linitx button ribbon cable not working, any solution?

hari-bhari · 04-25-2008, 08:53 AM

the cable running from the main board to the buttons seems to have been pinched or broken. So the buttons do not work anymore. Is there any way around this? Is there a way to find out what signals are being carried by each wire or to temporarily jump it? I just need to make a few brightness adjustments.

numbers · 04-27-2008, 01:48 AM

You have a few options, but I'd say the easiest one is to repair the cable or replace it with something else. I like cat5 cable for stuff like this. If you'd rather leave the ribbon cable, use a soldering iron to melt away the plastic around the fold which you believe to be broken and form solder bridges to rejoin the wires. Use a multimeter first to see which wires are broken, though.

Most button circuit boards are simple enough that you can easily follow which wires go to which buttons, but depending on how handy you are with a soldering iron, you might spend less time just fixing the problem rather than temporarily bypassing it.

hari-bhari · 04-27-2008, 09:39 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by numbers

You have a few options, but I'd say the easiest one is to repair the cable or replace it with something else. I like cat5 cable for stuff like this. If you'd rather leave the ribbon cable, use a soldering iron to melt away the plastic around the fold which you believe to be broken and form solder bridges to rejoin the wires. Use a multimeter first to see which wires are broken, though.

Most button circuit boards are simple enough that you can easily follow which wires go to which buttons, but depending on how handy you are with a soldering iron, you might spend less time just fixing the problem rather than temporarily bypassing it.

that multimeter idea is great, thanks! I'll give it a shot and then try to solder the wires.

hari-bhari · 04-27-2008, 09:23 PM

it worked!!! i cut off the part where it was pinched, then used the soldering iron to slowly and carefully burn off the insulation. it more melted than burned really so it was a burn and scrape process. then i had all the contacts exposed about 1cm, but to make sure they stayed straight, i took some clear tape and cut a square and stuck two layers to the backside to give it some thickness and to make sure the contacts didnt move around. then i tested each lead with a multimeter and they all worked. so i plugged it in and VOILA, buttons work again!! thanks a bunch for the suggestion, it worked like a charm. btw this was a 9-contact flat ribbon cable with each lead being about .6mm. i probably could have worked with something SLIGHTLY smaller if i had to, but any thinner than that and it woulda been impossible.

edit: i tried using a match first to burn off the insulation, DON'T do that. it causes the plastic to shrink and brings all the leads in together. you have to keep them in a straight line if you want it to line up properly in the connector.