Noob - Repairing Copper Tracers

[Young_Lions]

If you burn the copper tracers and they lift from the board, is there a way to fix this? I haven't done it yet to any of my
pedals I use now, but I'm sure I will so I figure let me ask before I do it.

thanks all.

[dr]

.....sure-if you haven't broken the pad off of the trace,just go ahead and solder in your part and get some Hardman epoxy(they have it available in small pouches,or any good epoxy for all that matters)and clean the flux off before you put the epoxy on the TRACE and not the pad.If the trace is broken or missing,get some solid core wire smaller than 22 gauge and make a connection with it and clean off also before you epoxy the wire....you wouldn't believe how many boards i have repaired this way before I bought my Soldapullt solder sucker for desoldering-I don't think I ever made a more wise purchase ($13.00).................

[dano12]

 I've burned up my fair share of traces

The best way to fix them that I've found is to use a short piece of wire left over from components (i.e. the legs off resistors or caps).

I take one end and solder it to where the PCB trace still exists. After it has cooled, I bend the wire to the other side of the break and solder it there. Snip of the excess and it works pretty well.

If your repair requires crossing another trace or pad, use insulated wire instead.

[Young_Lions]

Awesome, thank you both so much, I hear a lot of people use solder suckers, I triend and mine seems too big for small
pedals, I got mine at Radio Shack.  How are you using yours?

[jonathan perez]

jumper it....

[rmo]

Something I read just yesterday, http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/present.php?p=SMD-HowTo-5

[aron]

Some of the fragile boards are especially terrible. Like others I use a jumper - resistor wire, etc... to "fix" the broken trace.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I'm with thebattleofmidway on this one, just run a solid single wire across from A to B, bypassing the damaged trace. The signal won't know it is in the air.
In really bad situations, I've even soldered to the leg of a chip - topside! I don't recommend it, but it works if you are fast with the iron.