Covering damaged motherboard traces

[Deanodarlo]

I have a 775 board I acquired for a cheap sum that has some damage near one of the heatsink mounting holes. The three traces lead from the north bridge to a ddr2 socket.

The board has ddr and ddr2 ram slots and I know from the previous owner the ddr slots work fine.

The traces look intact and as far as I know the ddr2 slots should work, just the surface has been damaged leaving copper exposed.

What's best to cover the copper traces? Household glue or varnish? I though I better cover them to prevent any oxidizing.

 

[PottedMeat]

If you want the real stuff you can use 'Green Overcoat' or some other conformal coating like this:

http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/4190gp.html

I would just paint it with some clear enamel paint or something convenient.

 

[Deanodarlo]

Thanks for the link. I actually used electricians tape in the end - seems to do the job.

Super glue is also a good cover apparently - in fact you see glue used on boards quite a bit.

 

[heymrdj]

I'm guessing the guy was using a screw driver to get the cooler's clips off. Can't they make them things easier .

 

[bryanl]

The only purpose of the protective coating, known as the solder mask, is to prevent solder splatter and overflow from shorting adjacent copper areas during the production process. It is not needed after that, but if you want a cosmetic fix, clear enamel or varnish will work. Tinted varnish from crafts and hobby stores can match the original color.

 

[Rastus]

Paint it with clear nail polish.