TWB #21 | LCD Flat Flex Repair

[@ultra4e]

You not only pulled off a flawless almost impossible repair on a device most people would throw away, but also used a simple very effective cellphone camera lens hack to do it with!! Texas hat tip to you my friend!

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

Thanks!

[@bkbaxterNYnowIN]

absolutely amazing! I've just tried to solder a flex using (I think) exactly the same wire you used, so I can appreciate just how tiny those connections are. I didn't get it to work, but you've given me some tips and new hope. Thank you for taking the trouble to video tape this!! It's a great contribution.

[@AM-dc7pv]

I watched the entire vid and was like, "hell yeah", when you got it working.

[@tonylui6514]

Superb work on the repair and the videoing to show how it was successfully done

[@indybowtie550]

Dude, Just saw this, I have 35 years as a tool builder! You did awesome, Great job,,,,Thanks for putting yourself out there and doing this video.

[@skmansur3191]

duble picture me kaun sa pin katna hota hai

[@AT-Legence]

it's a nice thing, to watch you repair this LCD just for the repair thick, because you can, eaven if it's may have not many use this days. Nicely done Pro.

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

Thank you!

[@VedafoneYT]

Nice work solving problems... I liked the way you explaining how to do it also I know how it is frustrating after you thought that you have finished your work you got another problem to fix it either at last. Thanks for the video.

[@FreeMind5094]

all the respect for your patience, persistence and practical ideas, I very much admire what you did with simple tools, i specifically liked your double sided tape idea to lay the wires in one go. Thank you for sharing.

[@AndyVandercoy]

Yay someone who shakes as much as I do! So tricky doing these repairs sometimes. Thank you for this older video. It should help me out to fix a few flex cables

[@EGM210]

Great job. There is another method I've used repairing similar flex to LCD's. Get some repair compound for automotive defoggers. It's a liquid solution with a copper base in it. It is similar to what the original material is on the ribbon. You can get a needle and dip it in this material and just paint on a new lead. The stuff is used for rear window defoggers and is designed just for this purpose.

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

I had a conductive pen somewhere that I've used before on a larger ribbon, but I have no idea where it went. I don't know how much good it would have done me in this case with the traces as small as they were and the fact that the ribbon was torn, but it wouldn't hurt to try at some point.

[@keen2461]

Mcgyver....is that you? Awesome job. Loved the tiny lens. Thanks for sharing.

[@hitbyligtning9661]

difficult job ..well done. if you removed the excess solder from the soldering iron then it would just draw the excess solder from the flexible PCB onto the iron's tip thus decreasng any chance of the tracks on the flexible PCB lifting off because of excess heat This technique always works for me !

[@xdiep]

I don't normally comment on vids, but wanted to commend you on posting a good vid and on a job well done.

[@jtemailtube]

Wow. Very inspiring video. Just got a usb microscope for seeing and soldering smd connections. did not realize how to push the "art of soldering" to that level. nice job.

[@whocares.20]

Nice work ! I have a similar repair lurking in my future. I have a 24" LCD monitor, nice high resolution, before all went to 1920. The florescent tubes went bad, and I tried to fix it, in the process I ripped a good 1/2 inch of ribbon cable, man I hate that stuff ! lol, but with your video doing exactly what I planned to fix it with, I have more confidence it may work :)

[@suepullen3326]

Well done! Good to watch your vid. I have an LCD problem with a watch. Not quite the same but to see you painstakingly try to fix something just because you thought you could is oh SO good for my resolve. Many thanks. X

[@edsabado7107]

You must be really patient to do that man, wow, you did awesome fix, thumbs up for you dude!

[@darrellmay4502]

I really like how you are showing us how to repurpose parts from other units to make repairs!,,, very good!,,

[@VaibhavYawalkar]

Whoa...I wouldn't dare to do that even in my dreams. Great clinical precision !

[@carnagefrenzy5080]

Amazing precision, even with the shaking👍 Great video bro... Respect from Namibia👏👏

[@arashkhoshghadamnia376]

Nice one. Nicely done, but the catch is when you want to use the same method using wires for tablet FFCs and FPCs that are 0.1 mm wide, you often get bridges and wires getting soldered together. I have given it a try and it's a frustration. I gave it up and resorted to using some junk FFCs to carve out what I needed to solder to bridge the failed connections.

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

Somebody mentioned using wire from a cell phone motor before since it's really thin, but I haven't tried it myself. Might be worth a shot.

[@leonrodriguez7189]

Let´s see here, your kid busts the flex on the player and we get the punishment of watching you repair that thing for 22 minutes?!! Hey, its cool, its exactly what i was looking for, a true scenario with a damaged flex and a guy with extra patience to fix and explain it all in an interrupted video. So now I know what a pain in the A is to repair a broken flex.

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

This was my own punishment for leaving it somewhere he could reach it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@dodgealeman1]

Excellent work, man! Very useful video. Thanks for all the hustle to put this on. And also - great work with the camera lens. I was surprised to see that the autofocus works even with an attachment. But agin - thumbs up!

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

Thanks! I love those little lenses for small stuff like this. They really come in handy.

[@luisvilleza2687]

you really have a patience nice work bro keep it up thats a real life situation keep the videos coming , nice work .

[@Measuray]

Thanks for this video. You've inspired me to take on the task to fix LCD flex cable tabs.

[@henrikaleksandernilsen6388]

Nice work! I came here to see how you removed the coating on the cable, and I see you're also using a knife. I'm looking to re-do the soldering job on my monitor. A little tip if you're soldering very small traces, you can use the coil wire from the vibration motor of a broken phone. I learned that from Jessa Jones on iPad Rehab. She used that to repair long screw damage on an iPhone motherboard.

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

Will definitely keep in mind wire from a motor if I ever need something really small! Thanks for the tip!

[@lorencassell5083]

Great Job! - Challenging task, but you pulled it off with old-school discipline. I wanted to encourage you because your effort is rare now, but was common back in the day. Most will say, "chuck it, buy a new one", but people don't realize that your perserverance is worth 10x the cost of the device. Keep it up, your son will see the effort, and will learn even better stuff. And remember, the occasional goof is an inexpensive lesson compared to the expertise of developing good methodology.

[@MCFresh13]

Excellent content. By chance, could this same technique be used to repair a small tear in a flex cable for a video doorbell?

[@philsowers]

Absolutely, most traces just need a jumper wire soldered on to restore the connection.

[@Mike-xt2ot]

Great job!! Maybe a Valium to help with the hand shaking. 😄 haha

[@kyleszen3346]

I've used a fiberglass pencil in the past for scraping FFC's coating off. They're a little easier to control but you still have to be careful not to go too far with them. Nice work though it was a little scary there for a second lol.

[@saadanaam2843]

damn ,you really as patient as a tree ,nice surgeon job

[@ohmedarick1]

Agree 100%

[@gibbsy071]

Good stuff brings back memories lol used to work in an electronics factory American as well lol Jabil was the name, I'm curious when you did the repair did you use your phone the whole time if so did to have it on a stand or something? We used our microscopes 7x magnification, when you weren't happy and you kept going back and fiddling brought back memories lol sometimes best left alone, but you need to get it right lol, also someone inspected our work afterwards lol no pressure. Lastly where do you get those magnifiers for the phone do they work with any phone, Thanks enjoyed the video.

[@charlessmith93]

Man that was a great video. I was so happy for the ending as if I was the one working on the issue. Great Job!

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

Thanks, man!

[@unlimitediq1894]

@@ThatElectronicsFool hey can you fix the flex cable on my phone?

[@S.e.r.a.p.h.i.m]

Scratching off the coating works best with a glass fiber pencil.

[@jorgegutierrez5721]

I'm watching thsi video because I need to repair a flex wire for a tablet. Thanks!!!

[@orion310591RS]

Use green solder mask, baked on UV light, to fixate all in place, so it doesnt move or break.

[@mcsebastian3180]

Nice work Bro., little tips to make your hand more steady is you need to have your side palm to be on the table or rest bench or something...

[@TechSight-r6p]

Really glad to hear that it worked ❤

[@jodycullimore6637]

Great job very well done! just shows what we can do when we try.

[@harsha.sri.g]

You are simple awesome!!!! Neat job!.. One suggestion though you cud have used hot air blow like those that we wud use for Plcc soldering when your bits budged off. Nevertheless absolutely amazing video

[@gsmbahrain8411]

That was a real good one!!!! Congrats! what temperature do you use with your tip?

[@vgfxworks]

brilliant problem solver and microsurgical skills !!

[@hateeternalmaver]

Quite some excellence and pretty sympathetic. Thanks for doing this video.

[@lebiantobatara489]

I don't normally comment on vids, but wanted to commend you on posting a good vid and on a really well done job and i'm your fans now.

[@MathijsGroothuis]

A nice skill for your own projects. But to learn this it will take much more time, and thus more repair costs than just buying a new panel for a repair job :).

[@sandeepkushwaha5531]

good teaching dear i have same problem with my tablet too now i can re solve it thankxxx

[@darrellmay4502]

I have to ask,,,is all this work worth saving the unit?,,, the Tech lesson is worth it to me!,,,

[@estetor4174]

Thanks! It gives me an idea how i will my fix my broken lcd flex.

[@moinshaikh2265]

bady you have did a fine job because i am electronic technician i know how hard job it is .

[@johanponin1360]

Hands are shaking but not the motivation. Kudos

[@xantylon2472]

Nice! Maybe it would work with conducdive silver too?

[@billyjoelization]

Great man. This is really going to help me out when fixing my camera.

[@annyan904]

you definitely deserve an award

[@juandejesusmendez1412]

Nice work thanks for share I need the zoom lens and a good hand pulse and view, thanks god bless you

[@haiyanqu698]

Wow man, you did it. that's an amazing work!! Thanks a lot for sharing!!

[@protektosafe]

Cool beans. Thanks for sharing. Did you consider using conductive ink at any time?

[@whoisme678]

That's what I call ingenuity with the lens. I agree with Ray Antony. :)) Is there a flexible epoxy you could have used or a glue to cover the wires?

[@ByCINAR]

Everything is fine, it is a problem for me to connect the roads. I have a very difficult time pulling the yellow copper cables.

[@MauroDiaz1991]

Waaa, man, ure THE man, I gotta try to fix my Trackpad flex for my macbook pro, almost 40usd, ugh, but is gonna be hardcore, its like super thin spaces, still gonna save the 40 for the new one if I cant, lol. Good video.

[@Zainudinaa]

I love you lense ... can you explain where you got it from .. :)

[@61spindrift]

Wow, that was painful to watch. I'm joking. I liked it and also work on projects like these. Especially enjoy the small solder work but anything electrical is fun to work on. Maybe I am at about 50/50 for actual fixes. So 50% I fix, 25% I can not and 25% I make worse. BTW, I ended up here looking for a fix for lcd ribbon to glass repair without a pulse generator. Thanks for the video.

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

I hear you on that 50, 25, 25. lol I figured, it's already broken, might as well try. Thanks for watching!

[@Alireza_Areno]

You are the best my friend And I think it could be better if you use a little glow on 😉

[@andrescaiaffa6001]

Nice vid, thanks for that. Can you tell me what are you using in min14.56 to clean?

[@naderhumood1199]

Great job. We'll done

[@Mambas-World]

well done on the vid. got a question though if you don't mind. will this process work with the Mylar type ribbon cable? I'm working on a dish washer front panel and it has a Mylar type cable and a circuit pen isn't cutting it. My soldering station can do low heat but I'm scared to touch the Mylar with it for fear of melting the Mylar. would this process work if I used a heat disapater like what you did. because I could solder small wires to the trace but fear that if I did this it would melt as soon as I touch it and the circuit pen takes too long and if you wipe away ruins the remaining trace

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

I'm not sure that it's possible to successfully solder to that type of ribbon since it's way more delicate, even if you used some sort of heat dissipation. It would be more likely if the traces were actual metal instead of the deposited stuff. Might be better off trying to use some conductive adhesive? I've never tried repairing that sort of ribbon, so I don't have any really good suggestions. Sorry :(

[@RynaxAlien]

How to know if flex cable has tiny wires broken, can they be visually inspected? What flux you use or recommend for this kind of work?

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

Sometimes it is possible to visually see cracks, especially in areas where the flex might be bent or frequently bends in use. To be sure, you'd have to be able to test continuity from one end to the other, and depending on what type of flex it is and what/how it attaches to things, may or may not be possible to test easily. If it goes to a connector on each end, then it's definitely easy. If it's permanently attached to an LCD like in the video, then we'd have to scratch a bit to get to the trace, which may damage it even further. I think any type of flux meant for smd work should be adequate for this. I don't think I'd try to use rosin flux though.

[@ricardopinho7175]

well i could have found this before... rip small tablet :/ great video

[@dricklorenz9340]

great video. I'm not sure if you've posted it in another video but what did you use as a magnifying lens for your phone camera? thanks...

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

A lens from an old flatbed scanner. They're all pretty similar and they work quite well as a ghetto microscope on a phone.

[@dricklorenz9340]

good to know, thanks.

[@2527rymrm]

nice work! i have a problem of Display which the backlight is ok, but no signal comes up. so i check again the inside signal parts or other component( including condenser etc.) thanks again.

[@arismontefalcon4172]

Nice job bro thanks for the idea

[@antoniogalluccio4213]

Wouldn't it be easier to work with isolated wires instead so that you don't have to worry about accidental bridges? Please let me know what you think about that. I LOVE THIS VIDEO

[@alexandrevaliquette1941]

You can also use plastic wire without any copper to avoid any bridge... But.. It won't be as good if you also wanna make the device working again.

[@artbyrobot1]

amazing job and perseverance! Well done!

[@rafique470]

just watched your vid wonderfull job what tempurature was the soldering iron

[@NeOxHitman]

tin the wires first next time? good job either way!

[@TheShoted]

That is very impressive sir.

[@boastringfield2395]

what camera you using... very good camera in detail.

[@PDRIFT86]

+Boa String Field for the close up shots it looked like a red Google Nexus 5 with some macro lens attached that he pulled out of a scanner for the close up shots.

[@rajannarayanan2759]

Very good experience

[@jorgegutierrez5721]

It's amazing what you did. Thanks for your video.

[@DilawarShah88]

really well job thanks for video sharing

[@paintedfoxes9889]

I love this shit, these kind of challenges are so much fun :) good video , good work

[@sebytro]

I clapped at the end. Well done!

[@Steven82kl]

Hi there, may I know what is the size or specification of thin wire that you use for repairing the flat flex LCD cable?

[@diecksl]

Thank you, now at least I know its possible!

[@louf7178]

Wow. Very good!

[@estetor4174]

many thanks again i was able to fix my flex and mya tablet is now working

[@rayanthony6865]

You must be a great dad. Your child's pennance should have been to stand and watch you fix his damage. It would've been a good lesson in "you gotta pay to play". I use Hakko hot tweezers and a micro pencil iron for this type of work so I can't cut down a tip to do that neat little solder carry thing you do but I can do it with the hot tweezers. I work under a microscope do you? The other question I have is how did you get that camera to sit rocksteady to take those pictures? What did you have it mounted on? Kudos for your patience, the true electronics difference between the guy who fixes it and the guy who never will.

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

Thanks! I try, I think I'm doing an ok job as a dad. :P I think at the time he broke it, he was a bit too young to actually understand what's going on, but now he's actually a bit more aware of things and knows when something is broken and needs to be fixed, although that also means he thinks everything can be fixed. Ha I've gotten some better soldering tips since for my Hakko iron so this would have been much easier, but at the time that tip was the only thing I had for the job. I don't have a microscope, although I wish I did. It would definitely make everything much easier. I use a macro lens on my camcorder for many of my closeup shots, which means the camera ends up being ridiculously close to the work being done and barely leaves me much room to do the work. I have my camera on a tripod leaning against the bench and I also keep image stabilization on, which seems to do a pretty good job. I think the fact that the tripod is leaning on the bench helps it move with the bench when I lean on it so movement isn't as noticeable.

[@rayanthony6865]

You would love a microscope. Get an Amscope simul-focal trinocular which allows you to put a camera on a third ocular and still use both eyes to work on your project make sure you get a .5 Barlow lens which will give you more working height as well. 4tpf is the model number I think. Lots of choices for stands, lights, cameras etc. in kits. Pick what you like

[@ramonjordanadesimon4023]

nice work, tanks for sharing it, it's inspiring.

[@deejaystilllivin2686]

Do all LCD ribbon cables have the same pinout?

[@sandorvarga6101]

Nice work! What magnifier did you use?

[@ThatElectronicsFool]

It was a lens taken out of a flatbed scanner.

[@pearltears8039]

You were doing so well

[@faizahmed.m1324]

🌷thank you sir🌷

[@Metalshaper95]

Can you name the tools that you used to fix it?

[@attilarivera]

Hello from brasil. Is it a tv? 👍😊

[@tunkunrunk]

We know that story of someone else who damaged one's device. Dont blame your kid for what you did , ah ah ah !

[@Alessandrovert]

Bom trabalho... Good job...

[@darrellmay4502]

I love learning these things!,,,

[@WinrichNaujoks]

Use a grinding pen to scrape off the solder mask.

[@trananhtuyetdinh3278]

nice world mate !

[@redangrybird7564]

Perhaps you should have glued a plastic film in the back to add support to the new copper wire bridges, any body else can comment on this idea? Thanks.

[@reoii8020]

Great job