Quote:
Originally Posted by gregs210
JetTech, so the outer ribbons are just stuck to the circuit board? That seems nuts. I wonder if they use a kind of dielectric conductive cement.
Thanks for the pics and diagnosis, something else to look forward to, I suppose.  |
On my cluster one side was glued on and the other was just floating. I suspect whoever designed the cluster had in mind that the glue and pressure, from the pink colored pads in the photos I attached, would keep the ribbons secure. This is obviously absurd because the center ribbon that powers the center display is positively secured to the circuit board with a connector. And I don't hear anyone complaining that this one doesn't work. When I first tried to clean the contacts on the circuit board and reassemble the cluster, I plugged the 2 connectors in the back of the cluster before I installed it into the dash. As the cluster flexed, the digits would appear and disappear due to the flex. This is a obviously a crappy design that needs secure connectors to be reliable.
I've showed this to several people, who work in an avionics shop, and they think that with a lighted magnifying glass and a pin point soldering iron that a simple computer ribbon soldered to the contacts would eliminate the problem. Problem is none of them volunteered to do it...
They suggested I go to Radio Shack and buy a propane lit soldering iron with a needle tip and go for it. Easier said then done....I think it will be a few weeks before I tackle this job but I also think it's doable with a lot of tedious soldering and time.