In this article, we will discuss the top 12 mistakes made when repairing electronic circuit boards, including how to avoid them and what to do if you've already made them.

To free it, the barrel end of the pen must be tapped with some force until the ball begins to move again.Remove the cap and with the pen tip pointing up, grip the white base of the tip assembly gently but firmly and turn it to the right (clockwise-because the tip assembly is “reverse-threaded”).

Expose conductive surface of repair area: When repairing a trace, conductive ink needs to have good contact with the beginning and end of the gap. As with any chemical system, compatibility with the substrate must be determined on a non-critical area before use. Chemtronics offers CircuitWorks® Conductive Pens, which contain a highly conductive material like silver or nickel suspended in a liquid polymer. CW220 is used in repairing circuit boards, making prototypes, and reworking by repairing broken traces, joining components, and making smooth jumpers.We then compare various methods of mounting electronic components on flexible substrates and highlight Chemtronics’ products which aid electronics manufacturers to addres.

If soaking the tip assembly does not get the pen flowing, then the pen is probably past its usable shelf-life and should be replaced. I've seen a few videos and heard suggestions of people using conductive ink pens to fix traces on a PCB but I've also seen people using a wire to bypass the affected area on the trace. Is using a conductive ink pen a good way to fix a trace and, if so, is it considered a permanent solution or will it require reapplication down the line?Let the tip soak for 30 minutes to one hour, with occasional shaking or swirling, to clear the internal spaces within the tip assembly. By following these tips, you can save time, money, and frustration when working with electronic circuit boards.

We've measured the resistance of pencil traces at 5 - 8 megaohms with a single pass, and 30-60 kiloohms with lots of pressing down and scribbling.

For functional use, photo paper performs the best because the ink is able to form a continuous film on a smooth surface. Engineers, repair technicians, and manufacturers will find that the CircuitWorks ® Conductive Circuit Pen speeds project completion and cuts rework time. Soldering to the ink is possible, but tricky and greatly depends on paper/surface type and solder type. If you don't want to remove your work and want to make it more durable, you can spray a layer of varnish on it. It is used to draw traces on circuit boards or to create simple circuits on a variety of surfaces for prototyping, hobbies, or maker projects.