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Fine soldering help needed: broken laptop keyboard ZIF connector
MonMotha:
You can't really cut them down without destroying the connector, but you may be able to just overhang some excess positions. You'd have to be careful to properly justify the flex cable when installing it, but I've done this before in a pinch. Unfortunately, the next size up I know to be common is 40 positions which would be quite a bit bigger. You can look for maybe 34 or 36, though.
You could also potentially solder small wire (e.g. AWG30) to each position on the flex tail and then tack those down to what's left of the traces on the PCB. Most (but not all) of the signals fortunately appear to have test points nearby. The ones without test points would need to either have the soldermask scraped off or a nearby suitable solder point found. This is a big pain, and it won't be very mechanically rugged, but it would work even if you can't find a suitable connector. I've done this to break out flex cables to test fixtures in a pinch, before. It's really time consuming, and it'll be worse in this case since the pads on the PCB that would normally receive the connector have been torn off.
lilshawn:
EEEEEKKKKK! that is horrible...and yes, those pads are GONE.
luckily it looks lie there is some kind of test connector ajacent to it that looks like it has all the pins from the keyboad there. so at least you have SOMETHING to solder to.
not impossible to do, just a PITA.
get yourself one of those ATA harddrive cables (the fine wire one, not the thick) and peel yourself off a strip of 25 wires (or however many you need) and solder them all on the connector.
then you can follow the traces back and solder the wires one by one onto the diag points.
all is not lost.
you can likely reassemble the connector you have there (after straightening out the pins) remove the ripped off pads from the contacts solder your wires onto it and snap it right back onto the keyboard flatflex.
don't attempt to solder the flat flex, you'll melt it and the conductive material they use for them will not stick to solder anyways.
jasonbar:
Thanks for all of your valuable input. I've got a couple of paths to resolution at the moment, so I think there's light at the end of the tunnel. :]
Thanks,
-Jason
MonMotha:
--- Quote from: lilshawn on June 25, 2014, 11:01:25 pm ---don't attempt to solder the flat flex, you'll melt it and the conductive material they use for them will not stick to solder anyways.
--- End quote ---
It's very difficult, but I've done it. You have to be very quick and use as little heat as possible. Excess flux is pretty much required to get things to stick. Basically, flux the cable end, tin the wire, put the wire on the contact, and tap with an iron for a fraction of a second. This is really a last ditch option, though.
jasonbar:
Thanks for the input, guys. I'm through the tunnel, in the light, without an extra penny spent...but with many hours of my time consumed. Well, I learned a lesson...
Long story short:
1 - Jason contacts HP through HP website explaining his goof & asking for advice, replacement part number, authorized local repair shop, or other options.
2 - HP insists that repair will be free b/c laptop is under warranty.
3 - Jason tell HP clearly that he really appreciates them fixing his laptop for free even though he broke it himself.
4 - HP gives Jason shipping box & FedEx label, & Jason sends of his laptop. (Jason ends up with a spare free box in the ordeal--woohoo!)
5 - A week later, HP e-mails Jason a $350 repair bill.
6 - Jason calls HP, inquiring about the discrepancy. Jason ends up speaking with another HP service department that knows nothing of the first HP department that gave misleading information. Jason understands that he should pay for his own mistake but expresses annoyance that much time was wasted on a wild goose chase path that HP won't honor. Jason could have gotten a faster local repair for that much money. HP rep lacks compassion.
7 - Jason follows up via e-mail to misinformation-disseminating HP e-mail support, expressing frustration. Even if Jason can't get monetary compensation, Jason wants to point out HP's flaw so it can be corrected for future customers.
8 - Jason gets quick e-mail response informing him that his case has been escalated & that somebody will phone Jason shortly. That was 2 weeks ago. No call yet.
9 - A light illuminates over Jason's head, harking back to when he dropped his one-month-old cell phone & cracked the screen. CHASE VISA PURCHASE PROTECTION PROGRAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMM! Jason contacts Visa, fills out claim paperwork, Visa is fast & helpful & responsive. Visa takes a couple of weeks to process & mail a $350 check to Jason to cover the repair bill.
10 - Jason pays to have HP repair the laptop. (Mobo swap)
11 - Jason gets the laptop. Laptop works.
12 - Jason promptly opens the laptop to repeat the process that got him into this pickle in the first place...except a bit more carefully this time...
13 - When Jason gets to the keyboard FFC ZIF connector, Jason is much more cautious & gentle. Oddly, Jason still can't get that connector to open (though several other similar connectors in the procedure pop open effortlessly).
14 - Jason instead opts to leave keyboard plugged into mobo & does HDD swap by pushing keyboard out of the way rather than removing it. There's enough access room.
15 - Jason installs from disc a fresh, virgin, unmolested MS Windows w/ no HP bloatware.
16 - Jason finds that he needs to track down tons of drivers. What a chore...finally, all those little exclamation yellow triangles in Device Manager have been vanquished! Jason should make a restore disc or something at this time...
17 - Jason's laptop is wicked fast w/ a SSD...and also compared to his 4-year-old ailing laptop...
18 - Jason just received an e-mail from HP Support inviting him to take a survey about Jason's recent support experience. Jason wonders how many characters HP will let him input in the web page form...
19 - Jason closes by saying that Jason usually doesn't talk about Jason in the 3rd person, but sometimes Jason does.
Jason thanks you.
Sincerely,
-Jason
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