Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Decided to build up my Li'l Mouse PCB for my first build in the Year Of The Rat, and I saw a copper trace was lifting and contacted BYOC about it. It's been at about 24 hours and no response yet, so those guys n gals must be busy. Anyway...

Turns out it was just the solder mask between the IC's Pin4 and C6 that lifted.

Apart from trial-fitting two different types of IC-sockets (trying to see if one had a shorter stack height than the other), this PCB is virginal — no soldering iron has gone near it, no components fitted etc. The solder-mask covering other traces is also raised like the bit between the aforementioned pin-4 and C6.

I'd prefer a liquid solution to just covering the trace with electrical tape, as I'd like to cover other suspect-looking mask as well.
I was thinking something like:

- cyanoacrylate (super-glue), or perhaps a
- clear nail-polish.

Thoughts, suggestions, delamin(t)ations?


Cheers,
FF

Hello, I'm sorry there has been no reply yet. I would personally go with the nail polish method. Solder mask is not required in any way for the operation of the circuit, as you will see many homemade boards that lack solder mask of any kind. That said, solder mask is helpful in keeping corrosion from attacking the copper traces. From time to time I get board with flaking mask, sometimes from shipping damage, occasionally from an error in surface prep during manufacture. If you are saying htere are a couple spots, maybe hit the whole board with a stiff brush to break off anything loose, then come at it with some nail polish, obviously leaving pads clean to allow the solder to stick.

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Cool! Thanks for the reply.

I'll raid my wife's supply of clear nail-polish.

Would've thanked you sooner, but been busy with ... Life.

No worries my friend, I know how that goes.

_________________
If practice makes perfect, and nobody is perfect, then why practice?

It hurts me to say this.. but.. follow me on facebook and.. instagram

If you still haven't gotten a response from BYOC, I would check back in. I'm not an official representative of the company, so no promises, but it sounds like the kind of thing that they would replace for you. Sometimes emails can get backed up.

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Scott

My band, Austin Hollow

It may be worth the effort to check continuity between the IC solder pads and the pad of the next component that they connect to on the PCB. If the solder mask lifting has damaged any connections (which sounds like a long-shot from your description), you want to know that before the pedal is assembled. Do you have access to a multimeter and know how to use one?

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“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

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