Electronics Reworking

How to repair damaged Flexible

Flat Cable from LCD displays?
Flexible Flat Cables or Flex are most Wilbert
often found in LCD displays, Laptops , Lao
cameras , cellular phones , and other high density
handheld electronic devices. These cables
allows extreme space savings and provides
the needed flexible connection for devices with
movable parts such as Laptop displays, clamshell © 2008 TYQ Int.

/ slider cellular phones and other gadgets. Almost all equipments with LCD displays
utilize flexible flat cables to connect the display to the
main circuit board.

An advancement of Flexible flat cables are the Flexible

circuits, these flexible circuits provide increased space
savings as components are directly attached to the flexi-
© 2008 TYQ Int.
Sample Flex Circuit ble board.

The wide usage of flex cables and flex

circuits in components utilizing LCD dis-
plays has led to service stations pilling
up with LCD modules with broken flex
but working LCD display panels. The
ability of these service stations to repair
these LCD modules can mean additional
income to its business and provide sav-
ings for its customers.

Here we will detail the procedures and

equipments needed to rework the flex
in an LCD module. © 2008 www.aoyue.com used with permission

1 LCD Flex Reworking machine From Aoyue International

 LCD panel and its Flex
Obtain an LCD module with a defective flex.
Most LCD modules have a simple plastic casing
that can easily be detached. After detaching
the case a few thin films of plastics and metal-
lic sheets can be found in-between the case
and LCD panel. These are backlight diffusers
and reflectors, set them aside as we will only
© 2008 TYQ Int.
need the LCD panel with the flex attached.

Parts of an LCD panel with attached flex

LCD main display panel

viewable area

Main Control chip for the LCD panel

Contact area between Flex and

LCD panel
© 2008 TYQ Int.

© 2008 TYQ Int. Flexible cable or Flex circuit

Next we would need to detach the

damaged flex, A Hot Bar soldering
system set at around 230 to 260°C
would be enough to break down the
adhesive bonding of the flex and
LCD panel. Lightly heat the con-
tact area between the Flex and
LCD panel using the hot bar tool.
The flex can then be easily
peeled off.

© 2008 TYQ Int.

2
 Examining the contacts under the magnified
lenses of the Aoyue 8011 Hot bar soldering
system, We can see the leftover bonding ad-
hesive on the contacts. The contact can be
cleaned using a solution that softens it for
easy removal. A panel which is properly
© 2008 TYQ Int. cleaned should have bright and shiny contacts
with no visible dark spots.

© 2008 TYQ Int.

Dirty Contacts © 2008 TYQ Int.

Cleaned Contacts
Hot Bar Bonding how it works?
Bonding of flex requires heat and
pressure. A Hot bar soldering system
provides both the required heat
source and applied pressure to bond
the flex and LCD contacts. Pressure Heat

The bonding adhesive is an anisot-

© 2008 TYQ Int.
ropic conductive film adhesive. This
adhesive film contains tiny conduc-
Flex Cable or Flex Circuit
tive spheres surrounded by insulating
and bonding materials. The applied Anisotropic conductive
film adhesive
heat and pressure will break away
PCB or LCD Panel
the insulating materials thus allowing
electrical conductivity between the
© 2008 TYQ Int.
contacts.
3
 Heat and Pressure Exerted on flex and board
As heat and pressure is applied the conductive
spheres are pushed in place and their insulat-
ing coating breaks away allowing the sphere to
conduct electricity. The adhesive then cures
locking the sphere in this conductive state.

© 2008 TYQ Int.

The sphere’s insulation breaks away allowing

conduction between contacts of the flex and
LCD panel.

Spheres still with insulated coating intact stays

in the gaps in between the contacts. © 2008 TYQ Int.

Attaching Anisotropic Conductive Adhesive to the new flex

Attaching the bonding adhesive to the flex re-
quires pressure and heat. The Aoyue 8001 Hot
bar preheating system with temperature set at
150°C would provide the necessary heat and
pressure to transfer the adhesive to the flex.
Place the flex on a flat surface then
carefully apply the adhesive. The © 2008 TYQ Int.

Bonding adhesive is normally kept at

low temperatures of –10 to 5°C .
Let the adhesive return to ambient
temperature before usage. After apply-
ing the adhesive use the Hot bar pre-
heating system to allow it to firmly at-
© 2008 TYQ Int.
tach to the flex. The protective film of
the conductive adhesive can then be
© 2008 www.aoyue.com used with permission
peeled off. This will leave only a thin
Hot bar pre-heating machine
clear film of conductive adhesive. From Aoyue International

4
Aligning flex contacts with LCD panel
Place the cleaned LCD panel on the LCD plat-
form. Then attach the flex cable to the micro
adjust platform. The micro adjust platform has
3 axis adjustments available, Slowly adjust
these three knobs until the contact of the flex
is perfectly lined up with the contacts of the
LCD panel.

Normally these LCD flex has a certain guide © 2008 TYQ Int.

marking located at the end of the last vertical

strip. In this case our guide is the lone horizon-
tal bar seen in this color LCD monitor. The dual
camera and color LCD display monitor in the
Aoyue 8011 hot bar system will allow simulta-
neous monitoring and adjustment of the flex to
match the LCD panel’s contacts.
© 2008 TYQ Int.

While adjusting the flex to match

the LCD panel’s contacts keep the
flex completely flat on top of the
LCD panel. A piece of thin plastic
can be used to press down on the
flex momentarily. With the flex flat
on the LCD panel look at the LCD
monitors to confirm the correct
alignment. Alignment of the hori-
zontal bars and vertical stripes on
each end will guarantee perfect
© 2008 www.aoyue.com used with permission

Hot bar Soldering System

alignment for the entire flex and
From Aoyue International 5 LCD panel.
 The system now automatically moves the plat-
form in, then lowers the hot bar tool. When the
hot bar tool touches the Flex countdown timer
commences.
© 2008 TYQ Int.
After timer expires the hot
bar tool moves back up and
the platform slides out
again. Within 20 seconds
The Platform in the
initial position
the system is ready for the
next items to be soldered.
Platform slides in waiting for
the Hot bar tool to move down
and begin soldering
© 2008 TYQ Int.

Heat and pressure soldering

With both flex and LCD panel aligned, we
proceed to soldering. In the Aoyue 8011
system we have the option of using the
manual or automatic mode. The manual
mode as the name suggest allows us to © 2008 TYQ Int.
manually control the movement of the Hot bar tool applying heat and pressure to the LCD
panel and flex
platform and hot bar tool. The automatic
mode requires us to input the desired Easy Hot Bar Reworking
temperature and soldering duration while
Hot bar reworking of a broken flex is sim-
it automatically moves the platform and
ple and quick. It can bring those piles of
soldering process.
LCD modules back to life and Repair cus-
tomer’s flex problems in a few minutes .
Automatic mode soldering
Hot bar reworking allows higher produc-
First we set the temperature to 260 °C tivity, savings and increases customer sat-
and the timer to 15 seconds. Then we isfaction. All we need are the right equip-
simultaneously press the start automate ment and a couple of old LCD modules to
buttons to begin the automate cycle. 6 practice on.