass guitar pegs and basically make the rig exactly like a normal headstock. That will keep the wires tight.. But you will be amazed at how the wires stay in place by simply pushing them on a rolled out layer.
I’m not positive but I think its made of polypropylene, which is the same material as some commercial tubings. So it is basically creating an outter tubing around it all. Time will tell but I do not believe it will fall apart
Polyproplene wouldn’t act like the tape does or be flexable. PP will flex slightly but has a tendency to stay rigid; that’s why it’s used a lot in housewares. Cheap material that will not shatter if you drop it. Also PP can never be clear, it’s always a milky color.
This stuff most likely is in the vinyl family.
The key to having the ribbon stay together is to make sure that the tape is stuck together well before applying heat to get a proper seal. Also when you trim away the flash make sure to leave a small edge. If you trim flush up against the wires the adhesive could give away causing the laminate to peel off the wires.
Here’s the link to that other guy’s cable. In the thread he says outright that he’s not using shrink tape. He just used packing tape to keep everything together.
So, here’s what I’m thinking. Build a jig to get the correct spacing in the wires, use this tape on the “front side” while it’s still in the jig. Then take the cable out and use UV6800 on the other side.
if you’re looking to use the uv6800 to make the cable thick, you can layer on the tape. thats what i was going to do when i eventually got mine. the issues of the sgc cable and other tape cables, not seeing one for myself, im guessing whoever made them only did one layer. you have to imagine, this is designed to temporarily patch holes in the hulls of boats, and aid the wrapping of boats for seasonal storage. this stuff should be REALLY good, especially since there’s no way we can get the original cable.
with the splitting problems the 6800 has with the diy and the premade kits from madeinsocal, the heat shrink tape looks like a really good solution to me. i went on a small vacation last weekend, with that tape planned as a souvenir and i had no luck finding it at boating stores. i drove around locally and the marine stores didnt know what i was talking about. the best way i found is ordering it online…at boating stores.
there’s no way for there to be a clear spacer type insert between these wires then the silicone over that. the clear material between the wires has to be from the membrane that holds the wires. the clear spacer(if a fabricated spacer and not a product of spacing between wires and the membrane) is also another thing that may lead to splitting cables.
it’s around the same price as the uv6800. i know i can get a ton of use out of this tape. id probably burn through the uv6800 and waste almost all of it.
heatshrink tubing, i havent had any luck finding any that’s clear and big enough to make the cable.
…the niceshootingtex cable thread. i read that thread thoroughly, and only resulted in me getting angry trying to find how his was made only to get at the end and see… PACKING TAPE!? and he thought he could SELL THAT? you have GOT to be kidding me. even with plastic tape, the added on post at the very end. there’s no way it’s useful or long lasting. in my experience plastidip is shit that cracks, packing tape crinkles, superglue in crevices will turn into little rocky things and haze. price range was 30. if i spent 30 on that, i would have his head.
this stuff does melt down pretty thick as it is. The thickness might not even be an issue unless you want the spacers to be the same thickness as the wires..
As for heat shrink tubing, i’ll look into it. I would suspect it to be a little harder to shrink without making the wires squeeze in on themselves. Just taking it slow with the heat gun and proper support of the rig should work..
I would love to other ribbon cables tests posted in this thread so it becomes a huge pile of information and options compiled in one easy to find spot.
I actually tried the heatshrink tubing before using the tape method. The problem was, as you guessed, that it kept crushing the wires together as their was nothing to stop the tubing from shrinking as you got farther away from the clamps.
In case people missed my post in kenny’s sale thread; here’s a picture of the extra I cut off from my ribbon cable using the shrink tape method. So you guys can see the quality up close.
