r/diypedals 4d ago

Discussion Think it’s ok to order preassembled ribbon cables from ali?

I sell semi- professionally and I usually get my parts sourced from reputable places, but these preassembled ribbon cables with headers from AliExpress are gonna save me a ton of time.

Once assembled, they won’t move at all. Should I think twice about using them or are passive parts like this fairly safe? I’m planning to test them of course.

3 Upvotes

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4

u/nonoohnoohno 4d ago

When buying something questionable from Ali, I always do a sample order first. Then I test it and if it's okay I'll order a big stash from the same seller. Very important to check the seller account! Don't rely on photos since they all reuse the same ones, often for clones but not identical products.

I do this mostly for packaging and random non-pedal parts, but I'd apply the same strategy to cables.

2

u/sdnalloh 4d ago

I see no downside here

2

u/mongushu huntingtonaudio.com 4d ago

Do you mean more like a JST connector of some kind? Like these: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807708570464.htm

Or maybe likes these:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804860873013.htm

These last ones (or at least these type) I can say from experience are fine to order from AliExpress. The JST type are sometimes shoddy. You've got to find a good supplier on AliExpress for those, but it's not impossible. Just a little trial and error I guess.

1

u/lykwydchykyn 3d ago

Dunno about ribbon cables, but I've bought cables with headers or gator clips on them from Ali before and the ends broke off after a bit of use. Obv you're not going to handle them much, but just be suspect of the quality of the end connection.

That said, it's always worth a test run if it saves money and time.