Strain relief clamp for supporting flexible ribbon cables

A strain relief assembly for providing strain relief between two flexible ribbon cables and a connector, comprising:

• a first stiff member having an indentation wider than said flexible ribbon cables, and a height less than the thickness of one of said flexible ribbon cables;
• two stacked pliant members, said pliant members stacked on said first stiff member, each pliant member having a first surface on the side facing said first stiff member and an indentation on the side facing away from said first stiff member, said indentation substantially equal in width and height to said first stiff member indentation;
• a second stiff member stacked on said pliant members having a protrusion at least as wide as one of said flexible ribbon cables facing said indentation of the adjacent said pliant member, said protrusion having a height such that the sum of said height and the thicknesses of said two flexible ribbon cables is greater than the sum of the heights of said indentations of said first stiff member and of said two stacked pliant members, so that, upon clamping said members together, said two flexible ribbon cables are compressed when placed, respectively, in said indentation of said first stiff member and in said indentation of the stacked pliant member adjacent said second stiff member protrusion;
• and
• a support for mounting said clamped members and said connector, for fixing said clamped members and said flexible ribbon cables with respect to said connector, to provide strain relief of said flexible ribbon cables.

A servo operated magnetic head assembly for moving said magnetic head with respect to a magnetic media, comprising:

• a magnetic head having at least one electrical multiconductor connector;
• two flexible ribbon cables electrically connected to said at least one electrical multiconductor connector;
• a first stiff member having an indentation wider than said flexible ribbon cables, and a height less than the thickness of one of said flexible ribbon cables;
• two stacked pliant members, said pliant members stacked on said first stiff member, each pliant member having a first surface on the side facing said first stiff member and an indentation on the side facing away from said first stiff member, said indentation substantially equal in width and height to said first stiff member indentation;
• a second stiff member stacked on said pliant members having a protrusion at least as wide as one of said flexible ribbon cables facing said indentation of the adjacent said pliant member, said protrusion having a height such that the sum of said height and the thicknesses of said two flexible ribbon cables is greater than the sum of the heights of said indentations of said first stiff member and of said two stacked pliant members, so that, upon clamping said members together, said two flexible ribbon cables are compressed when placed, respectively, in said indentation of said first stiff member and in said indentation of the stacked pliant member adjacent said second stiff member protrusion;
• a support for fixedly mounting said clamped members and said magnetic head, for fixing said clamped members and said flexible ribbon cables with respect to said connector, to provide strain relief of said flexible ribbon cables;
• and
• a servo for controllably moving said fixedly mounted clamped members and magnetic head.

A strain relief clamp for supporting at least one flexible ribbon cable, comprising:

• a first stiff member having an indentation wider than said at least one flexible ribbon cable, and a height less than the thickness of said at least one flexible ribbon cable;
• at least one pliant member stacked on said first stiff member, said at least one pliant member having a first surface on the side facing said first stiff member and an indentation on the side facing away from said first stiff member, said indentation substantially equal in width and height to said first stiff member indentation;
• and
• a second stiff member stacked on said at least one pliant member having a protrusion at least as wide as said at least one flexible ribbon cable facing said indentation of the adjacent said pliant member, said protrusion having a height such that the sum of said height and the thickness of said at least one flexible ribbon cable is greater than the sum of the heights of said indentations of said first stiff member and of said at least one pliant member, so that, upon clamping said members together, said at least one flexible ribbon cable is compressed when placed in said indentation of said at least one pliant member, to provide strain relief of said at least one flexible ribbon cable.

A strain relief clamp for supporting a plurality of flexible ribbon cables, comprising:

• a first stiff member having an indentation wider than one of said flexible ribbon cables, and a height less than the thickness of one of said flexible ribbon cables;
• a plurality of stacked pliant members, said pliant members stacked on said first stiff member, each pliant member having a substantially flat surface on the side facing said first stiff member and an indentation on the side facing away from said first stiff member, said indentation substantially equal in width and height to said first stiff member indentation;
• and
• a second stiff member stacked on said pliant members having a protrusion at least as wide as one of said flexible ribbon cables facing said indentation of the adjacent said pliant member, said protrusion having a height such that the sum of said height and the thicknesses of said plurality of flexible ribbon cables is greater than the sum of the heights of said indentations of said first stiff member and of said plurality of stacked pliant members, so that, upon clamping said members together, said plurality of flexible ribbon cables are compressed when placed in said indentation of said first stiff member and in ones of said indentations of said plurality of stacked pliant members, to provide strain relief of said flexible ribbon cables.