Flex harness repair

[bsco]

Good day to everybody.....I have a vintage piece of equipment here and was wondering if anybody here ever had to repair or hard wire a flex cable to a circuit board..the circuit board is of course copper but the flex cable is carbon tracks and I guess was originally installed by heat...the other end of the flex cable actually connects to a plastic membrane which has carbon tracks that run all around the plastic...this membrane is basically the switch matrix for the tape deck...(start, stop, play, etc...).... would really hate to have to scrap the unit...any suggestions as to how to replace one of these cables with some "real" wire.....there must be a technique that can be preformed....I am not looking for cassette deck repair info......I want to replace the flex cable with a wire harness....any suggestions, tips, etc.....greatly accepted....and if the unit has to be scrapped then so be it....
Cheers,

[Jon Snell]

What is it? Schematics?

[nosaj]

Good day to everybody.....I have a vintage piece of equipment here and was wondering if anybody here ever had to repair or hard wire a flex cable to a circuit board..the circuit board is of course copper but the flex cable is carbon tracks and I guess was originally installed by heat...the other end of the flex cable actually connects to a plastic membrane which has carbon tracks that run all around the plastic...this membrane is basically the switch matrix for the tape deck...(start, stop, play, etc...).... would really hate to have to scrap the unit...any suggestions as to how to replace one of these cables with some "real" wire.....there must be a technique that can be preformed....I am not looking for cassette deck repair info......I want to replace the flex cable with a wire harness....any suggestions, tips, etc.....greatly accepted....and if the unit has to be scrapped then so be it....
Cheers,

pictures pictures pictures please

nosaj

[bsco]

pictures pictures pictures please

nosaj

Shit...I forgot that..my mind has been wandering all over the place lately....trying to figure out how to handle this situation I am in.....I'll post some pics later tonight or tomorrow...
Cheers

[bsco]

What is it? Schematics?

It's an old vintage cassette tape deck...no schematics so far.....
Cheers

[nosaj]

Shit...I forgot that..my mind has been wandering all over the place lately....trying to figure out how to handle this situation I am in.....I'll post some pics later tonight or tomorrow...
Cheers

Hey we're with ya, maybe take a break, I was just telling Chuck I need a walk in the woods some peace some serenity maybe as a reset to help process all of this. Sometimes we forget to take time out.
nosaj

[dmeek]

I've had that problem with some Roland keyboards, ep7 comes to mind and maybe the U20 and others. I tried conductive epoxy and everything else I could think of. Nothing worked, I had to give up.
I assume the switch contacts are also printed on the flex, otherwise you could hardwire the switches.

What Make/Model is it?

[bsco]

I've had that problem with some Roland keyboards, ep7 comes to mind and maybe the U20 and others. I tried conductive epoxy and everything else I could think of. Nothing worked, I had to give up.
I assume the switch contacts are also printed on the flex, otherwise you could hardwire the switches.

What Make/Model is it?

Yes. The switch contacts are printed on the flex sheet...so it can't be hardwired.....too bad as that would have been a very easy fix.....it is a Sony TC-FX5C Cassette deck.....

[g1]

Service manual here: https://freeservicemanuals.info/en/s...ny/tc-fx5c.pdf

[Mick Bailey]

I can't say about your particular unit, but I have a roll of copper-mylar that's used for flexible couplings. It needs etching just like regular PCB material and the iron-on method won't work - you have to use rub-down or just pieces of tape to mask it. It solders fine, but you need low-temperature solder and a really quick technique, as it isn't designed to be soldered. It works well and I can solder it now without the mylar crinkling. It's the same stuff you get on inkjet printer carriages.

[g1]

I can't say about your particular unit, but I have a roll of copper-mylar that's used for flexible couplings. It needs etching just like regular PCB material and the iron-on method won't work - you have to use rub-down or just pieces of tape to mask it. It solders fine, but you need low-temperature solder and a really quick technique, as it isn't designed to be soldered. It works well and I can solder it now without the mylar crinkling. It's the same stuff you get on inkjet printer carriages.

This is what they used to call FPC (flat pack connector)?
I was wondering if that was what was being discussed but I saw mention of carbon. Couldn't tell from the svce. man. which piece was being discussed.

[Mick Bailey]

I was trying to recall what the connector type is called but I couldn't bring it to mind. Yes, the mylar film is used with FPCs. I was wondering if it could be used as a substitute for a carbon track.