Ribbon Cable Tester Project [Help needed.]

Projects General Guidance
1

Hello, I have been working on a project. It's a ribbon cable tester up to 40 pins. So I will need 40 inputs and 40 outputs. I will compare inputs' and outputs' state to test if the cable works. How can I achieve this? I guess I am going to need some shift registers and multiplexers. If so, which IC's do I need to use?

2

ardacoder:
I won't use an arduino

So why are you asking your question on the Arduino Forum?

Seems a bit cheeky if you are not using an Arduino product.

...R

3

:smiley: - Suppose that I use an Arduino.

4

PCF8575 - 16 I/O each. Use 6
PCF8574 - 8 I/O each. use 10

Set one as output set rest to input. You should have only 2 pins read one, more or less then fail.

5

ardacoder:
Hello, I have been working on a project. It's a ribbon cable tester up to 40 pins. So I will need 40 inputs and 40 outputs. I will compare inputs' and outputs' state to test if the cable works. How can I achieve this? I guess I am going to need some shift registers and multiplexers. If so, which IC's do I need to use?

When you write "pins", I guess your cable has insulation displacement connectors. They cannot short two wires, so you are only concerned with continuity.

We had an order for similar cable a few years ago. I built a simple tester with 40 red LEDs and 40 resistors in series, powered by a 12 volt psu. If a LED lit, the pin to pin continuity as there. Easy to check all LEDs at once by eye ball. No Arduino needed.

The customer even bought the test box!

Paul

6

Cheaper tester would be to simply have voltage go down one pin, feed back via next pin and repeat.

You just need a single LED, coin cell , 2 40pin connectors and a bunch of solder jumps to test if the whole cable is okay.

7

Slumpert:
Cheaper tester would be to simply have voltage go down one pin, feed back via next pin and repeat.

That won't tell you which wire is faulty or show up a short-circuit between wires

...R

8

What about using a 74HC165? BTW, the LED solution won't work for me because I have an algorithm on the software side to check if there is any short circuits on wires.

9

ardacoder:
What about using a 74HC165? BTW, the LED solution won't work for me because I have an algorithm on the software side to check if there is any short circuits on wires.

On what controller?
Thanks.. Tom. :slight_smile: