I can't say I've thought to use flat ribbon cable for a power cord, but i have tried it as an interconnect in two different configurations. Here's what I mean by that.
Say a ribbon cable, like those found inside your PC and other electronics, has 5 independent strands of copper sitting side by side. You could connect it like this ... the first 2 strands as the - and the last 3 strands as the +, like this --+++
Or like this, strands 1,3,5 as + and strands 2 and 4 as -, essentially alternating +-+-+
I don't remember how each configuration affects the electrical properties of the cable, but I believe one has lower inductance and the other lower capacitance.
Hi Bob,
Yes, you are quite correct, the +-+-+ will tend to have lower inductance but higher capacitance when
compared to the --+++ configuration, with lower capacitance but higher inductance.
The increase in inductance creates minimal loss across 20hz and up due to the
very high input
impedance (Z) of the following component.
The highs, on the other hand, will be more affected by the total capacitance, which includes the
output capacitance of the previous component, ic cable capacitance, and input capacitance of the
following device in conjunction with the
low output impedance (Z) of the previous component.
(I left out the high input Z since the low Z clearly dominates the total impedance.)
I would estimate the higher capacitance configuration had slightly less highs than the latter configuration.
Correct me if that is not your conclusion.
Hope this helps and great weekend Bob.
steve