how to join flexible conductor strips?

Thread Starter

Poor old sod

Joined Jul 25, 2017
193
I have a number of multi conductor flexible strips to join, 1 to 1. are there inline cliplock types, or clamps to secure them and use a silver trace pen?
 

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,345
Not that I know of.
If this is the kind of thing shown below then you could glue the two ends to a piece of plastic, aligned and closely adjacent, and then use the silver to connect them. I have not tried this so it comes with no guarantee.
1580982987212.png
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
thx, what glue fpr "foil" strips, like photo film?
??? Please post a photo of the "multi conductor flexible strips" you want to join. Initially, I thought you were referring to "zebra strips" and your question didn't make sense. Now, it seems you may be referring to FPC (FFC/FPC) cable, but your question still doesn't make sense.

What do you want to join to what?
 

Thread Starter

Poor old sod

Joined Jul 25, 2017
193
I have swapped digitizers between 2 65in similar spec. tv's., but the connectors on the new screen are too short. I need to graft the old connectors onto the new screen. I'm aware this might not work, but it's my only choice atm. the flexible foil is thin, photo film like, with the copper encaspulated like the ribbon connector to an inkjet printer head, but thinner. I can cut up plastic lids from small take-away food tubs to make backing strips to butt join the strips on. If a close butt joint, will a "silver pen" make good connections without stripping back the insulation? I'll have hire a steady handed person and a good magnifyer to connect them. I'm planning on using a quick setting plastic model cement. I'll have to keep it clear of the connections. thx.
 
Last edited:

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,188
I have a number of multi conductor flexible strips to join, 1 to 1. are there inline cliplock types, or clamps to secure them and use a silver trace pen?
I have successfully joined conductors together using a tin-lead alloy and heat. That may possibly work for you as well. With such a very limited description that is the best I can offer.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Buy a longer cable of the correct length and end connections.

I would not trust silver ink to be a very good adhesive.

Soldering is really not that hard to do. Simply tin both mating faces, flux, fix together (tape) and solder. Another problem with soldering is the orientation. For example, two top contact/top contact cables soldered face to face end up with a top contact/bottom contact and would need to be twisted. There may not be space for that. Same holds true for the conductive ink solution too.
 

Thread Starter

Poor old sod

Joined Jul 25, 2017
193
the primary cables are mounted into the digitizer and their signal distribution boards. they have no connectors. the cables are thin frail plastic film, not easy to heat safely the many times needed to solder every connection to the screen of a 4k tv. If it was just a matter of soldering, I wouldn't be asking here. I am qualified to solder to NASA standards, just it's not practical. could I lay the cut ends flat against one another, secure them and bridge the edges of the strips with a silver pen to get connection. I would need to bend both strips very quickly to have enough room to do this.
 

Sensacell

Joined Jun 19, 2012
3,433
Use some good double-sided tape (3M UHB tape) to hold the ends down on a small square of perf board, end-to-end.
Using flux and temperature-controlled iron, solder the conductors together by lapping short bits of wire-wrap wire over the gap.

Forget the silver pen - that will not be reliable.

Totally do-able with a bit of practice.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,188
I dismantled a very large curved screen TV a wile back , the screen was broken in multiple places from having fallen onto it's face. The quoted repair price was over three times the price of a replacement set. So now I am aware of what you are up against. Another way that might be the best method would be an intermediate circuit board with parallel traces on the same spacing as the cables, and a coupling device called a "Zebra Strip" to complete the connection. That method will not need any additional adhesive, it is reversible, and it would avoid the problem of having to somehow arrange for the conductor sides to face each other. In addition the vendor can provide a good amount of application advice.
Is this a "one-off" project? Or is it a production development? It sounds quite interesting.
 

Thread Starter

Poor old sod

Joined Jul 25, 2017
193
IMG_20200207_101441.jpg
Use some good double-sided tape (3M UHB tape) to hold the ends down on a small square of perf board, end-to-end.
Using flux and temperature-controlled iron, solder the conductors together by lapping short bits of wire-wrap wire over the gap.

Forget the silver pen - that will not be reliable.

Totally do-able with a bit of practice.
do you mean butt join in the same plane with small gap, or apex and join across opposite sides of a thin, inert spacer?
____ ____ /\
------------ / || \
||
there's not much spare length/room to do the latter.
 

Thread Starter

Poor old sod

Joined Jul 25, 2017
193
I dismantled a very large curved screen TV a wile back , the screen was broken in multiple places from having fallen onto it's face. The quoted repair price was over three times the price of a replacement set. So now I am aware of what you are up against. Another way that might be the best method would be an intermediate circuit board with parallel traces on the same spacing as the cables, and a coupling device called a "Zebra Strip" to complete the connection. That method will not need any additional adhesive, it is reversible, and it would avoid the problem of having to somehow arrange for the conductor sides to face each other. In addition the vendor can provide a good amount of application advice.
Is this a "one-off" project? Or is it a production development? It sounds quite interesting.
a one off, fortunately. Zebra strip???? I'll google that, tho I wonder how to joint to it?
 

Thread Starter

Poor old sod

Joined Jul 25, 2017
193
SL675194 smt chip in each ribbon. can't find anything on it but the pin spacing is the same as for the rest of the ribbon to the digitiser. really don't know what to order without conductor density.
 

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,345
Count a number of strips and measure the distance between the centres of the end two you counted. Divide the distance by (number - 1). The more you count, the more accurate the result will be.
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,188
Zebra strip is used for connecting between two conductive surfaces, and it is held in place by compression. that is why you need an intermediate material with the conductors on the identical spacing. A short section of your intended flex cable would work.
 

Thread Starter

Poor old sod

Joined Jul 25, 2017
193
Zebra strip is used for connecting between two conductive surfaces, and it is held in place by compression. that is why you need an intermediate material with the conductors on the identical spacing. A short section of your intended flex cable would work.
It's a 4K tv,with 12 strips at the base of the digitizer. that means 320 vertical pixel columns per strip. Might have to take it to the adjacent university and have them measure a track size + one gap on a decent magnifyer. No way is my sight good enough for this. if the input connections were 45 [that looks very likely at their 1mm spacing] and the in-strip chip increased the conductors by 4x, then that would make sense. there would need to be some Earths as well.
 
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