A drop of ? to hold wires to board

[KL27x]

Tip for mixing small amounts of epoxy... save the q-tips/sticks. A small chisel or razor blade over end grain cutting board (or glass if you don't mind dulling a chisel/blade). Spread it out into a long thin, sub micron thin smear. Then scoop it up perpendicular to the smear, picking up just small bit of the smear at a time, stacking each layer of poorly mixed, streaky epoxy next to each other on the blade. Now you have lots and lots of streaks in a stackup blob, like layers of damascus. Spread this out again, into the long smear, mixing all these layers into each other. 3 or 4 repetitions will make a perfect mix, and you don't waste any epoxy. Just pick it up a little bit at a time to make a big fat blob on just the side of the chisel, use it, and wipe the blade with a paper towel when you're done.

It's not uncommon I use all the epoxy I mixed. Or maybe I run out and have to mix up a tiny little bit more. I stretched one tube of JB weld for a decade. The caps had fallen apart, and I was closing the tubes with a piece of plastic tied over with a string, lol.

[radar_macgyver]

A drop silicone adhesive such as Dow Corning 3145 would be the best option.

http://www.dowcorning.com/DataFiles/090276fe801f97f8.pdf

When using silicone RTV, choose one that doesn't produce acetic acid while curing.

I got a neat tip from a friend on hot melt glue - it softens in isopropyl alcohol, useful when cleaning it off a board.

[KL27x]

I got a neat tip from a friend on hot melt glue - it softens in isopropyl alcohol, useful when cleaning it off a board.

This is one of the properties that makes it the most amazing thing in the universe. On smooth surface, a drop of alcohol makes it peel right off. In a blob of wires/fibers, alcohol softens the glue, making it tear and crumble more easily.

Hot glue is strong enough to use in finish carpentry in place of nails or conventional glue. It is strong enough to do a lot of things. But in many cases, is it possible to deconstruct hot glue joints relatively easily without any damage to the original parts. Hot glue is holding together a LOT of things in my workshop and in my electronics prototypes. Particularly when you are trying to figure out exactly where a tool holder, a button, a switch, etc needs to go and have to experiment with placement.

Conversely, where the parts that are joined are very rigid and there is no room for flex, even exposure to solvent won't separate the bond. Cell phone screens are held on with what is basically a very thin layer of hotmelt glue. With right techniques and application, hot melt is very versatile.

[P90]

I got a neat tip from a friend on hot melt glue - it softens in isopropyl alcohol, useful when cleaning it off a board.

This is one of the properties that makes it the most amazing thing in the universe. On smooth surface, a drop of alcohol makes it peel right off. In a blob of wires/fibers, alcohol softens the glue, making it tear and crumble more easily.

Hot glue is strong enough to use in finish carpentry in place of nails or conventional glue. It is strong enough to do a lot of things. But in most cases, is it possible to deconstruct hot glue joints relatively easily without any damage to the original parts. Hot glue is holding together a LOT of things in my workshop and in my electronics prototypes. Particularly when you are trying to figure out exactly where a tool holder, a button, a switch, etc needs to go and have to experiment with placement.

Conversely, where the parts that are joined are very rigid and there is no room for flex, even exposure to solvent won't separate the bond. Cell phone screens are on with what is basically a very thin layer of hotmelt glue.

don't forget hot glue is also very handy as a sort of "clamp" to hold things in place while the silicone or construction adhesive sets.

[Inverted18650]

E6000 is by far the best glue I have ever seen. I glued a rear view mirror onto an old BMW and drove it 180kph with no issues. Originally purchased it to bond the plastic frame to the glass of an iPhone when refurbing the LCD's. I keep it around for everything now.

At work we use a glue called E6000. It is great that it grips to most smooth and porous surfaces. It is clear, so looks good. When dried, it behaves like a clear rubber, so you can always remove it without damaging anything. It is also temperature and water resistant.


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[Cicada]

Hi

Thank you for all the suggestions. I have changed the scope of the modification a bit. I originally planned to glue individual wires to the PCB but later decided to use a multi core cable instead. I got a hold of this.
http://www.go-araldite.com/products/epoxy-adhesives/araldite-standard-2-x-15ml-tube

It looks very nice, is very cheap and is not messy to work with. I am sure this will work for individual wires but it will be a bit difficult to group the wire together and hold them down on the board because the epoxy sets very slowly. I.e. 24 hours. So one will have to group individual wires in a sleeve which will not always be possible.

Thanks

[xrunner]

I got a tube of UV glue and a UV light. Tried it on some wires on a PCB. I gotta say, I'm never going back it works great!

[DTJ]

I got a tube of UV glue and a UV light. Tried it on some wires on a PCB. I gotta say, I'm never going back it works great!

From eBay?

Got a link or brand info?

Cheers.

[xrunner]

From eBay? Got a link or brand info?

Sure. I got the UV pen + light off Ebay. I later got a little better UV light, just because it was so cheap, but it still works OK with the el-cheapo light the pen came with. Just put a small dot of the glue on top of the wire on the PCB and 6 seconds of light - presto. Looks really professional and it sets up nice. 

UV glue pen + light

UV light

[mariush]

How about a drop of that Loctite thread locker solution, you know the kind you put on screw threads usually to prevent them from loosening over time?

Not quite the intended purpose but i suppose it dries out quickly and should be quite "sticky" and you should be able to pull the wires relatively easily (the solution should resist torque but not other forces, unless i'm wrong)

[xrunner]

How about a drop of that Loctite thread locker solution, you know the kind you put on screw threads usually to prevent them from loosening over time?

Not quite the intended purpose but i suppose it dries out quickly and should be quite "sticky" and you should be able to pull the wires relatively easily (the solution should resist torque but not other forces, unless i'm wrong)

It doesn't "dry" in the open air, has to be between tight spaces like screw threads.

[mariush]

So wouldn't it "dry" quickly between the ribbon cable and the circuit board?  Just put some pressure on the cable for a few seconds?

[CJay]

UV glue pen + light

UV light

Most useful, thank you, you can also buy refills for the pens for ~$1.40 so if you have a suitable UV light already...

[kalel]

UV glue pen + light

UV light

Most useful, thank you, you can also buy refills for the pens for ~$1.40 so if you have a suitable UV light already...

I always wondered about the quality of these. They offer cheap UV glue bottles for cellphone repair. E.g. this for $1.26 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Useful-UV-Glue-LOCA-Liquid-Optical-Clear-Adhesive-replacement-tools-5ml-M35-/291641635172 - Paired with an UV light, it should produce the same results, but maybe the pen provides more accurate control, I don't know.

[CJay]

I always wondered about the quality of these. They offer cheap UV glue bottles for cellphone repair. E.g. this for $1.26 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Useful-UV-Glue-LOCA-Liquid-Optical-Clear-Adhesive-replacement-tools-5ml-M35-/291641635172 - Paired with an UV light, it should produce the same results, but maybe the pen provides more accurate control, I don't know.

I think for this use, the pen would be preferable, the cellphone repairers aren't that bothered about precise spots of adhesive, they want complete unblemished coverage so I reckon the pen would be more controllable.

[xrunner]

So wouldn't it "dry" quickly between the ribbon cable and the circuit board?  Just put some pressure on the cable for a few seconds?

Not in my experience. It doesn't set up (dry is not the right term to use I think) like that. I've left it out for days because I thought the same thing, and it simply does not "dry". It has to exist between airtight spaces that are compressed. Try it yourself.

[xrunner]

I always wondered about the quality of these. They offer cheap UV glue bottles for cellphone repair.

Don't use the cellphone repair UV glue! It doesn't set up hard. It cures like a jello consistency and is not strong in small amounts like the hard stuff is.

[R005T3r]

Cellphone UV glue is used as a weak adhesive and is used for potting the glass... If superGlue or hot glue are not an option, I'd look for a Loctite Adehesive especially suited for electonics or a liquid gasket... Something designed for both vibration and with a good temperature resistance.

[stj]

the best thing for tacking wires down is actually UHU or Bostik adhesive.
it dries into a water-clear slightly flexable plastic.
it wont crack or vaporise into your eyes if you use an iron near it after.
and you can peel it off clean if you really have to.

[CJay]

the best thing for tacking wires down is actually UHU or Bostik adhesive.
it dries into a water-clear slightly flexable plastic.
it wont crack or vaporise into your eyes if you use an iron near it after.
and you can peel it off clean if you really have to.

Just like the UV stuff then except it takes longer to cure.

[stj]

and costs a lot less - i get big tubes in the £ shop