I need to replace a conductor in my son's toy bank. It is about
eight inches long, 3/8" wide, with two 1/8" conductors. It looks like,
and is as thin as, clear tape, but with two conductors buried in it.
One end simply pushes into a connector where friction provides the
electrical connection. The other end becomes a switch.
What is this product called, and where can I buy it? Hopefully with
a name, I can also find how to prep the ends to make the connection at
the sound effects box and turn the other end into a switch to be
operated by a person's finger.
Thank you for your time. Mike

wrote in message
oups.com...
I need to replace a conductor in my son's toy bank. It is about
eight inches long, 3/8" wide, with two 1/8" conductors. It looks like,
and is as thin as, clear tape, but with two conductors buried in it.
One end simply pushes into a connector where friction provides the
electrical connection. The other end becomes a switch.
What is this product called, and where can I buy it? Hopefully with
a name, I can also find how to prep the ends to make the connection at
the sound effects box and turn the other end into a switch to be
operated by a person's finger.

Is there enough clearance for conventional wires? Conductors are conductors
are conductors, if there is adequate room to install them.

Charles,
There is room, but no access. It really needs to be that "tape"
stuff. Thanks, anyway!

wrote in message
oups.com...

I need to replace a conductor in my son's toy bank. It is about
eight inches long, 3/8" wide, with two 1/8" conductors. It looks like,
and is as thin as, clear tape, but with two conductors buried in it.
One end simply pushes into a connector where friction provides the
electrical connection. The other end becomes a switch.
What is this product called, and where can I buy it? Hopefully with
a name, I can also find how to prep the ends to make the connection at
the sound effects box and turn the other end into a switch to be
operated by a person's finger.

AFAIK you can't buy these off the shelf. They are basically flexible printed
circuits. Often the connecting end is electroplated. I would replace it with
hook-up wire.

Dear Mike,

The style of "wiring" that you describe was originally
invented by DuPont and called Parlux. It was used
when extreme flexibility was desirable. It was originally
a dull yellow.

Typically copper traces are deposited on one side, and
the connectors accept the thickness of the plastic strip
and have matching electrodes to connect to bare areas
of the traces. Typically the traces were then coated
with a plastic layer to embed them. The areas that are
mated often have a thin layer of silver coating to make
for a superior connection.

There are two ways to connect to them:

1. Assure rigidity, scrape until you see
bare copper, flux and use a very
low wattage soldering pencil

Note: these traces have no strength
They were never intended to be soldered

Thus the reason you need to make the
area rigid.

For example, if one of these strips tears, and
is not used for its repeated flexibility --
such as power to print head electronics

Tack down both torn pieces, facing each
other as they were. Carefully scrape
to copper on both sides. Then bridge using a single
strand of wire out of say a wire that is
10 x 30 (10 strands of 30 guage tinned wire)

This is an exacting process

2. The second way to make the bridge requires that
the copper be exposed, but uses a copper
immersed in cement to make the bridge.

Again, this needs backing

Again, this will be rigid

The product that makes these bridges
is Permatex (sold by NAPA) "Quick Grid
Rear Window Defogger Repair Kit." Product
Item# 765-1460

Neither repair will be pretty.

If you wish to go from these "traces" to standard wire --
again -- use the same technique, but now glue the standard
wire to the backing you use. Make sure that the tips of
the bared wires never move. I would typically use 5 minute
epoxy, but, sometimes you must roughen the parlux with,
say, a 220 or 330 grit sand paper, or the epoxy will just
peal away. A lacquer such as nail polish may work because
the acetone/toluene and/or the methyl ethyl ketone will
dissolve plastics, but, now, too much lacquer at once will
simply cause the entire piece to turn to putty. So, carefully
put down a thin layer, see how it behaves, then another layer,
then, finally, put the parlux piece to the backing material.
That material should be rigid. It can be, say, a piece of
plastic cut from a yogurt cup lid.

Be careful with modern nail polishes. They now contain
nylon, and take much longer to harden.

In general, these strips are unique to each piece of
equipment. Replacements are only available for high
end electronics, say Sony, where such strips are used to
go from board to board.

Careful. Many of the connectors that accept these strips
have "locking." There is usually a collar around the
plastic that accepts the strip. You must raise the collar,
and that unlocks the contacts. You place the strip in,
then lower the collar, and now the connector locks to the
strip.

I've even seen tiny motors, that cause the vibration in
cell phones sold by "All Electronics" with such strips as
the DC connection to the motor. The catalogue listed them
as "solder connectors." Again -- these are not intended
to be soldered. They are intended for the locking connector.
So, to reliably connect to such a connector from such a motor
one must again glue a backing strip that holds "both sides" --
then complete the brige with either very thin wire strands
or using the defogger repair cement.

There were no standards I know for the width or spacing
of these traces, so expect each situation to be unique.

Regards,

Curtiss Priest


wrote in message
roups.com...
I need to replace a conductor in my son's toy bank. It is about
eight inches long, 3/8" wide, with two 1/8" conductors. It looks like,
and is as thin as, clear tape, but with two conductors buried in it.
One end simply pushes into a connector where friction provides the
electrical connection. The other end becomes a switch.
What is this product called, and where can I buy it? Hopefully with
a name, I can also find how to prep the ends to make the connection at
the sound effects box and turn the other end into a switch to be
operated by a person's finger.
Thank you for your time. Mike


wrote in message
oups.com...
I need to replace a conductor in my son's toy bank. It is about
eight inches long, 3/8" wide, with two 1/8" conductors. It looks like,
and is as thin as, clear tape, but with two conductors buried in it.
One end simply pushes into a connector where friction provides the
electrical connection. The other end becomes a switch.
What is this product called, and where can I buy it? Hopefully with
a name, I can also find how to prep the ends to make the connection at
the sound effects box and turn the other end into a switch to be
operated by a person's finger.
Thank you for your time. Mike

wrote in message
oups.com...
I need to replace a conductor in my son's toy bank. It is about
eight inches long, 3/8" wide, with two 1/8" conductors. It looks like,
and is as thin as, clear tape, but with two conductors buried in it.
One end simply pushes into a connector where friction provides the
electrical connection. The other end becomes a switch.
What is this product called, and where can I buy it? Hopefully with
a name, I can also find how to prep the ends to make the connection at
the sound effects box and turn the other end into a switch to be
operated by a person's finger.
Thank you for your time. Mike

They are often called " Flexiprint ". What has happened to the one you have
?

Arfa

Thanks to all for your fast, and thorough, responses. Looks like I'll
be buying him a new bank.
Again, Thanks!
Mike

On Feb 10, 11:39 am, "
wrote:
I need to replace a conductor in my son's toy bank. It is about
eight inches long, 3/8" wide, with two 1/8" conductors. It looks like,
and is as thin as, clear tape, but with two conductors buried in it.
One end simply pushes into a connector where friction provides the
electrical connection. The other end becomes a switch.
What is this product called, and where can I buy it? Hopefully with
a name, I can also find how to prep the ends to make the connection at
the sound effects box and turn the other end into a switch to be
operated by a person's finger.
Thank you for your time. Mike


Mike:
Check out the Digikey catalogue page link he
http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/T071/P0065.pdf

You will find 8" and 10" long multi conductor ready-made flex cable
strips. If you picked out the 6 conductor version (about 3/8 " wide)
you could adapt it in as a replacement. (Use two or three of the
conductors to replace each of your existing conductors). It is
possible to solder to the ends of these cable cables if you use care
and as low of temp as possible. Digikey also sells small 1mm spacing
connectors by Hirose that accept the ends of these cables as an
alternative to soldering to the cable itself. You can use the Hirose
connectors and carefully solder to the connector leads and the glue
the connectors in place at the flex end points.

Good Luck
- mkaras

wrote:
Thanks to all for your fast, and thorough, responses. Looks like I'll
be buying him a new bank.
Again, Thanks!
Mike



Can't you just solder in some wires? You can get some pretty thin wire,
stuff made for wire wrapping, or magnet wire might work.

"W. Curtiss Priest" wrote in news:JZydnX5
:

Typically copper traces are deposited on one side, and
the connectors accept the thickness of the plastic strip
and have matching electrodes to connect to bare areas
of the traces. Typically the traces were then coated
with a plastic layer to embed them. The areas that are
mated often have a thin layer of silver coating to make
for a superior connection.

There are two ways to connect to them:



Radio-Shack sells a conductive 'Pen' that lays down an ink that contains
silver in a polymer base. It CAN be used to lay down traces and to connect
things like this.

Google also gives this:
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...duct/1530-0102

It can also be soldered to.

He could conceivably use clear mylar tape.

Cut a piece long enough, fold it over, so that it is half width and the
sticky side is stuck to sticky side.

Draw your conductors as needed.

Cover with another piece of tape (perhaps half width?), leaving some
exposed at each end to which to make connections.







--
bz 73 de N5BZ k

please pardon my infinite ignorance, the set-of-things-I-do-not-know is an
infinite set.

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