Assembled in Kingston, NY
Custom Cable Assembly Services
Custom cable assemblies cut from the cable you specify and terminated with the connectors on your drawing, with no minimum order.
Jacketed multi-conductor cable, shielded cable, coax and sensor leads, built one at a time or 1,000+ at a time. An engineer reviews every order before we build it.
Price a point-to-point cable instantly in the configurator, or upload a drawing and get an engineer's quote within 24-72 hours, counted in business hours.
Cable Assembly vs. Wire Harness
Same Shop, Same Process, Different Word
If you search for cable assemblies, you probably think in terms of cable: a jacket, a conductor count, a connector on each end. Plenty of engineers call the exact same part a wire harness, and the industry uses the two terms interchangeably. We build both on the same benches in Kingston. If your part is a bundle of loose wires with branches and breakouts, our custom wire harness assembly page is written for you; everything here applies either way.
Cable Types
The Custom Cable Assemblies Customers Order
Most cable orders fall into one of these groups. Mix them freely: a single order can hold a coax jumper, a shielded sensor lead and a power cable.
Multi-Conductor Jacketed Cable
Two or more insulated conductors under one outer jacket, cut to length and terminated at both ends. Pick it when a run leaves the enclosure, gets handled, or needs to look finished: the jacket does the protecting that sleeving and ties do on a bundle of loose wires.
Shielded Cable
Foil or braided shield cable for electrically noisy surroundings. Your drawing tells us where the shield goes: a connector shell, a dedicated pin, a drain wire, or trimmed back and left open at one end.
Shielded cable assemblyCoax Cable Assemblies
We terminate FAKRA, Mini FAKRA, Mini RCA, RCA and BNC connectors. Name the coax by manufacturer part number and we confirm it matches the connector before we quote.
RF & coaxial cable assembliesSensor Leads & Pigtails
Short cables that connect a sensor, encoder or probe to a controller, including M8 and M12 circular connectors. Often ordered as a set of different lengths for one machine.
M8 & M12 cable assembliesPoint-to-Point Cables
One connector at each end and a straight run between them. These are the quickest cables to price, and many can be laid out and priced end to end in the configurator.
Cable-to-Board Connections
Cable leads soldered straight onto your circuit board instead of plugging into a mating connector. Send the board and the pad locations. We solder the cable to your board; we don't populate PCBs.
Flat ribbon cable with IDC connectors has its own page: ribbon cable assembly.
Specifying a Cable
Start With the Cable, Then the Ends
A cable assembly quote starts from the cable itself. Once we know what sits under the jacket, the connectors, pinout and length complete the picture.
What to Send for a Cable Assembly Quote
- Cable manufacturer part number, or conductor count, gauge, jacket and shield
- Connector part numbers for both ends (housing and contacts, or the coax connector MPN)
- End-to-end pinout, including where any shield or drain wire lands
- Overall length and where it is measured from (connector face or end of jacket)
- Quantity, plus any labels, heat-shrink markers or boots
Measuring cable length
Two cables can both be "1 meter" and differ by the length of a connector. Say whether the length runs from connector face to connector face, from the end of the jacket, or to the tip of a flying lead, and give a tolerance if it matters. Where the jacket ends and the individual conductors fan out, note how far back the jacket is stripped; that is where heat-shrink or a boot usually goes.
Example Requests
What a Good Cable Request Looks Like
Illustrative requests of the kind we quote. Each names the cable, both ends, the length and the quantity, which is all it takes to price one.
Shielded sensor extension
Four-conductor shielded cable, 3 m long, an M12 connector on the sensor end and stripped flying leads at the controller. The drain goes to a separate ring terminal. Ten pieces for a machine retrofit.
Camera coax jumper
FAKRA plug to Mini FAKRA plug on the coax the camera maker recommends, 1.5 m, with a heat-shrink label near each end. Five pieces for a vehicle prototype.
Controller power and signal cable
Six-conductor jacketed cable with a Molex Micro-Fit 3.0 at the controller and a circular connector at the device, your part number printed on labels at both ends. Around 50 a month once the design settles.
Bench test leads
BNC to BNC and RCA to RCA leads in three lengths for a test fixture. Two of each length, plus one spare set.
Ordering
Two Ways to Order a Cable
Configure It Online
Lay out the connector on each end, the conductors and the length. The configurator shows an instant price, with volume pricing built in, and the lead-time options for your build. Simple point-to-point cables and jumpers are the natural fit.
Upload a Drawing
A specific bulk cable, coax, shield terminations, or anything you'd rather hand to an engineer: upload a PDF, a sketch or a cable spec sheet. An engineer quotes it within 24-72 hours, counted in business hours. Manual quotes usually include setup fees, and sometimes tooling or NRE.
No minimum quantity: order a single cable or 1,000+. Orders under $49 carry a small-order fee.
Lead time: the fastest option is 10 business days, and slower options cost less. Every option is priced in the configurator and on your quote.
Before It Ships
What Happens to Every Cable Assembly
- Engineer review before we cut cable
An engineer reads every order before manufacturing: cable and connector compatibility, whether the pinout makes sense, and anything on the drawing that could be read two ways. Expect a question or two on a first order; that is the review doing its job.
- 100% continuity and pinout test
Every conductor on every assembly we ship is checked end to end against the pinout you gave us, shield connections included.
- Pull testing on request
If you need crimp retention verified on your cables, ask for a pull test when you order.
- Workmanship
We generally align with IPC, with tweaks to keep cost and lead time down. Talk to us!
- 90-day warranty
If a cable turns up a manufacturing defect within 90 days of shipment, we repair it free.
- What we don't test
We don't perform RF, impedance or other signal-performance testing. If a coax or high-speed cable needs that, qualify it in your own system.
Applications
Where Our Cable Assemblies End Up
Industrial Automation
M8 and M12 sensor leads, encoder cables and shielded runs between drives, sensors and controllers.
Automotive & Marine
FAKRA and Mini FAKRA coax for cameras and antennas, plus jacketed power and signal cables for vehicle and boat projects.
Electronics & IoT
Shielded sensor cables and point-to-point cables that link dev boards, displays and enclosures together.
Music & Recording
RCA and Mini RCA leads and multi-conductor audio cable for studio gear and instrument builds.
Lighting & Stage
Multi-conductor control and power cables for fixtures, rigs and touring equipment.
Drones & UAV
Lightweight camera, video and sensor cables routed through airframes and payload bays.
Who We Build For
Is MiniProto the Right Cable Shop?
A Good Fit
- You're an R&D engineer who needs a few cables for a prototype
- You build 20 to 100 units a month and don't want to commit to a bulk cable order
- You need anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ cable assemblies
- You'd rather see a price now than wait on a sales call
Probably Not a Fit
- High-volume, low-cost cable where unit price is all that matters
- Jobs with demanding certification requirements
- Overmolded cable ends
- Coax that must be RF- or impedance-verified before it ships
Cable Assembly FAQ
Questions Cable Buyers Ask Us
What is a custom cable assembly?
A length of cable, either several insulated conductors under a common jacket or a coax, cut to the length you need and terminated with connectors on each end. We build them to your drawing or your configurator design in Kingston, NY, in quantities from 1 to 1,000+.
Which coax connectors can you terminate?
FAKRA, Mini FAKRA, Mini RCA, RCA and BNC. Send the coax cable part number with your request so we can confirm it fits the connector. Coax assemblies get the same continuity test as every other cable; we don't test RF or impedance performance.
Can you source the cable and connectors I specify?
Yes. Give us manufacturer part numbers for the cable and for each connector, including contacts and any backshells or boots, and we buy them for your build. A connector family name on its own isn't enough to quote from.
How do you terminate shields and drain wires?
However your drawing says: to a connector shell, to a pin, through a drain wire, or cut back and insulated at one end. Put the shield in your pinout like any other conductor so it is covered by the end-to-end continuity test.
Can a cable be soldered directly to my circuit board?
Yes. We solder cable leads to boards you supply, which removes a mating connector from the design. Send the board, pad locations and lead lengths. We don't populate or assemble PCBs themselves.
How much does a custom cable assembly cost?
The configurator gives you an instant price, with volume pricing built in. Drawings you upload are quoted by an engineer within 24-72 hours, counted in business hours, and those manual quotes usually include setup fees, sometimes tooling or NRE. There is no minimum quantity; orders under $49 carry a small-order fee.
How long does a cable assembly order take?
The fastest lead-time option is 10 business days. Slower options cost less, and every option is shown with its price in the configurator and on your quote. Cables or connectors we have to order in can add time; the quote will say so.
Can you copy a cable we already use?
Usually. Send a sample, or clear photos showing the connector markings, the cable print on the jacket and the overall length. If nobody has a drawing, our reverse engineering service can document the cable first so the copy is built from a spec rather than a guess.
Do you offer overmolded cable ends?
No, we don't offer overmolding. We can finish cable ends with heat-shrink or the strain-relief boots your connector maker offers, if you list them on the drawing.
Next Step
Price Your Cable Assembly
Build it in the configurator for an instant price, or upload what you have and we'll quote it. Questions first? Email support@miniproto.com, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.