I'm trying to repair a ribbon cable in my MacBookPro. It carries the power for the display back light and the ribbon has cracked, a known issue. The local Mac store want $600 to fix it, and new display with cable is $250. The cable is not replaceable. That's why I'm attempting the repair.
So far I've made decent progress scraping the insulation off the cable, tinning the tracks and almost getting it repaired with thin wire strands over the tracks. But as you can see from the photo below, I've got too much solder on a couple of tracks and it's bridging where there shouldn't be a bridge. I'm having a very hard time removing the excess solder. The work area is small, about 4mm across.
Chemtronics solder wick size #3 is somewhat too wide and thick, it's not sucking up the solder. I don't have a solder sucker.
Melting the solder and flicking it off with an Xacto knife isn't working, the solder stays put.
Solder is Kester SN63PB37 0.02" diameter.
Anyone have an idea for getting these solder blobs off the traces so that I can start over?
So far I've made decent progress scraping the insulation off the cable, tinning the tracks and almost getting it repaired with thin wire strands over the tracks. But as you can see from the photo below, I've got too much solder on a couple of tracks and it's bridging where there shouldn't be a bridge. I'm having a very hard time removing the excess solder. The work area is small, about 4mm across.
Chemtronics solder wick size #3 is somewhat too wide and thick, it's not sucking up the solder. I don't have a solder sucker.
Melting the solder and flicking it off with an Xacto knife isn't working, the solder stays put.
Solder is Kester SN63PB37 0.02" diameter.
Anyone have an idea for getting these solder blobs off the traces so that I can start over?
Try adding some rosin and maybe more solder, and use the solder wick again.
The wick with rosin in it works the best.
The wick with rosin in it works the best.
I would have said solder wick for this as well. You need a hot iron with a large tip and asbestos fingers 😉 Try placing the braid in U shape around the tip tinning the braid slightly if needed and then press that onto the solder. Don't be afraid to put more solder onto the 'problem', doing that along with the braid can help it wick up.
Definitely more solder, but thin solder has little rosin in it.
"Try placing the braid in U shape around the tip."
This works very well with thin solder wick, but practice elsewhere first.
"Try placing the braid in U shape around the tip."
This works very well with thin solder wick, but practice elsewhere first.
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Hi,
it might be worth going through:
You being in there, could be used as an excuse by them, though.
Good luck.
it might be worth going through:
You being in there, could be used as an excuse by them, though.
Good luck.
I don't know if you can do this, but... after heating the solder, drop the part on the work table. It's not nice, but works everytime for me. Except, maybe it's not a great idea to drop a computer...
Thanks. I’ll dab some flux on it and try a larger tip on the iron. Also wrapping the wick around the iron. All has to be down under the microscope as I can’t see this stuff.
As for Flexgate, I’ve tried and tried to get it fixed under warranty, Apple won’t do it. 😡 That’s why I’m trying this myself.
As for Flexgate, I’ve tried and tried to get it fixed under warranty, Apple won’t do it. 😡 That’s why I’m trying this myself.
You could try wick size #1. Its thinner, should work better in tiny pads/traces.
I've also found that sometimes some parts of a wick don't work well, and I need to pull more out and use a different place on the wick.
EDIT: Just saw this had been suggested, so you can ignore the following.
I've also heated boards, and then hit the board against something very quickly while the solder is still molten so the solder flies off. Doesn't always work, but sometimes I can get solder off by doing this. Not sure if that's an option here.
EDIT2: Out of the box suggestion that I have no idea if it will work. Get a ear wax bulb or similar. Melt the solder, and then use the bulb to try to blow the solder off. Assuming you can blow solder off the board and not onto something else. You could cover the landing area with tape to make sure you don't move the problem.
I've also found that sometimes some parts of a wick don't work well, and I need to pull more out and use a different place on the wick.
EDIT: Just saw this had been suggested, so you can ignore the following.
I've also heated boards, and then hit the board against something very quickly while the solder is still molten so the solder flies off. Doesn't always work, but sometimes I can get solder off by doing this. Not sure if that's an option here.
EDIT2: Out of the box suggestion that I have no idea if it will work. Get a ear wax bulb or similar. Melt the solder, and then use the bulb to try to blow the solder off. Assuming you can blow solder off the board and not onto something else. You could cover the landing area with tape to make sure you don't move the problem.
I do this sort of stuff all the time. I do a lot of work with surface mount parts.
The flux in most of the solder wick brands I've tried is really poor.
Get yourself a bottle of Chipquik flux CQ4LF-0.5
Put a drop on the solder wick to get the end wet. Your wick will then suck up the excess solder
like a wonder. BTW I use QuickBraid size C. It's 0.075 wide and works great on tiny solder joints.
The flux in most of the solder wick brands I've tried is really poor.
Get yourself a bottle of Chipquik flux CQ4LF-0.5
Put a drop on the solder wick to get the end wet. Your wick will then suck up the excess solder
like a wonder. BTW I use QuickBraid size C. It's 0.075 wide and works great on tiny solder joints.
Yes, use narrow wick and trim the end so it is still tightly woven.
Or wrap the wick around the tip if that doesn't work.
I would not be flicking anything though, there is too little solder for that.
Or wrap the wick around the tip if that doesn't work.
I would not be flicking anything though, there is too little solder for that.
After that use the solder powder and flux paste used for SMD repair, use a heat gun or SMD work station.
If handy, give it to a cell phone repair man, they do this all the time.
If handy, give it to a cell phone repair man, they do this all the time.
As Adam Reed said: add a drop of flux, and your wick will remove the excess solder. At home I use Chipquick SMD291ST2CC6, it does not have the needle applicator like the CQ4LF but it is sold in smaller packages. I store them in the refrigerator to extend the shelf life. Flux is essential for SMD reworks.
OK, thanks everyone for the great support. 
I've tried a few things.
All I've done is move the solder around and create another bridge.
I suspect that with my skills and this solder wick, it's not going to work. I'll look into getting some tiny wick, 0.075" wide. That will take a least a week to get here, but no hurry on this repair. I have some 1cc syringes with very fine needles that ought to suck up some solder, but I'd need two hands for that and a third for the soldering iron. Maybe can kluge together something with a syringe and some small plastic tubing.
I've tried a few things.
- Cut a piece of wick and placed it around the solder tip, added flux. Lots of smoke, no solder removed.
- Curled a piece of wick around the tip, added flux, tried again. Solder melts but stays where it is.
- Try as above at higher temp with more flux, still no removal.
All I've done is move the solder around and create another bridge.
I suspect that with my skills and this solder wick, it's not going to work. I'll look into getting some tiny wick, 0.075" wide. That will take a least a week to get here, but no hurry on this repair. I have some 1cc syringes with very fine needles that ought to suck up some solder, but I'd need two hands for that and a third for the soldering iron. Maybe can kluge together something with a syringe and some small plastic tubing.
Its odd that it's not shifting with braid. If you have an old scrap bit of circuit board perhaps just try the braid and iron on that and make sure the technique works as expected.
You've probably seen this from ages ago but it does show how you can flood an area with solder and then cleanly wick the excess up. Note the size of tip I use for SMD 😉
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...ow-to-do-it-without-specialised-tools.127924/
You've probably seen this from ages ago but it does show how you can flood an area with solder and then cleanly wick the excess up. Note the size of tip I use for SMD 😉
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...ow-to-do-it-without-specialised-tools.127924/
I always put the flux on the wick not the board, solder always seemed to flow up better that way...
You can try to make your own custom ultra thin solder wick.
I never buy any ; since I make speakers I always have around braided tinsel wires for them in various diameters, by dipping a piece of it in homemade rosin flux (pure rosin dissolved in 96% ethyl alcohol); you might try something similar reusing thin tinsel wires out of a dead tweeter or cheap radio speaker and commercial or homemade flux.
You might dip - let dry - redip ... as needed to get more rosin into the wick.
Excess rosin never hurts, can be later cleaned away.
I never buy any ; since I make speakers I always have around braided tinsel wires for them in various diameters, by dipping a piece of it in homemade rosin flux (pure rosin dissolved in 96% ethyl alcohol); you might try something similar reusing thin tinsel wires out of a dead tweeter or cheap radio speaker and commercial or homemade flux.
You might dip - let dry - redip ... as needed to get more rosin into the wick.
Excess rosin never hurts, can be later cleaned away.
Good luck.
I've used Apples for years, and still do, but they're getting harder to like as a company ...
I've used Apples for years, and still do, but they're getting harder to like as a company ...