New HP-71 zebra strips?

[Jeff_Birt]

I have seen in some cases where someone has used a flex PCB in place of an elastomeric 'zebra' strip and we have been talking about both in this thread which might be confusing so it seems Garth's interjection is well placed.

For future reference to other HP-71 newbies I'll attach an image of both types of interconnect HP used on the HP-71 which I gleaned from links elsewhere on the forum. The 'metal backed' type used a FFC soldered between the two halves. The 'plastic backed' used an odd zebra strip like connector in the middle. To me this looks more like a flex PCB rapped around an elastomeric cushion but I have not need one in the flesh as of yet. My HP-71 is not due for a few more days.

If a traditional elastomeric zebra strip were make to replace the original connector it would probably have a resistance of 1-2K per signal. I'm not certain how tall this connector actually is so this figure is a SWAG. I'm not sure if this added resistance would be detrimental or not.