It would cost the Chinese $0.01 to add a proper switch and make a proper product. So they don't.

No chance!!!!

What about using one of those spot welders for building battery packs. I imagine one could tune it down low enough to spot weld each trace.

Wow, good work. Thanks for the tip about the 3403 SMD mosfet. I had not been able to find the type. Does anyone know the current rating of the fuse? Regards Alexander

Last time I tried to fix a pen it was disaster, so you definitely did a great job! I guess your repair skills are know far and wide so now even your boss is asking for help 😂 fantabulus video as always!

Woohooo, first!

Your back! I think I will have to poke around by deck now instead of just using my other one after seeing you have a go at yours! Fantastic video as always

First the damn thing wouldn't turn off all of a sudden. I took the battery out, put it in and it turned on all by itself. But I couldn't turn the damn thing off again. I repeated the procedure. Same result. Then I slid another 18V battery in. Fully loaded of course. Ever scince then - one hour ago - I haven't been able to get the damn thing to turn on. I bought it under two years ago and it hasn't been in any really hazardous environment yet. In fact, most of the time it's been in the kitchen - or the WC as I like to hear music when I take a crap. This damn thing is also a piece of crap and will now be going straight back to the place I bought it for a refund. Reading all the comments below is a warning to me not to take this model anymore. Greetings from Germany where the score England - Holland is now 1:1.

Can I mail mine to you for repair? I have this same issue!

This is great but also bad because now I want to buy a Cricut machine and I cant afford new things atm lol 😂😂

Next time use a tiny toothpick or a needle for clothes, a tiny micro drop will be way more than enough. Instead of pouring it straight out of the bottle. And apply it with the toothpick or needle on the switch. To glue it in Place.

Shame the DMR115 DaB signal is poor

What I did was harvest a 3.7V to 1.5V step down PCB from one of those USB-C rechargable AAA batteries. The PCB and a slider switch were JB Welded to the housing and a tiny 180 mAh lipo battery was attached using double-sided tape. I can recharge it via USB-C in 10 minutes. Ugly but functional. No more button cells for me :)

Hi, the "94V-0" on the board does not mean voltage, but a "flammability rating". You checked the motor cables, but did you also check the power cable? I think that's a classic source of failure with a wired device. But then again, you fixed it already :)

it's by design. when it's off, simply sliding the caliper powers it on. It has to draw power to do that. Whether that's a flaw depends on your point of view - but it annoys the hell out of me :-)

Your brave the only way id try is if i had two one working that way i can go from the bad to the good to see whats not the same and what its supposed to be when its good. I also have those adapters for different sockets its definitely over well ming on how many different plugs there are . I converted mine and went with a 5,5 barrel jack i like it because a lot of lap top use it as well most media boxes use it and dvd players as long as you pay attention to what voltage the supply and device is its fine. I can see why a few different style can be handy and a good idea. just because iv seen my parents plug in and as long as it fits they will plug it in and iv tried to explain why thats not good to do because of the different out puts . They only see it as it does or doesn't work . Not understanding it probably did but now it doesn't because you plug in more power then it can handle. Lower voltage is fine it won't turn on but over will fry it . the first thing every one says well the plug fit. My dad didn't like my reply. that why my stuff works and your stuff doesn't. your the one that told me to pay attention when i was little kid. Now I've got to tell you😅. His solution was throwing out all the power supply. If i did have a box of different ones id kept them lol

Awesome video. I have a couple of calipers like these and I have been suffering the same problem. Great mods. Man, that first mod got complicated and seemed like it was a pain. But you're right, it looks really good.

Do you have a link to the replacement diode? Or what specific one I will need

Brilliant video, thank you

You could have just soldered single strands of wire across the gap and used kapton tape. You just over complicated the snot out of a simple and easy repair.

Since I have 3D printers, I would have printed a small rectangle with a slot in it barely big enough for both the original cabe and your home made one so you would say slide it over the original good part and then have to squeeze the new bit in with it thus assuring a tight fit to each other and keeping them properly aligned. Assuming you don't have a 3D printer though. Worked and that's what matters in the end.

You can use silver conductive epoxy. One used to repair car window heaters. Just mask off areas between. Also make sure its thin layer or it will crack. Done it on similar things.

COOL!!!!!!!!!!!! That seemed too easy. Very NICE. AD0TJ

Naughty... You are not supposed to repair over complicated, overpriced consumer electronics. It hurts the hearts of the corporations' shareholders. Buy new. Buy more.

I repaired a lot of ribbon cables in my time. There are two types. The first type is some kind of electronic ink. It is used in some Macbooks, a lot of keyboards and carseats. The only option you have with this is to make your own metallic ink which is not really accurate. The other type and the one you have is called FFC. You can take some higher quality flux like amtech, small speaker wire in the desired thickness and bismuth solder like mechanic x. Then you can use a fine tip like a JBC C210 under a microscope and solder to the leftover pads. It helps to use a fiber brush to clean it up a bit. Wrap in kapton tape for stability.

Nice work! Am glad to see you fixed it. Now am wondering if there's any easier repair without needing the expensive investment you have already made in equipment and in Adobe software. A way to make and maintain the 6 electrical connections using an off-the-shelf part ?

Amazing job.....well done, indeed.

it's a bit small for this type of repair, but rear window defroster repair products work. it is basically a conductive paint meant to bridge broken heater wires on the window. it works for things like keyboards where the features are larger.

Spare Time Repair: The diode is gone, I need to open it and replace it. Apple: You can try..

Tried fixing touch screen flex on sony tablet. The lines were just too thin to work with. Why do they have to make them so small?

Impressive solution. well done~

great hack!! copper tape and I would use a wooden Dowling cut to length as a semi circle and place it under the flex and twist 3 4 solid strands of copper wire to tighten off for a solid connection

The aluminum tape maybe will react with the conector pins if they are not gold, or nickel plated, galvanization will ocour if the conector pins is made of brass.

you could also clamp ribbon between 2 small neodymium magnets.

My USA or made in China version 101 Fluke also has a weak sounding buzzer so it must be normal. The Chinese version is the same as all the rest, just has Fluke written in Chinese.

I bought Mitutoyo some years back and aside from the beneficial reliable accuracy, it switches on every time I need it. The residual current draw is ridiculous on any and all of the Chinese made Calipers taking a SR44/AG13 battery when switched to off. Don't know why they haven't designed an inline physical switch on this type. Simply hoping that their weak circuit design will have a low current draw is not enough, Mitutoyo will have spent considerable time, expertise and money to maintain a very low quiescent current in their calipers. One thing you always find with Chinese copies is that they can do a really good cosmetic copy and often, even the electronics inside will work sometimes but, they can never think outside of the box to change the form of the object slightly or to add in a useful bit of circuitry such as a switch. It apparently has to be wholesale change or nothing at all for Chinese designers. I recently purchased a set that use the CR2032 lithium battery as a test sample, nothing like the Mitutoyos in appearance and I can report that 11 months in and counting, the battery is keeping power sufficient to turn the device on and off regularly, once or twice a day at most. It also has the benefit of a larger LCD Screen, Metric, Imperial and Fractions and in a wholly metal casing. It is allegedly IP54 rated too. Cost me £24.95 and thusfar, they are really good. I still use my Mitutoyo for EVERY measurement I take and then take a 2nd reading with the Chinese calipers. Have to say that accuracy is not much of an issue, the cheapest Chinese calipers give very accurate readings thanks to the Western designed technology inside, there is not much they can get wrong and no moving parts to take a reading that they could mess up. Keep the jaws clean, the display zeroed and the rest is simple. If anyone is wondering about a decent set amongst the Chinese iterations, buy the CR2032 ones which have IP54 boldly imprinted in the face of the metal housing near the thumb rest, they are really rather good and feel well made. I wil not be geetting rid of the Mitutoyos though and if they fail after all of these years, I will suck up the pain and go part with another £140 to replace them. Even the little battery door on the Mitutoyos is available to buy for around £6, show me a Chinese maker who will sell you a battery door for their particular caliper over a decade later, no chance. You get what you pay for with all things in life.

Wait a minute.... You're not Big Clive!

You could try using a low temp acetate or something else which melts at a lower temp and then using a heatgun to bond it to the previous ribbon? Idk just an idea I'd like to see fleshed out more

Good job, nicely done! My attempts to repair ribbon cables in CD player optics, based on soldering, were horrible and didn't last. Wish I had the skills and tools to do it like this.

Thanks! Do you know a way to reattach a detached 'Flexible Printed Circuit', back to its mother board?

Nicely done, makes me want a cnc cutting machine. Perhaps a dab of superglue on the clamp ends or something to hold it in place against the plastic would provide some mechanical resiliance. Also, classic mistake from Honeywell (all manufacturers do it though) putting a hole with a critical connection behind it in a place the uninitiated would shove a screwdriver! Thanks for sharing.

The real trick for this is 3M Z-Axis conductive adhesive tape - Adafruit carries it. Only conducts through the thickness of the tape, not through the length or width. As long as the traces are aligned properly, the tape will handle the connection without shorting to adjacent traces.

"Movie prop level" restoration right there.

That clamp you made was masterful.

297th subscriber. I have a good feeling about this.

FYI, in the electronics industry this is not called a ribbon cable, because that term was already taken by the older type that is simply many insulated wires stuck to each other. This kind is known as a “flat-flex cable” or FFC.

I'd never thought about using a Cricut for this type of repair but I can think of several times it would have been useful. Will have to keep this in mind!

Nice job. I love to see repair-minded stuff like this as opposed to it simply being thrown away, even if the device itself is just a proof of concept.

Thanks for this. I damaged the ribbon on one of my iPods. I think I'll give this a try before resorting to buying a replacement click wheel. Conductive glue and copper tape suggestions noted from other commenters below might be the way I go.

How were you able to open the 8- track cart? I saw the heat gun and all that but after heat do you just give it a twist?