Question: [Touch panels](https://www.buydisplay.com/2-inch-4-wire-resistive-touch-panel-screen) seem to have a connector that has thin lines on a thin film.

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EvkWX.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EvkWX.png) [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2TIAa.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2TIAa.png)

Factories should have sophisticated machines to do such thing, but what about for individuals at home? If a person wants to connect such a thing to an Arduino or Raspberry Pi, is it possible? I wonder if there is some kind of adapter that makes the printed lines into common pins.

Answer: 
You could get one of these (picture) and solder a few cable to the pin holes which then connects to the Arduino/Raspberry Pi

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/u6QOu.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/u6QOu.png)

Picture:
[https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Adapter-Raspberry-Sealink-Equipment/dp/B0819V6G9M](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B0819V6G9M)

6 pins (0.5mm 1mm pitch):
[https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Converter-Couple-Extend-Adapter/dp/B07RWRK4WX/ref=sr\_1\_4?dchild=1&keywords=fpc+ffc+5+pin&qid=1600629771&sr=8-4](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07RWRK4WX)
The things you refer to aren't called "Ribbon Cables". A ribbon cable looks like this:

[![actual ribbon cable](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZPJ9t.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZPJ9t.png)

They're made of many conductors, each a cyclinder in approximately cylindric insulators.

What you show is FPC cable, flexible printed circuitry cable.

It's more like a PCB than a cable!

[![FPC](https://i.stack.imgur.com/T5aAe.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/T5aAe.jpg)

You can design these with normal PCB design tools, and order them in factories.

Then, they'll have the shape you define, and there's a lot of connectors you can "snap" them into, and these come with info on how the connecting parts (golden in your photo) have to be designed.

[![FFC/FPC connector](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4u8s7.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4u8s7.jpg)

There's also "middle ground": FFC, which is basically FPC with "simple" shapes that someone else already designed for you:

[![FFC](https://i.stack.imgur.com/NBnoP.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/NBnoP.jpg)

However, the FFC/FPC connectors typically require designed PCBs themselves – it simply makes little sense trying to connect a high-density cable to e.g. a breadboard, geometrically. So, you'd need a *breakout board* (a type of adapter) to connect your board to a connector to connect a cable that's actually a board to another board.

That might very well be the point where it pays to learn how to design your own boards so that you don't need another adapter. Also: When someone decides that it's best to use FPC like your touchscreen designer did, chances are there's high-speed signals involved, which you can't transport well on anything with a 2.54mm pitch, anyways.

But all that is very much in the realm of possible for individuals – designing PCBs is not that hard anymore, and ordering them has become incredibly easy and cheap. You just upload your KiCAD, Eagle, … file to e.g. oshpark.com, and get your PCB a while later for little money.