[Duo2400] Repaired trackpad ribbon cable

[Sid Barras]

Hi group,
Nice job Peter; I'm curious though-- what were the symptoms of the 
ribbon cable failure? On a couple of my pb 2400s, the "clicker" is not 
working so reliably any more, one of them I've been forced to use the 
trackpad to serve as clicker too, but I was thinking that it was the 
clicker "switch"( The "contact" that is engaged when you hit the 
clicker with your thumb) that was failing, not the connection to the 
ribbon cable (or from the ribbon cable, as the case may be, depending 
on which end of the cable you're talking about) --
Maybe your repair procedure would solve that annoying problem I'm 
having?
Sid B
On Jun 19, 2004, at 6:34 PM, Peter Zwarych wrote:

> Hello 2400 group,
>
> I thought I'd share a story on a successful repair of a trackpad 
> ribbon cable in my 2400.  In taking the thing apart for the nth time, 
> I neglectfully severed the trackpad cable upon removing the 
> trackpad/upper assembly (that most crucial step to remember).  
> Obviously not repairable, or so I thought.  Lately, there haven't been 
> 2400  "part outs" on ebay to reasonably obtain a replacement.  So, I 
> attempted a repair as follows:  With some fine sandpaper, I carefully 
> sanded off opposing sides of the ends of the ribbon cable until I had 
> about 1mm exposed wire contacts. I then overlapped the exposed 
> contacts, securing the position with simple scotch tape on both sides. 
>  In an attempt to ensure contact, I fashioned a clamp by bending a 
> 2.5cm portion of a straight bobby pin in half and slid it over the 
> overlapping portion of the ribbon cable repair. A little more tape top 
> and bottom to cover the pin and then reassembly. I was extremely 
> skeptical, but, I fired it up and to my complete astonishment the 
> trackpad and clicker are again fully functional!!  A somewhat 
> unconventional 30 minute/ 5 cent repair job.  Will it last? I don't 
> see why it shouldn't, at least until I get proper replacement part.  
> "Never say never", as my Dad would have put it.
>
> Peter Z.
>
>
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Sid Barras