That might be possible. The ribbon cable is in the laptop, but the laptop might go on its side. I'll try that and a shot of canned air. 👍
Plenty of flux on wire first then braid.
I do a lot of 0.55 mm IC's and sometimes it takes a few goes to get excess solder off.
I do a lot of 0.55 mm IC's and sometimes it takes a few goes to get excess solder off.
Sometimes heating up solder then jerking the pcb in the air makes solder fly off. (glasses recommended !!)
Success! 👍 I got some new solder wick today and tried it out right away. It's 1mm wide and brand new and shiny.
Here it is compared to what I was using.
I coated the wick in flux paste and it pulled the solder right off the traces, not trouble at all. The new solder sucker pump was much too large to do the job, but the thin new wick worked like a champ. Here are the cleaned up traces. Now I can work on the repair proper, bridging the crack with fine strands of wire.
Thanks to everyone in this thread for your help and advice.
Here it is compared to what I was using.
I coated the wick in flux paste and it pulled the solder right off the traces, not trouble at all. The new solder sucker pump was much too large to do the job, but the thin new wick worked like a champ. Here are the cleaned up traces. Now I can work on the repair proper, bridging the crack with fine strands of wire.
Thanks to everyone in this thread for your help and advice.
TL;DR
Sometimes the problem is that with this new silver based solder (lead based not allowed) solder wicker is not wicking it up. I normally flood it with lead based solder and then use a very good brand solder wick. Not all solder wick works and there is a lot of counterfeit around: Know where you getting your solderwick from. And thinner is better. When using solderwick I often start an inch or even two from the end and then slowly pull the wick across once it is absorbing the solder. I much prefer solderwick to a solder sucker.
Sometimes the problem is that with this new silver based solder (lead based not allowed) solder wicker is not wicking it up. I normally flood it with lead based solder and then use a very good brand solder wick. Not all solder wick works and there is a lot of counterfeit around: Know where you getting your solderwick from. And thinner is better. When using solderwick I often start an inch or even two from the end and then slowly pull the wick across once it is absorbing the solder. I much prefer solderwick to a solder sucker.
Reminds me of little 'incident' at work ages ago. One of our best techs had a bad time with one and the end flew off and hit him in the face. The air turned blue and the sucker was then propelled across the workshop so hard it embedded itself in the wall. LOL, so just a typical day really 😀
The hard plastic wsuckers dont seal very well.
I put some soft silicon tubing over the end and that seals much better.
It really sucks.
The solder sucker I just bought has he silicone tube tip, and replacements. I've never had one of those before. But in this case the 1mm wick did the trick.
I did manage to bridge the ribbon crack with fine strands of wire. Took some effort, I'm not used to working at this scale, and it's been years since I did SMD work. Not pretty, but fingers crossed it will work. The tracks repaired are; ground, V+, ground. The thin unbroken tracks on the left are LED return lines.
Tomorrow will be more flux cleanup, cotton strand removal and reinforcing the ribbon from behind with some thin plastic taken from the solder sucker package. I don't want it to bend and crack again. 😀
I did manage to bridge the ribbon crack with fine strands of wire. Took some effort, I'm not used to working at this scale, and it's been years since I did SMD work. Not pretty, but fingers crossed it will work. The tracks repaired are; ground, V+, ground. The thin unbroken tracks on the left are LED return lines.
Tomorrow will be more flux cleanup, cotton strand removal and reinforcing the ribbon from behind with some thin plastic taken from the solder sucker package. I don't want it to bend and crack again. 😀
Well, anything smaller than 1206 is a pain. And I have steady hands, and a stereo inspection microscope.
Usually connectors are the least reliable parts, but the mfr must have known about the cable problem anyway,
and could have made it replaceable.
Are you going to drop some epoxy on it to reduce flexing?
Usually connectors are the least reliable parts, but the mfr must have known about the cable problem anyway,
and could have made it replaceable.
Are you going to drop some epoxy on it to reduce flexing?
Maybe epoxy. It does have to bend some - so I was thinking thin plastic glued on the back side. There is a second one that hasn't cracked yet so I'll stiffen it with plastic to prevent a severe bend and crack.
This certainly showed me how much a stereo microscope would be nice. Not having depth perception made this even clumsier than it already was. I truly did not think I could do it. Surprised that I got it done, it seemed near impossible with my skills.
This certainly showed me how much a stereo microscope would be nice. Not having depth perception made this even clumsier than it already was. I truly did not think I could do it. Surprised that I got it done, it seemed near impossible with my skills.
Try hot glue to stiffen the cable, it is pretty hard to bond the polyester sheet used in flex cables.
If you have a vehicle sticker / reflective sheeting, the adhesive on those is very good, and suitable for many substrates. Should work on polyester.
Congratulations on the progress so far.
If you have a vehicle sticker / reflective sheeting, the adhesive on those is very good, and suitable for many substrates. Should work on polyester.
Congratulations on the progress so far.
Last edited:
You must have lots of patience, certainly wish I did. Have always tried to minimize opening and closing laptops,
since there's so much to break. But I really don't have to carry them around much.
I have a friend, architect, does project execution as well.
He bought an iPad, $1000, to replace his $400 laptop, says it is compact, rugged, all solid state.
He also got a padded bag with a sling to carry it around.
He shows the contractors on site what is to be done, says picture is worth a thousand words.
I think it is a good idea for moving around, though you can also use a cell phone with a big memory to stream music / files.
A little off topic, but see how many people have 10 year old laptops in daily use compared to people using 10 year old desk top computers.
Laptops seem to have a shorter life...
He bought an iPad, $1000, to replace his $400 laptop, says it is compact, rugged, all solid state.
He also got a padded bag with a sling to carry it around.
He shows the contractors on site what is to be done, says picture is worth a thousand words.
I think it is a good idea for moving around, though you can also use a cell phone with a big memory to stream music / files.
A little off topic, but see how many people have 10 year old laptops in daily use compared to people using 10 year old desk top computers.
Laptops seem to have a shorter life...
There was no solder there to begin with, it's a ribbon cable. so I added the solder for the repair. Solder is classic Tin/Lead