Ribbon Cable

A type of cable, usually comprised of many smaller wires, that is in a flat configuration. Ribbon cables are made to be flat so they can more easily be routed around the insides of confined equipment and because they are easier (read cheaper) to make. Because they are flat it is easy to clamp a connector on anywhere in a length of the wire, which means a given length of wire can have many connectors. Very handy in some devices. Ribbon cables are generally not able to be shielded, and do not have protective jackets around them, so they are rarely used outside of equipment.