Tip of a conductive pen is dry

[Man-wai Chang ToDie (33.6k)]

The pen could no longer draw. Anyway to fix it?

Chemotronics: CircuitWorks
Conductive Pen - Micro Tip (CW2200MTP)

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[Paul]

The pen could no longer draw. Anyway to fix it?

Chemotronics: CircuitWorks
Conductive Pen - Micro Tip (CW2200MTP)

The MSDS is here.

http://www.newark.com/datasheets/CHEMTRONICS/4001.pdf

Chemical Name CAS No. Wt. % Range
Silver 440-22-4 35.0-65.0
Propylene Glycol Methyl Ether Acetate 108-65-6 2.0-20.0
Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether Acetate 112-07-2 2.0-20.0
n-Butyl Acetate 123-86-4 5.0-35.0
Acrylic Resin mixture 15.0-40.0

The n-Butyl Acetate appears to be a solvent, for whatever
that is worth. If the Acrylic Resin has hardened, then
adding a solvent probably wouldn't help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyl_acetate

The datasheet from the manufacturer suggests adding
the solvent. The pen has a shelf life rating of
18 months.

http://www.chemtronics.com/products/americas/TDS/Cw2200tds.pdf

Their recommended solvent for removing the tracks
drawn with the pen, is "Electo-Wash PX", another
blend of solvents.

http://www.chemtronics.com/products/americas/TDS/1210TDS.pdf
http://www.newark.com/datasheets/CHEMTRONICS/0213L.pdf

Since you're supposed to squeeze the pen, to force the
product through the tip, cutting a hole in the end of
the pen to add solvent, will degrade the ability to
use the pen.

Paul

 

[Man-wai Chang ToDie (33.6k)]

The n-Butyl Acetate appears to be a solvent, for whatever

that is worth. If the Acrylic Resin has hardened, then
adding a solvent probably wouldn't help.

....
The datasheet from the manufacturer suggests adding
the solvent. The pen has a shelf life rating of
18 months.

...
Since you're supposed to squeeze the pen, to force the
product through the tip, cutting a hole in the end of
the pen to add solvent, will degrade the ability to
use the pen.

Does this mean: Sorry, you have to throw it away and get a new one?

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[Paul]

Does this mean: Sorry, you have to throw it away and get a new one?

A solvent is a liquid that dissolves something. As you
noted in the chemistry information I dug up, the
chemistry of your pen is a little complicated.

The pen has a shelf life of 18 months. That means
the manufacturer thinks it will "dry up" after
18 months with the cap tightly sealed on it.

You could open the opposite end of the pen, and add
n-Butyl Acetate. The n-Butyl Acetate would match
the current small quantity of solvent present inside
the pen, and loosen the consistency of the product
near the tip. That is, if the resin in the pen
hasn't become hard. The resin may be designed
to polymerize (resin molecules chain themselves
together), in which case that would be a
relatively permanent chemical reaction (something
which a solvent may not help).

The short answer is (drum roll):

"Throw it away"

Can you buy n-Butyl Acetate solvent at the store ?

This is an example of n-Butyl Acetate, and it has a
few safety cautions. If you were going to work with
this material, you'd do it outside. The liquid is
flammable, and the vapor could be ignited by a
spark. Treat it with respect, like it was
gasoline.

http://www.safety-kleen.com/MSDS/82385rev12-13-05.pdf

Just out of curiosity, did you follow the instructions
on the package ? The pen is supposed to be agitated
(shaken) before usage, as the materials inside
don't mix well. It could be that the silver
has collect near the tip for example. Maybe with a
little shaking, it will start to flow again.

Paul

 

[Man-wai Chang ToDie (33.6k)]

Can you buy n-Butyl Acetate solvent at the store ?

This is an example of n-Butyl Acetate, and it has a
few safety cautions. If you were going to work with
this material, you'd do it outside. The liquid is
flammable, and the vapor could be ignited by a
spark. Treat it with respect, like it was
gasoline.

Um... n-Butyl Acetate...

http://www.safety-kleen.com/MSDS/82385rev12-13-05.pdf

Just out of curiosity, did you follow the instructions
on the package ? The pen is supposed to be agitated
(shaken) before usage, as the materials inside
don't mix well. It could be that the silver
has collect near the tip for example. Maybe with a
little shaking, it will start to flow again.

The shelf life thing... I didn't check it when I bought it.
And I have not used it for over a year....

IN case the pen is totally dried, not even the proper solvent could make
it work again, right?

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[Paul]

Um... n-Butyl Acetate...


The shelf life thing... I didn't check it when I bought it.
And I have not used it for over a year....

IN case the pen is totally dried, not even the proper solvent could make
it work again, right?

Well, it does contain "resin", and I don't know
exactly how that resin works. You would think
something would initiate polymerization, and
maybe it is set up to do that on contact with air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylic_resin

I would think a polymerization reaction would
generally be non-reversible. The material may
be chemically attacked (i.e. burning it, would be
a form of attack), but turning it back into
the original liquid form isn't too likely.

What are you using the circuit pen for, anyway ?
It might be good for repairing a broken trace
on a printed circuit board, but you can also
solder a strand of wire to the surface of
a broken track. So a soldering repair may
also be a workable alternative.

Another solution similar to your circuit pen,
is a rear window defogger repair kit. I have
a kit here, which cost about $10, and it
has similar chemicals in it (including
suspended silver particles). To use the
kit, you place a stencil (tape) on the object
to be repaired, to prevent the fluid from flowing
where you don't want it. Some people use
stuff like this, for controlling logic
signals (like for overclocking a motherboard).

http://www.permatex.com/documents/tds/Automotive/15067.pdf

http://www.permatex.com/documents/msds/01_USA-English/15067.pdf

The quantity of chemicals included in the kit, is
tiny, and you won't get many repairs from it. It
comes in a tiny glass vial, with a brush applicator.
It uses a different material for the solid part,
poly methyl methacrylate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly_methyl_methacrylate

Paul

 

[Man-wai Chang ToDie (33.6k)]

What are you using the circuit pen for, anyway ?

I bought it for shorting 2 pins of the old Celeron 1.1G in order to
overclock it.

Let me digest your advices first. thanks.

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