Date:         Mon, 6 Apr 2009 21:25:56 -0300
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Removing printed circuit from instrument cluster
Comments: To: Harold Teer <teer.vanagon@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <ffd6b090904061736l3002fa4p5d4538da9bbf0aa4@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

  At 09:36 PM 4/6/2009, Harold Teer wrote:
>first thought was to remove the indicator light housing but after taking the
>screws out, it does not easily want to detach from the blue ribbon.  So, I
>am stopping until I get some advice on how to proceed.
>
>Any advice, tricks, etc. are welcome and appreciated.

If you really need to remove the ribbon -- it's just stuck onto
barbed bosses in the plastic.  Get close to the attachment point and
carefully pull directly up from both sides, they'll come off.  The
substrate is undoubtedly a polyester film, quite tough.  The
conductors are more fragile, being thin copper foil; and connections
to the outside tend to be more delicate yet, involving tiny crimps
and maybe conductive paint.  Some flexible wiring circuits are
actually made with conductive paint throughout.  Having the foils
encapsulated between two layers of film protects them but makes them
a good deal harder to fix, as it can be difficult to expose the
copper without cutting or abrading it.


  --
David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'89 Po' White Star "Scamp"