phone systems, old and less-old

[Fred Cisin]

>>>> Please don't let anybody call the 25 pair 50-pin miniature ribbon
>>>> connector (RJ21),  "Centronics"!
>>> We used to call them "blue ribbon" connectors.  I'm sure that that's
>>> also a misnomer.
>> I still believe that that is the correct name.
>> I've always assumed that that was Amphenol's name for that line of 
>> connector when they invented it.  I also assumed that "blue ribbon" was a 
>> reference to the blue first-prize ribbons at county fair type contests.
>> Although a friend claimed that that name was unintentional, since instead 
>> of pins, it uses "ribbon contacts", hence also "micro ribbon connector". 
>> and many of them had a BLUE plastic center section.

On Wed, 18 Sep 2019, Jon Elson wrote:
> The original Amphenol connector was about 3 X the contact spacing of the 
> micro-blue ribbon
> connector, but basically the same design.  They used Diallyl pthalate 
> insulators.  I don't know if these are just always dyed blue, or the chemical 
> makeup makes them blue, but it is a deep blue color.  So, that's where the 
> blue in the name comes from.  The contacts are punched out of a ribbon of 
> gold-plated beryllium copper, so that's where the ribbon in the name comes 
> from.

Thank you.

I appreciate the detailed explanation.

--
Grumpy Ol' Fred     		cisin at xenosoft.com