circuit board trace repair

Propeller Head Plaza

Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

1) I have a glass expoxy circuit board that has two partially melted, heavy tinned copper traces that I want to repair to look and function as close to original as possible, including aesthetics. The board itself is unharmed. The traces are approx. 3/16" wide and I am guessing their thickness to be approx. 15 mils (they are very heavy). The damaged portions are each approx. 3" to 3 1/2" long and they are in a straight line with at lease an inch or so of the same trace, undamaged, running beyond each end of the damaged portion. I plan to acquire somewhere (help) 15 mil copper "film" (pre-tinned if I can find it...help again) that I can either get or cut to the exact width and I will cut it to length myself. If it doesn't come pre-tinned, I will pre-tin it myself before installing it on the circuit board (there is still a more or less continuous portion of the damaged trace in various widths left to solder over). I will align it on the board, overlapping the undamaged portions at each end by, say, 1/2" and solder it in place to what's left of the damaged trace, incrementally, as I slide the soldering iron along its length. Any comments or advice from those of you that have done something like this before?
2) I also want to open some circuits by cutting small sections out of several circuit traces on another glass expoxy circuit board. I plan to make two cuts with an exacto knife approx. 1/16" apart and then remove the 1/16" piece of each trace I want to open. I've never attempted this before and, aside from trying to "gouge" or "cut" out the piece of trace with the exacto knife or a very small chisel, does someone who has done this before know a better or easier way? I don't know what holds the traces on the board (assume an adhesive of some kind) or how difficult it will be to get them off. Is there a solvent for this that won't hurt the parts of the trace I want to retain? When I am finished, I also want this to look "professional".
Any comments?
Thanks in advance to all who can offer any advice or help.

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Topic - circuit board trace repair - hjp 12:11:08 06/19/04 (2)

Back in my Redactron days - GTF 19:14:45 06/19/04 (0)

Re: circuit board trace repair - john curl 13:06:29 06/19/04 (0)

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