How to install new WiFi Flex to mainboard is it hotbar soldering?

[alexmyron]

I need to replace the flex cable with WiFi (ebay $20) on one of my iPod Touchs 2g mainboard because a chip was cracked on the old one.
The end of a new flex/ribbon cable has 20 or so tiny conductors and is somehow attached to the mainboard's conductors and does not look like soldering at all and I think it may be some conductive adhesive that when heated, will attach it to the board???
Does anyone know that if I bought this new flex/WiFi part if I would be able to attach on my own maybe by heating it with a small bar at the end of a soldering iron, and if I need some conductive adhesive or something to do this?
I'd appreciate any info as to if/how just a home hobbyist could do this themself?
Thanks In Advance!

[magictouch]

Originally Posted by alexmyron

I need to replace the flex cable with WiFi (ebay $20) on one of my iPod Touchs 2g mainboard because a chip was cracked on the old one.
The end of a new flex/ribbon cable has 20 or so tiny conductors and is somehow attached to the mainboard's conductors and does not look like soldering at all and I think it may be some conductive adhesive that when heated, will attach it to the board???
Does anyone know that if I bought this new flex/WiFi part if I would be able to attach on my own maybe by heating it with a small bar at the end of a soldering iron, and if I need some conductive adhesive or something to do this?
I'd appreciate any info as to if/how just a home hobbyist could do this themself?
Thanks In Advance!

There's no adhesive, they just push together, similar to attaching ribbon cable laptop LCD screen, (ony on a smaller scale) The '20 or so tiny conductors' you describe are opposed the other end by 20 or so female connectors.

Originally Posted by alexmyron

I'd appreciate any info as to if/how just a home hobbyist could do this themself?

Do yourself a favour and take it to a pro, seen loads of iphones etc that need extra work becasue the 'hobbyist' broke something while taking item apart. And the touch is more difficult to work on than the 'fall apart' iphone 3g-s.

[alexmyron]

I'm not sure if you understood what I mean, there are no connectors! It is the perfectly flat cable that is attached against the Touch 2g circuitboard directly that I want to attempt.
I have repaired all kinds of iPods, cameras etc but now want to attempt this, just wondering if any other people have done it and the best way.

[gk17]

Do you have a link to the item? That may give us a better idea of what the part looks like. I don't recall seeing one that requires you to just "heat" it up and have it stick. Soldering is used instead to hold the cable intact better. The way I see it, adhesive won't do much since heat generated may just cause it to become loose again. Most iPod parts have some kind of connector. If they don't, it will require soldering.

[alexmyron]

When the flat ribbon cable is peeled back it shows just many copper pad strips on both the board and the ribbon and no sign of solder on either, I have seen this on other items.
With a bit of research all I saw was a hot bar process with special conductive paste that will only conduct against a metallic conductor and insulate in between when heated, probably is done with expensive equipment and a microscope camera.
The T646 flex cable with WiFi replacement unit for iPod Touch is eBay items number 290333908010 and 180385192930. I asked the sellers and they didn't know how to install the end of it to the board.
Can buy it cheap but how to attach seems to be the unknown.

[gk17]

I see what you mean now. These seem to be similar to what they do with the iPod Video headphones where it's just peel and apply. It should be as simple as applying the adhesive part to the proper area.

[S2_Mac]

No help on the technical question. Instead, I'm raising a social question.

I noticed on a page at another of e2shop's businesses that this part is recycled ("Removed from original devices and in very good condition"). Given e2shop's Hong Kong home base, these recycled parts may well originate in India or China, where they are scrapped by the modern day equivalent of "rag pickers" -- people who scrounge what they can from waste, do the teardowns in their homes, streets, or landfills, get paid by the piece, and all with little or no health protections against the airborne lead, zinc, mercury, phosphors, etc. that result from their work; there's also significant ground and water pollution from the runoff and mounting piles of waste. It's a practice that's been going on for years with little resistance from consumers or governments. Awareness is rising, (China "banned" ewaste importation in 2002), but there's still plenty of ways to get around the Basil Convention rules.

Just wanted to point this out, in case you're eco- or socially-concsious of stuff like this (or maybe you just don't want a used part ;-).

Note that I'm not saying that these e2shop parts are definitely coming from such operations, only that this is a possibility. But if they are, puchasing such parts is not as guilt-free/soul-balming as buying a lightly-used shirt from the local Goodwill store....

[alexmyron]

Thanks for pointing that out, interesting concept, they actually may be reducing landfill by doing the recycling of parts and may be giving some employment to the needy.
I don't want one that was removed or ripped off of a dead motherboard unit. There are several that state new and I wish to attach it myself somehow.

[SPENCER15]

3m has the stuff you need to fix that flex to board connection

[Glitcher]

Replying to a five month old thread... You are not off to a good start, Spencer15. >_>

[ipod rescue]

However old the thread is, it's still a topic of interest to people googling the same thing, I only wish that poster had supplier a link to the 3M tool.

[SPENCER15]

Sorry!, For the short answer. Did catch up with Alexmyron in ifixit had left a link there Its an electrical Conductive adhisive transfer tape easy to use just repaired my kids ipod touch flex cable with it.Used google for research found this thread thought I might answer the hot bar thing got me over to triple m thanks!!

[wlred]

Hey Alexmyron,

Just want to know if you ended up fixing installing your new cable. I'm planning to do this repair myself as well but want to see how it went with you first.

[alexmyron]

It requires Anisotropic Conductive Adhesive tape by 3M or other companies. Just put on the flex conductors, align the conductors perfectly, then heat.

Now just to get some... I'm looking for a few inches and not a HUGE roll that costs up to $1000 !

Should be some small pieces available somewhere.

Anyone?

[com69]

I used 3m z-axis tape(9703) for this and it worked fine. It says you don't need to heat it and I suppose you don't but like any tape, it does get a bit stickier when warm, so I heated it a bit(with just a hair dryer) after I put the cable on and held pressure on until it was cool.

You can get a roll of that tape at tedpella.com for about $45, might not be worth it for someone who's only going to use it once. I however had a multitude of broken electroics laying around that I stubbornly refused to get rid of(glad I didn't), so I knew I'd be using plenty, made it worth it for me.