TI-H: Sub-millimeter PCB trace repair


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TI-H: Sub-millimeter PCB trace repair




While working on a display board last night I managed to
accidentally put a deep scratch into the PCB traces behind
the LCD.  The scratch severed three of the horizontal traces
for the display.  The repair procedure may be helpful for
others with similar problems, so I am posting my solution.

In order to repair the traces I sanded off the solder mask
in a circular area about 5mm in diameter around the scratch.
Since the traces are not wide enough and are to close together
to repair using a simple solder bridge, I managed to bridge
the scratch and the three traces with a single drop of solder,
which I then gently filed down until it was nearly flat.
The filing process appears to have pushed the solder down into
the areas between the traces and into the scratch somewhat.

Once the solder was as thin as possable without removing
it (it is thin enough that it is difficult to feel by
dragging a fingertip across it), I used a sharp utility
knife to very carefully remove the solder between the
traces, leaving only the bridges across the scratch.
This process is delicate, a free standing magnifier
would be a huge help, and good light is essential.

After removing the solder between the traces the display
worked again as normal.  The repaired traces look
nearly normal, and are not significantly raised above
the rest of the PCB surface.

DK


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