tonyankyfan1 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Greetings all, How do you repair "lifted traces"??? I desoldered the chip and was trying to swap out a controller IC chip. I removed the IC chip, but lifted 3 traces from the PCB in the process, what can i do to fix this? Thanks Anthony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+5-11under Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Find out where the traces go, and replace them with wires... or try to connect to the lifted traces with solder, if that'll work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Also, can try using a conductive pen if the traces are gone partially gone. If the traces are still there, just lifted from the board, can lay back down and all is fine assuming the solder joints point to point are intact. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyankyfan1 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Find out where the traces go, and replace them with wires... or try to connect to the lifted traces with solder, if that'll work. The traces go from one IC chip to the other connecting via chip leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyankyfan1 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Also, can try using a conductive pen if the traces are gone partially gone. If the traces are still there, just lifted from the board, can lay back down and all is fine assuming the solder joints point to point are intact. what can i use to lay them back down, anotherwords to keep them in place??? The trace gets connected from one IC chip to the other, When i was pulling chip up from board, it was connected to chip leg, i didnt see it until i yanked which started to peel them back off from PCB.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightywiz Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 forget the conductive pen, it's a temporary fix. not recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 what can i use to lay them back down, anotherwords to keep them in place??? The trace gets connected from one IC chip to the other, When i was pulling chip up from board, it was connected to chip leg, i didnt see it until i yanked which started to peel them back off from PCB.. Depends on how bad the lifting is or if you really care the way it looks. The trace doesn't *need* to be attached to the board per se… so long as it's connected well between components. Again, depends on how long, wide, etc. the trace is. I find most of the time, while holding the trace down with a tiny flat blade, heat up the solder joints and it'll stay put. Otherwise, a dab of Super Glue or silicone will keep it held down if being stubborn. IF you're talking about the solder pad lifting from the board, that's an entirely different matter, since now, you no longer have a connection between the component and the trace. In those cases, I'd bridge the components with fine wire OR if the trace is close enough (as in REAL close), sand away a little of the dielectric "paint" (usually green, but can be red, tan, etc.) so you see silver and bridge the gap with solder. *Agree about the conductive pen in most cases, but threw it out there in the event it might have helped with his particular scenario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 In the past I've had luck just laying them back down and applying clear fingernail polish over the traces to hold them down and protect them. It's a little unconventional, but it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightywiz Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 In the past I've had luck just laying them back down and applying clear fingernail polish over the traces to hold them down and protect them. It's a little unconventional, but it works. being a component level repair tech since the late 80's, I totally agree with this suggestion if the lifted trace isn't damaged. also to repair a damaged trace I suggest cutting the trace at the point where it started to pull away from the board and then use a jumper wire to replace the broken trace. removing the lifted trace will keep it from shorting out against another connection. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Yurkie Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 It is extremely easy to damage pad, plated thru holes or traces on a ColecoVision PCB. I know several people damage the board doing the controller IC repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesD Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 To prevent lifted traces in the first place, cut the pins to the chip you are removing and extract the pins from the board 1 by 1.As far as repairing goes, replacing them with wires is the safest way to go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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