omnedon
02-12-2004, 08:36 PM
I don't have time to get into the details but I have successfully repaired a fried IntelliVision MPCB!!!
The flexible guts of Inty controllers (called the MPCB -membrane printed circuit board) are the weakspot of Inty controller repair. For years they have been failing at their fold spots, breaking the circuit, and essentially rendering the MPCB and the controller useless. They are no longer manufactured, and are absolutely necessary to have a working Inty controller.
I've been wrestling with the problem off and on for over a year. I've been holding on to my fried MPCB's, in hopes of finding a way to rehab them , and I finally did it!
Essentially, I took some time and my multimeter and traced exactly which circuits were no longer continuous, and mapped where the continuity failed (always near or at the creases for the most part). Once I found the trouble spots, I painted them with the solution from a rear window defogger repair kit. It was easier to literally paint the whole trouble area, and then scrape out the borders of the circuits before the solution dried. Once done, I put some cello tape over the repair spots, to ensure no overlap bridging when refolded.
BINGO!! I tested the 'test case' controller with my MTE-201 cart, and full function restored, reliably! Before, this controller had zero numeric keypad response, as most of the circuits that led to the keypad were where the breaks were. Now, full, total response. :D :D
It still needs long term testing, but I am reasonably sure that the conductive solution will not flake, as it seems pretty flexible, and I have sealed the joints in a layer of cello tape. These creases are not really stress points, and I think the failure has more to do with years of the plastic becoming brittle, as opposed to any stress or friction. I think this is the One.
This is a time consuming repair, but since I've found good MPCB's nearly impossible to find, this kind of repair will be a must to ensure working Inty hardware into the future. With bad MPCB's being repairable, that means far more Inty controllers can be rescued.
I feel like I did a good thing. :)
The flexible guts of Inty controllers (called the MPCB -membrane printed circuit board) are the weakspot of Inty controller repair. For years they have been failing at their fold spots, breaking the circuit, and essentially rendering the MPCB and the controller useless. They are no longer manufactured, and are absolutely necessary to have a working Inty controller.
I've been wrestling with the problem off and on for over a year. I've been holding on to my fried MPCB's, in hopes of finding a way to rehab them , and I finally did it!
Essentially, I took some time and my multimeter and traced exactly which circuits were no longer continuous, and mapped where the continuity failed (always near or at the creases for the most part). Once I found the trouble spots, I painted them with the solution from a rear window defogger repair kit. It was easier to literally paint the whole trouble area, and then scrape out the borders of the circuits before the solution dried. Once done, I put some cello tape over the repair spots, to ensure no overlap bridging when refolded.
BINGO!! I tested the 'test case' controller with my MTE-201 cart, and full function restored, reliably! Before, this controller had zero numeric keypad response, as most of the circuits that led to the keypad were where the breaks were. Now, full, total response. :D :D
It still needs long term testing, but I am reasonably sure that the conductive solution will not flake, as it seems pretty flexible, and I have sealed the joints in a layer of cello tape. These creases are not really stress points, and I think the failure has more to do with years of the plastic becoming brittle, as opposed to any stress or friction. I think this is the One.
This is a time consuming repair, but since I've found good MPCB's nearly impossible to find, this kind of repair will be a must to ensure working Inty hardware into the future. With bad MPCB's being repairable, that means far more Inty controllers can be rescued.
I feel like I did a good thing. :)