z-axis conductive tape (OT)

A

alband

Senior Member
Hi there,

Here's the situation in brief:

Fixing a friend's iPod, accidentaly cut through an improtant cable, need to replace that cable (or the iPod £££), found the cable on eBay, asked the seller if it came with the "conductive tape" that is required to attach it, seller said "yes", so I bought it in a flash as the tape is very rare and expensive, recieved the item and... no tape. Seller though I just meant double sided adhesive :mad::eek:

This is the stuff I need, but as you can see it is pretty costly, and I only need about and inch.

So, the question: does anyone have any of this stuff I could buy a small protion of? I would be willing to pay extortionate prices, since the other alternatives both cost more than £100 :eek:
Thanks greatly,
David.
 
A

alband

Senior Member
hippy

hippy

Ex-Staff (retired)
It would be worth contacting Apple or a dealer to see how much a repair would cost, it may be cheaper than buying a replacement or the tape.

Another alternative is to buy the tape, set yourself up as a supplier of shorter amounts of tape for other people, though not sure what the market for that is. Make sure that it is the tape you do need and that you can attach and use it first !

As you were fixing an iPod - and that presumably needed fixing so was 'broken' - you may be able to come to a deal with your friend to 'go halves' on any repair or replacement costs.

The first thing to do is to work out how more broken or less usable the iPod is after the failed repair than before. It's up to you to decide what moral obligations you have and I'm not going to decide for you. You're not the first to have found themselves in this situation, it's one of those courses from the University of Life.

I personally don't attempt to repair things now where the end result may be worse than what they already have unless they are clear on accepting that risk, and I usually broach that in surroundings with other friends as that tempers any resultant feelings that they've been let down, which can occur no matter how it seemed to be at the time. For an expensive risk, even go so far as to get them to sign-off on paper an acceptance of that risk. It's a tough call to make and may be best to just say no for the sake of an easier life and happier relationships.
 
D

Dippy

Moderator
I love the way you say "Fixing a friend's iPod"

So you didn't actually "fix" it. Is he/she still your "friend"? :)

I suggest you get some specs from Ebay whilst ordering the tape.... sorry :rolleyes:


Do you find this odd thing too?
i.e. someone hears you 'do' electronics and then exepct you to be qualified in fixing anything.


Bloomin'heck hippy, if you asked a friend to fix something and they screwed up , would YOU be happy to pay a penny for their mess up (unless agreed in advance)? Maybe I'm just a misery guts, but you get so many people who, after learning how to connect an LED, become self-appointed service engineers (especially after 2 pints). :)
 
Last edited:
T

Tricky Dicky

Senior Member
Eclectic

A friend who repairs aircraft tells me the tape you found is used to make temporary repairs to small holes in the bodywork I do believe it is on non-pressurised parts. There was me thinking that planes held together with string and chewing gum was something from the Biggles era.

Richard
 
hippy

hippy

Ex-Staff (retired)
Dippy said:
Bloomin'heck hippy, if you asked a friend to fix something and they screwed up , would YOU be happy to pay a penny for their mess up (unless agreed in advance)?
Click to expand...
It would depend on what I was asked to pay and what was being paid for.

If it was going to cost £100 to fix something, someone offered to fix it for free, but then said it would actually cost £75, I'd still be onto a winner, so if I wanted it fixing then I would probably be willing to pay or negotiate how much I'd be prepared to pay.

Of course that doesn't factor in how broken it was before going for 'fixing'. If it was usable and needed money to fix it I might choose to have it back as it was, expecting zero cost to myself, but I'd still entertain paying an amount to make it better than it was.

Perhaps it's that I look at it as; if I'd tried fixing it and made a stupid mistake I'd have no one to blame but myself. If someone else makes that stupid mistake on my behalf, is the outcome any different ?

I've had friends 'helpfully' drill holes in water pipes and short out electrical cables. I could hold them entirely to blame, accountable for all costs and inconvenience, but I generally accept responsibility arising from 'trying to do it on the cheap' and think people should in such cases, but others may disagree.

Also, friends are friends, it's not some soulless business relationship which may be more black and white.
 
Last edited:
J

Jaguarjoe

Senior Member
alband said:
Should I be worried though, that is is named "xyz conductive" rather than just "z-axis"?
Click to expand...
"If you need any guidance regarding applications or product selection, please call the 3M Tapes & Adhesives helpdesk on 0870 608 0050; open weekdays 9 am - 5 pm."

They should know the difference between the two.
 
A

alband

Senior Member
Ok, lots of replys;

Apple probably wont take it, as I've definitely voided the warrenty.
It's looking likely I'm going to have to buy that tape and become a dealer, anyone interested?

The usual setup I do is, I will have a go at fixing them, but I can't guarantee they will come back working at all, or in a better state than they were given to me. Unfortunately I forgot to say that this time :/ so am responible.

@ eclectic & slimplynth: Yep, it needs to be only z-conductive, so I don't think either of those will work, unfortunately, thank you for trying though, much appriciated :)

@ Dippy: technically, I fixed the original fault, that was easy, I've done that repair 3 times now, but I did some damage on the way in. I would hope we will be no less friends as I've agreed to give him my iPod if all else fails, which, curiously, seems to be developing the same fault as his initially had.
And in fairness, people only come to me due to word of mouth of others having had their's fixed. Plus everyone hates sending it to Apple because it takes ages for Apple to "fix" it.

@ Jaguarjoe: Thanks, should have spotted that myself, may prove useful.

Cheers,
David.
 
A

Andrew Cowan

Senior Member
Just out of intrest, what is that tape used for? Can you guarentee you will be able to install new tape?

PS - what about asking 3M for a sample - that might well work for a small amount...
 
A

alband

Senior Member
Andrew Cowan said:
Just out of intrest, what is that tape used for? Can you guarentee you will be able to install new tape?

PS - what about asking 3M for a sample - that might well work for a small amount...
Click to expand...
It's used for precisely this purpose in industry so should work a treat.
I'll have to have a conversation with my conscience regarding the sample idea, it would almost certainly work if they do samples. :)
 
A

Andrew Cowan

Senior Member
You have to know what to look for ;).

There shouldn't be any customs charge on that - VAT is only charged on goods worth more than £18.
 
E

eclectic

Moderator
Andrew Cowan said:
You have to know what to look for ;).

There shouldn't be any customs charge on that - VAT is only charged on goods worth more than £18.
Click to expand...
Oh dear, he's self-cloning into Dippy! :)

Genuine congrats. Andrew.
I'll now officially retire from searching.

You are the man. :))

Uncle Ec
 
E

eclectic

Moderator
Andrew Cowan said:
I'm not that bad!

I think retirement might be a step too far for you - I lack your patience (and free time :p).

Andrew
Click to expand...
Pshaw!
Continue that attitude, and you'll turn
into a snollygoster!

Too much free time?
That's like having too much money. Impossible.
I apportion my time according to deserving causes.

E
 
A

alband

Senior Member
Just as an FYI, the tape arrived recently and it worked a treat :D iPod is now working again! I did need to press down the cable with a heated pair of flat tweezers as pressure alone didn't seem to do it. However I've now got about 10 inches of the stuff spare. I'm sure that I'd find use for it eventually, but if anyone is in dire need; you know who to ask - I believe it's quite hard to come by in the UK :p
Thanks all and Merry Christmas for tomorrow!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top