New Project - Epoxy That Conducts Electricity

This should work....these can be fairly expensive, but then it's possible you may find more than just the one use....this was the cheapest I could find ...

https://www.amazon.com/Electrically-Conductive-Adhesive-Temperature-AA-DUCT/dp/B00EPYCIGQ

Thanks Solar. I think the repairman in me wants to fix it vs replacing, however I can get a new remote for $15 - I'm thinking that may be the smartest thing to do.

Thanks again.

Maybe research Devcon metal putties et al e.g. "Plastic Steel Putty (A) – For filling, rebuilding and bonding metal surfaces". They used to have aluminium products in the 70's - over to you.

Cheers

Malcolm

I took a look and it doesn't say if it's electrically conductive. Have you ever used it for electrical connections?

No, sorry. I've only used it for cosmetic metal repairs, usually on damaged castings way back - it was pretty much the last card in the pack.

Plenty of other good suggestions on this thread by others to go on.

Good luck.

Epoxy is a liquid plastic. Most plastics are not conductive. I'm sure there are exceptions, but this would not be the norm.

Hi DK,

I was hoping for a quick fix. The battery didn't leak - the solder broke from probably a bad original solder and my tenant trying to change the battery. Looking at the circuit board, it looks like it was a cold solder (that cracked metal look).

I heard about conductive epoxy, so I thought I'd give it a try. I have this need to fix vs replace, so I was hoping it would be an easy repair. I can get a replacement for $15 - I think that'll be the best option, though I'm going to read the other responses.

Thanks.

Your assessment sounds accurate. Cold solders have become much more common since they took the lead out of most solder.

By "I have this need to fix vs replace", I suspect you indicate a desire to avoid waste, and I'm definitely in agreement with that!

Obviously, you've spent more in your time writing and reading these posts than the value of the new unit. As someone else said, you have nothing to lose if it does not work, so go for it! I'm definitely not a fan of epoxy to support a spring that is under constant tension.

Thanks DK.

I hate throwing something out that can be fixed at a reasonable cost and time - comes from lessons from my dad. For the 21st century problems, I know it isn't going to make a difference in the world, but when I can do my share to reduce waste at a landfill and buy one less item made in China, I feel better about it. And you're right, I've spent more than $15 of my time to type up this thread and to respond.

Since the remote works (when I hold the battery and holder down), I'm willing to give things a try. I'm not a fan of gluing things together, but that may be the best option. Or soldering with a copper wire on the tip of the iron?

One little hint: Assuming you have a fairly large soldering iron with a mostly cylindrical tip, and you want to use the idea of wrapping a copper wire around it with the end sticking out as a fine tip, use as large a wire as possible (something like size 8-10) that will fit the space required. and find a rod with a slightly smaller diameter than the soldering iron tip. Wrap the wire tightly around that smaller rod, so you have to force the coil on to the soldering iron, to get tight fit and thus best heat transfer.

Copper does not spring back as much as many metals, but it does spring back a little, so you won't get a tight fit by directly winding tit around the soldering iron tip.

I have a cheapie soldering iron with a pointed tip. The copper wire should be able to transfer enough heat to get the solder to melt. My first thought is to try the conductive epoxy, but I know if it doesn't work, it'll be very difficult to clean the board and solder. So if it fails, I'm going to just buy a new remote.

I'm checking this site to see if someone has used the epoxy with success.

Thanks again for the tips. It's greatly appreciated!

If you have more patience than money,fix it.If the two halves of the enclosure are not glued,they can be gently and slowly pried apart.If they are glued,use a scalpel that is heated to cut the dividing line,then use a super glue to reassemble.As mentioned elsewhere,cleaning and prepping the electrical parts before attempting to join them is essential.Minimize the time of contact between the board and the soldering tip to be certain to remove all traces of flux after soldering to prevent lifting the traces on the board.

If you are not competent and experienced with soldering techniques,the board will be destroyed beyond a reasonable repair.I have replaced broken traces on some boards,but it was a mission critical application with no spares available.It requires a very steady hand and special tools,no caffeine,and sometimes a magnifying glass.The newer surface mount components are nearly impossible to repair or replace.

Good luck.Even if you don't fix it,it will be good experience.

What have you got to lose?It doesn't work now,right?

Thanks for the encouragement.

I've done a lot of soldering, so I'm not concerned about that aspect. I just didn't want to spend the time to take it apart, then have to reglue it back together again.

In the post above, I stated I can get a replacement remote for $15. I just wanted to fix the old one. Seems better to buy a new one.

?? not epoxy but is claimed to be conductive http://www.pro-tec-deutschland.com/en/products/service-products/car-body/zinc-spray

Thanks for the info. I've never heard of a product like this. I don't think it'll work in such a small area, but I have another use for zinc spray - anti rust coating!

Thanks again.

I have not tried to use the particular product mentioned but I did try using silger conductive paste between the contact and circuit board and holding in place with epoxy resin. Was not a success as the epoxy wouldn't stick to the circuit substrate even when sanded rough.

This was on a digital caliper so I was able to open the case by gentle prising with a screwdriver as there had only been spots of glue not fully glued. The contact was nickel plated but the plating had detached from the base of the spring clip exposing steel which was pitted. There has never been a battery leak in the holder so it must have been shoddy manufacturing. So I made a new one out of bronze and soldered it in place.

If you go down the road you intend to I wish you luck.

Interesting idea. For me, it'll take too much time to make a new battery clip out of bronze. If it was an expensive remote, that would be an idea.

Thanks.

Epoxy is a liquid plastic. Most plastics are not conductive. I'm sure there are exceptions, but this would not be the norm.

What they do is infuse it with a conductive material - in this case, silver. Here is a sample of one: https://www.mgchemicals.com/products/adhesives/electrically-conductive-adhesives/two-part-epoxy/silver-conductive-epoxy-8331

I have never used one, so I was looking for advice on how well it works and how easy it is to use.

What I did is buy a tube of this stuff. It should be here any day. I'll let everyone know how well it works. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-Conductive-0-2ML-Glue-Wire-Electrically-Paste-Adhesive-PCB-Repair-TE/143260052097?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item215af6ea81:g:t68AAOSwDVlbkiXx&enc=AQADAAAB8KX%2FKt4E1xf3SDqEdBclaYaCweHc05S2m2cZprGHv%2BzXUoCHDzN0km1h%2BGxaQtoJBoyD%2BV%2Bk88Z9nWbIgBenIgmvrl7iBWBmJd7iKSh3K4yD1ogjz6pg%2Fnu3tMjf2ZbiERThWdSEZCBolF1uc6BVR0iMyxCgJFKeKMnHs%2B2odxgC3IHVacJN1BwSBaiQn8r04pb%2BX4EGcKrZDfmE9UI8bXTaShAH3ZV%2B2GBVMAvwJ9YAMl9sf8GN62LqKOyYGxKvYuYYgXo8eQGNEdAWbQMnONSxUr5qJWfzKdZPEbW%2B21UAxiNDrLF0Uej%2FluoQrgJKCutlQQKoHNC0kNVTRGNHLk13LMW9dCaWCYe06gyiuW0OH%2BZZ0JxSM9PSt4W00WFFGqcdm4hFJQhICNM6bX4WutOAVSIlEUfDsOEsre1Dj5brg3G56LK2WJSXZO8ZJ0jqL4N%2Bw7MH0BSB6T7KHyXMvr%2FoLNtiG9TELQwc6PSXLh5ir%2Fzza0uhUvAnQ6WY4jpIIdny73WFkzdy%2B%2BkVCSQ1OwkicZf5%2FSir77C37UXLG8Sq9Ng5QNGX01NWZTikr8FV4BdgYX%2B9IHSjphwsPZOiMOR%2FVQWNVKgPOIWZNApiCRn0an6RiuhaHno7Gb6jnXPEOIBWim7Jstu7zANIGB7UbA4%3D&checksum=1432600520970d0d9d04906f49639d049c87f75717a6

Not an epoxy fix but wrapping a copper wire around he end of a soldering gun tip then leaving a short length sticking straight out, 3/4", would give an extension with enough heat to solder that part.

Using a thin super glue to rejoin the remote cases can be done more neatly using a toothpick to apply small amounts accurately along the seam.

Success!

If it was me, I would try to adapt the soldering iron by wrapping a piece of copper wire tightly around the tip to make a short extension, just long enough and thin enough and shaped, to get in the narrow space between components to reach the broken terminal ... but subject to advice by others to make sure the terminal solder surfaces are very clean to start with.

Kendall and Horace. Thanks for the idea. I think I could get a piece of copper wire in the right place to get the solder to work. A very good idea - thanks!

That's a good tip. I've never thought about coating the tip of my iron with silver solder, but it makes sense.

Next time I pull the oxy/acetylene tank out, I'll coat the tip of my iron.

I don't know if there is any strength or not but there is glue to fix rear window defroster that I have considered using for this type repair. I haven't tried it though.

Thanks for the idea. I think they sell the stuff at the 99 cents store.

Thanks everyone for the tips.

Here is some information and another question.

1. The remote works when I hold the battery and the holder in place.

2. It does not work when I put the cover on - the cover doesn't hold the battery and holder in place.

3. The solder seems to have been a cold solder - broke from physically pulling up and poor adhesion.

4. I can get a replacement remote for $15, but the repair guy in me wanted to fix it.

5. A couple guys mentioned wrapping wire around a soldering iron and using the wire as a heat source. I may do this.

6. I found this stuff on ebay. Has anyone ever used it? It's a cheap conductive adhesive. https://www.ebay.com/itm/0-2ML-0-25ML-0-3ML-0-5ML-Silver-Conductive-Adhesive-Glue-Wire-Electrically-Condu/303188093143?hash=item46976b28d7:m:mgvRZH4mxhX9sxzRLrep6uA

Thanks again for your input.

Re: "I can get a replacement remote for $15, but the repair guy in me wanted to fix it."

Good on you, what've you got to lose. You should have seen the trouble I went to to rebuild a brake light socket on my 97 BMW M3 (a bit of a notorious fault) - I've surprised myself with it still working ~5 years later!

Also, we all learn something and I like the look of that "conductive adhesive" for a future project.

Cheers

Your '97 M3 is a nice car! I almost bought a high mileage 1998 M3 a couple years ago. It had 240K on it - looked pretty good, but it had a smog problem, so I passed. It wasn't abused - driven, but not abused. In hindsight, I should've bought it. Price was very, very reasonable, due to the miles and CEL.

Interesting coincidence!

It looks like you're US based, so may mention (in case you're not aware) that here in Australia, we were lucky enough to get the European version with full 321 hp (3.2L). They're really starting to go up in value here (and the UK to my knowledge). Not sure if the US version has had the same increase.

Cheers

321 hp! Nice!! We only get the 240 hp version. Still a very sweet car, but I can only imagine another 81 hp out of that straight 6.

I've delivered some newer M3's and they're beasts. The latest iteration (2018 M3 CS) put out 453 hp - 3.0 twin turbo straight 6. I drove the regular version (not the CS) and it's so fast. Too much for my brain to handle!

My personal favorite car (for going fast) is a Porsche 911 or Cayman. They're phenomenal to drive and they are durable - as long as you treat them well. Because they're so well balanced and they rotate so well, driving one at speed makes you a better driver. I don't want to admit it, but the it's the car, not me.

Lately, I've been on an Alfa Romeo kick. I like the older (up to '74) Spiders. They aren't fast by today's standards, but they have such a great feel and the little 2L twin cam is such a wonderful motor. I haven't driven a '71 with the smaller 1750 motor, but I heard it's nearly as fast and it's a more durable design.

You appear to be channeling me! For a large part of my adulthood, I wanted an Alfa GTV (and to only a slightly lesser extent, a Spider). My head always seemed to overrule my heart though.

Cheers

I saw a GTV on the road a few days ago. Yellow one, my guess is early 70's model. It sounded great and had that super cool look!

The problem is that a nice one is in the $40K + range. For that kind of money, I think there are better buys out there. Like a Porsche 993, Alfa 4C or maybe a low mileage 1990's Ferrari!

On a different note, the mid 70's to early 80's Alfetta GTV may start to take off. This one is a 1977, looked nice and sold for $5K earlier this year. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1977-alfa-romeo-gtv-3/

It's one of detuned 2.0 twin cam motors, but it's an Alfa with a real Alfa motor. $5K is nothing for a piece of Alfa history.