Up to 20 Gbps on a Cable – Really?

Before 3M’s revolutionary 3M Round Conductor Flat, 7700 Series Controlled Impedance Cable - up to 20 Gbps data rates wasn’t possible.  Now, with the invention of this 30 AWG solid conductor and polyolefin insulation 0.025 ribbon cable laminated with a flexible foil covering… this is possible!  Yes, it’s true!

Termination is done by insulation displacement to a 0.050 pitch IDC connector (451 series socket), or the 7700 cable can be directly soldered to a PCB with a 95 Ohm impedance.

Kyle (DigiKey’s Texas Instruments Product Manager) and myself traveled to Austin, Texas to visit the 3M labs to test the 7700 cable on various TI boards to see with our own eyes what exactly this cable can do; and without a doubt we were extremely impressed by all the outcomes.  The test data we generated is a great indictor of potential performances you can obtain (actual performance is dependent upon the specific application).

The video On the Road with 3M and Texas Instruments - Another Geek Moment on digikey.com, a 3M & TI Geek Moment, shows the 7700 cable in various lengths, with a variety of data rates, and eye-opening factor outcomes, including vast information on the TI boards we demo.

We currently have the 7700 Cable Assemblies and LMX2594EVM readily available at DigiKey.

In conclusion, the trip was exciting and very informative – we can’t wait to share the additional information with you. Now, you ask, how is the 20 Gbps possible? If you direct solder to the board – this is where you can get the fastest 20 Gbps data rates from the 7700 cable.

It’s Flat – Fast – Foldable – Fit for IDC!