CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

My car remote keyless entry farb fail when the push buttons carbonated granite contact surfaces (similar to those on most remote control) wore out. The car dealership said the farb was bad, and wanted to sell me a replacement for more than $200! I confirm that the farb circuit board was working, and determine that it was the contact surfaces of the buttons. I refurbish the surfaces with this product, and my farb works perfectly. (Note: the silver conductive material, from the Pen, does not adhere to the buttons surface well. Therefore, I coated pieces of plain paper with the Pen, then cut the paper to the round size of the buttons contact surface, and glued this paper to the buttons contact surfaces). So far, the repair has been working for a month to date.

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

The pen was somewhat difficult to start the flow. I took off the cap and the ink leaked out onto my hand, when I replaced the cap the pen worked perfectly. By coating the contacts on two remote controls for two ceiling fans, I saved over $150 because the remotes are not available separately. This is really great stuff.

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

When I first bought this few days ago, I hadn't really shook it enough, and I was getting these really thin, laquer-ish looking lines, not conductive. Really shake it thoroughly. It took me a few tries to figure out how to use it correctly. Try to go for thick, mat finish look; if it looks acrylic-ish (shiny), it probably has too much medium in it & won't conduct.

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

This stuff works, it repaired what I'm using to type this review. I bought this Archos 5 IT with a non- functioning power switch. Evidently it had been dropped and ripped the copper pads from the pcb. One trace was almost microscopic in size, not enough left to solder onto. I used this product to make the repair. Two things about this product, you have to shake the pen really well before using and let the " ink" dry completely. Curious, I checked for continuity with a VOM while still wet and there was none, it has to dry first. I am storing my pen in the refrigerator in hopes it will have a longer shelf life. I think this stuff is great, it made a seemingly impossible repair possible.

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

I really wouldn't touch this thing. I bought it thinking I would make my own proto pcb, but that was a short thought. it bleeds everywhere, so "precision" really isn't what its about. I ended up etching a pcb, which was much easier than I thought, and I gave the circuit writer another try when I found I had a correction to make. I laid down a good thick trace, about a cm long. After it dried it was NOT conductive. Maybe I got a defective one, I don't know. I want my [$] back.

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

The product seems to be ACRYLIC LACQUER based.
I unscrewed the barrel a bit..squeezed out the air..retightened while keeping the barrel compressed.
Then, push the tip into a bottle-cap with LACQUER THINNER in it and release your pressure on the barrel.
If the tip isn't too clogged, the pen will suck the solvent through the tip and down into the reservoir, thus cleaning the tip and adding some solvent to the too-thick conducter material. You should be able to shake the mixer ball loose again and get a nice flow from the tip. If not, add a little more, cautiously so as not to over-thin the product.

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

This little pen has paid for itself -- I had a set of Motorola FRS radios (the old kind that didn't need an FCC license) and one of them the display quit working. I was able to take it apart and re-paint the ribbon wire for the display to save it. Saved the radio -- otherwise I'd have had to spend $20 on a new radios and $80+ on a FCC license.More recently, I got a hat with a light-up logo on the front, one of the flexible traces broke on the logo. I was able to remove the stitching, find the problem, and re-draw the damaged trace, and stitch the logo back on. Saved a $12 ball-cap!My only disappointment is the pen's tip clogs easily if it's left on the shelf for a month or so. I was able to tap it on a piece of paper to get the "ink" flowing again but it's just something to keep in mind. As another review said, it would be perfect if this came in a bottle.Considering what other stores are selling similar pens for, this is worth every penny.

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

It worked on my ds and it made it work to find out how to fix a ds that when you plug it in the charger the orange light will go on for 1 second. Go to youtube and put in "my ds won't power or charge" hopefully this info will help by the circuit writer.

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

Surprisingly this works really well. Make sure to let it cure an inch or so under a light bulb for 20min and its pretty solid. This is the easiest way to prototype if paired with a copper ringed PC board. Just connect the dots!

Comments about CAIG CircuitWriter™ Pen:

The good news is that this is a very useful product for repairing breaks in traces. The bad news is that the pen tip clogs very quickly and completely renders the product useless. I bought it and only could use it 3 times before it clogged a month later and I had to chuck it. I wish it just came in a small bottle and I could use a tiny brush tip to lay it on. Clearly needs a better dispenser