Dash Foil/PCB Options

[chrisevans]

I have a late Diesel Engine Dash with Tacho. I managed to damage(cut) the track in a couple of places when replacing the regulator, trying to get the gauges to work. I soldered bridging wires across the tracks but I am not convinced in the longevity of my workmanship.

Do people have any experience of either the Gowesty or SHC kits ?

Also the plastics are in a parlous state - i suspect I may be better off looking for a new set rather than fixing every corner of clocks and binnacle. Any suggestions or wise words?

[multisi]

I have a late diesel dash cluster thats going to be removed soon , would be easier for you to just replace with factory standard.

[Alexlib]

I used the SHC kit, straight forward and works well, only one note of caution, the power feed to the analogue clock was polarity reversed and blow the diode, simple fix, but annoying.

[cobblers]

Every one of the PCB replacement kits seems to cause as many issues as it solves - They're pretty crap.
I have no idea why someone doesn't just get the flex PCBs remade identically to the originals - it's not expensive nowadays and the minimum order quantities are dozens rather than hundreds, so it's no problem having the 6/8 different variations required.

Instead they insist on making these "universal" kits which never quite do the job correctly and add an ratsnest of wires and little bodge boards, gaudy LED lighting and shoddy 3d printed boxes all rattling around the place.

I have removed 4 or 5 of these kits to solve bizarre issues (A few SHC ones, some south african one and one sold through BW) and refitted the original flex PCB. They are almost always repairable, providing the area where the main connector plus in isn't hammered.

If I were you, I'd spend some time practicing and make a better job of your repair, it'll be a lot less of a headache than fitting one of these kits, they're a sledghammer to crack a nut.

If the regulator connector is torn off the board, you can add a bridge wire to the next connection. Use silicone multistrand cable for flexibility, and tack it down to the board with a flexible glue to keep it neat.

[multisi]

I have the dash cluster/ foil for late diesel van.

[mioba]

Use silver conductive paint. comes
in tiny tins like nail varnish.
mask the tracks and paint away. Fiddly but works a charm.

[chrisevans]

Thanks for all the positive (boom boom) replies!

[TwinTurbo]

Some topics spark interest, some generate negative replise. others are just neutral and don't lead to charged conversation. 

Rob

[multisi]

Thanks for all the positive (boom boom) replies!

Sending pm
 

[chrisevans]

Every one of the PCB replacement kits seems to cause as many issues as it solves - They're pretty crap.
I have no idea why someone doesn't just get the flex PCBs remade identically to the originals - it's not expensive nowadays and the minimum order quantities are dozens rather than hundreds, so it's no problem having the 6/8 different variations required.

Instead they insist on making these "universal" kits which never quite do the job correctly and add an ratsnest of wires and little bodge boards, gaudy LED lighting and shoddy 3d printed boxes all rattling around the place.

I have removed 4 or 5 of these kits to solve bizarre issues (A few SHC ones, some south african one and one sold through BW) and refitted the original flex PCB. They are almost always repairable, providing the area where the main connector plus in isn't hammered.

If I were you, I'd spend some time practicing and make a better job of your repair, it'll be a lot less of a headache than fitting one of these kits, they're a sledghammer to crack a nut.

If the regulator connector is torn off the board, you can add a bridge wire to the next connection. Use silicone multistrand cable for flexibility, and tack it down to the board with a flexible glue to keep it neat.

Any idea who might be able to do a short run of foils? For the repairs do you suggest soldering the wires to the copper track then gluing the wire to tidy it up , or just gluing? My original repair seems to overheat the surround plastic when soldering(probably just my poor workmanship!)

 

[chrisevans]

Use silver conductive paint. comes
in tiny tins like nail varnish.
mask the tracks and paint away. Fiddly but works a charm.

I tried some stuff bought from Maplin(shows how old it was) and it was very watery. Is there a better make you can recommend?

[cobblers]

For the repairs do you suggest soldering the wires to the copper track then gluing the wire to tidy it up , or just gluing? My original repair seems to overheat the surround plastic when soldering(probably just my poor workmanship!)

Soldering direct to the track is doable but tricky - you need to scrape off the insulation to expose clean copper, then make the solder joint very quickly with a temperature controlled iron to avoid melting the pcb too much. I've been repairing automotive electronics for a living for 15 years now and it's still tricky, so I wouldn't recommend a novice do it this way.

Less elegant, but more robust and suitable for "diy" is to follow the damaged track both directions until you get to a connection point where there's something solid to connect to (there's usually some resistor or other component crimped onto the flex) and solder your repair wire to those, instead. Use sealant to attach the wire to the board to stop it rattling around and snapping off. It helps if you scrape any oxidisation off the solder points.

[mioba]

Use silver conductive paint. comes
in tiny tins like nail varnish.
mask the tracks and paint away. Fiddly but works a charm.

I tried some stuff bought from Maplin(shows how old it was) and it was very watery. Is there a better make you can recommend?

Oh no. I got mine about 10 years ago. Think it was off ebay - when ebay was good and it was a good consistency. Did you shake the bottle very well.
Could well be the stuff your using had settled out / gone off like many paints would.

[chrisevans]

For the repairs do you suggest soldering the wires to the copper track then gluing the wire to tidy it up , or just gluing? My original repair seems to overheat the surround plastic when soldering(probably just my poor workmanship!)

Soldering direct to the track is doable but tricky - you need to scrape off the insulation to expose clean copper, then make the solder joint very quickly with a temperature controlled iron to avoid melting the pcb too much. I've been repairing automotive electronics for a living for 15 years now and it's still tricky, so I wouldn't recommend a novice do it this way.

Less elegant, but more robust and suitable for "diy" is to follow the damaged track both directions until you get to a connection point where there's something solid to connect to (there's usually some resistor or other component crimped onto the flex) and solder your repair wire to those, instead. Use sealant to attach the wire to the board to stop it rattling around and snapping off. It helps if you scrape any oxidisation off the solder points.

Yeah it was tricky - to be fair as ugly as it looks I have tested the connections and they seem to work. I am just unsure if my "logic" is correct and some of my jumpers are not correct. I have removed the foil completely now so I can make a physical repair to the corner where slasher did his worst! I guess if I test methodically it aint rocket science!
 

[tobydog]

Just seen this:

https://thepihut.com/products/copper-fo ... meter-roll