Club 80-90 Forums

chrisevans wrote: ↑15 Oct 2024, 19:50 Thanks for all the positive (boom boom) replies!

cobblers wrote: ↑09 Oct 2024, 10:07 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!)

mioba wrote: ↑09 Oct 2024, 19:05 Use silver conductive paint. comes
in tiny tins like nail varnish.
mask the tracks and paint away. Fiddly but works a charm.

chrisevans wrote: ↑21 Oct 2024, 10:36 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 wrote: ↑21 Oct 2024, 10:38

mioba wrote: ↑09 Oct 2024, 19:05 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 wrote: ↑21 Oct 2024, 10:47

chrisevans wrote: ↑21 Oct 2024, 10:36 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.