EEVblog Electronics Community Forum

Electronics => Beginners => Topic started by: ledtester on April 04, 2018, 12:10:00 am

Title: Easy way to remove brown insulating tape?
Post by: ledtester on April 04, 2018, 12:10:00 am

Is there an easy way to remove the brown insulating tape you find in li-ion battery packs?

I've been a little successful just using an exacto knife and scraping away at it, but I'm wondering if there is an easier way. Maybe I'll try sanding it away / working at it with a rotary tool.

I just need to remove enough to solder to the underlying strip.

And what is that brown tape called?

Title: Re: Easy way to remove brown insulating tape?
Post by: remerle on April 04, 2018, 12:19:33 am

Quote from: ledtester on April 04, 2018, 12:10:00 am

And what is that brown tape called?

It's Kapton tape.

Title: Re: Easy way to remove brown insulating tape?
Post by: Whales on April 04, 2018, 12:34:16 am

Are you referring to the thing right at the tip of the cell, stuck to the terminal you want to solder to?  It may actually be a flexible PCB, so it could be some sort of resin.

The stuff down the side of these cells indeed appears to be kapton.

Title: Re: Easy way to remove brown insulating tape?
Post by: ledtester on April 04, 2018, 01:28:57 am

Its definitely some sort of tape/film. Here's another pic.

Title: Re: Easy way to remove brown insulating tape?
Post by: Whales on April 04, 2018, 04:14:30 am

Looks similar to flexible PCB material.  Could be kapton.  Could be another resin. 

Apart from suggesting you try a wide variety of abrasives or solvents, I'm not sure, sorry.

Title: Re: Easy way to remove brown insulating tape?
Post by: ledtester on April 06, 2018, 03:46:45 am

Turned out using rotary tool with an abrasive attachment worked well enough.