The Red Stripe on a Ribbon Cable

When looking at a ribbon cable, you may notice notice a red stripe on one side of the cable. This stripe runs the length of the cable, and provides important information to anyone working on the system.

What is the red stripe?
The red stripe on ribbon cables is used to indicate that this is pin 1 of the cable. When using this type of cable, it is important that pin 1 is inserted into pin 1 one the device, as well as pin 1 of the motherboard or other equipment. If the ribbon cable is inserted backwards, the two devices will not be able to communicate properly.

Other Indicators of Pin 1
If you are buying a pre-made ribbon cable, ou will find that the connectors at both ends also have a ridge so that it can only be inserted in one way. This makes it impossible to insert a ribbon cable backwards, further ensuring that everything is properly connected. If you are putting an end on a ribbon cable yourself, however, you will need to rely on the red stripe to make sure the pin 1 matches both ends.

Simple & Effective
Putting the red stripe in place is a simple and effective way to ensure that your ribbon cable is always inserted correctly. Most majority of ribbon cables will have this simple indicator, but there are some ‘vanity ribbon cables’ that come in multiple colors. hese extra colors are just because people like the way they look.In most cases, when a ribbon cable has a string of different colors, it will actually be gray striped at the end, indicating pin 1.