Bala Chandar wrote:
>
> I would like to know the experience of anyone who has used conductive silver
> ink for repairing tracks on a PCB.
>
> I have a handy Casio solar calculator. It is quite thin and has a nice big
> display. Once it got wet in the rain and after that certain segments are
> missing in the digits. An examination of the PCB reveals that the board is a
> thin mylar sheet and all the tracks are made of conductive polymer. Some
> tracks need to be repaired. I am wondering whether to buy the silver ink
> from the market. The 10ml pack costs roughly twice as much as the calculator
> itself!
>
> Are there less costly alternatives available for repairing polymer tracks on
> a PCB?

We use the silver ink all the time for repairing
remotes. It works very well on polymer tracks,
but is not the best for rubber conductive buttons
as the silver ink is soft and will grind away.

It's expensive, about $20 US for a TINY bottle.
Big tip!! The solvent evaporates VERY quickly,
so only keep the bottle open for a second or two.
I use a tiny metal screwdriver as the "brush",
open bottle, get a drop, close bottle, paint
drop in a line to repair the track(s).

You can use acetone to replace the lost solvent,
but it's fiddly. Too dilute and it won't work.

We use this stuff every day, I don't know of
a cheaper way. :o)
-Roman

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