Connectors built using ribbon-style contacts differ from pin/socket in two important ways. Looking at this cut-away is a mating pair of ribbon contacts. First, the contacts are ‘pre-loaded’ in opposing directions, allowing for increased force. The resulting ‘springiness’ in the contacts makes for a more reliable mating during operation. Second, the end of the ribbon style contact is retained inside an insulator. This greatly reduces the chance for a misaligned contact tip to catch and break against the outer face of the mating connector. Known as “pin stubbing” this is quite common in pin-and-socket interfaces.