Vectrex Light Pen Disassembly Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

                          5 - 20 minutes

Sections

Vectrex Light Pen Disassembly
3 steps

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Introduction

[More images of the unit including pictures of the solder-side of the board can be found at https://www.bridgetownrepair.com/blog/20… ]

What you need

Step 1

              Vectrex Light Pen Disassembly

Here is our patient, since the originals are very rare at this point it is important to hand the opening process with a lot of care and delicate/precise tools.
Not much is visible through the open tip of the pen because the emitter is positioned to block it for the most part.
The plastic plug that the wiring harness runs into at the rear of the primary device housing assembly is really the only component that is a pain to deal with.

Here is our patient, since the originals are very rare at this point it is important to hand the opening process with a lot of care and delicate/precise tools.

Not much is visible through the open tip of the pen because the emitter is positioned to block it for the most part.

The plastic plug that the wiring harness runs into at the rear of the primary device housing assembly is really the only component that is a pain to deal with.

1024

Step 2

Using a heating pad or pre-heated iOpener begin to heat the general area around the visible seam between the primary housing and the plastic plug.
If you are using a heating pad like we did you have the opportunity to roll the housing back and forth on the pad to evenly spread heat. The small amount of compression caused by the pressure from rolling will also help to loosen the adhesive bonding the two pieces of plastic together.
Use a sharp hobby knife to remove a very small amount of plastic along the seam until you have created a gap large enough for a thin plastic tool. Continue rolling the housing and running the tool into that seam. After what seems like an eternity it should begin to loosen and eventually release entirely.

Using a heating pad or pre-heated iOpener begin to heat the general area around the visible seam between the primary housing and the plastic plug.

If you are using a heating pad like we did you have the opportunity to roll the housing back and forth on the pad to evenly spread heat. The small amount of compression caused by the pressure from rolling will also help to loosen the adhesive bonding the two pieces of plastic together.

Use a sharp hobby knife to remove a very small amount of plastic along the seam until you have created a gap large enough for a thin plastic tool. Continue rolling the housing and running the tool into that seam. After what seems like an eternity it should begin to loosen and eventually release entirely.

Step 3

The internal board has quite a few tightly packed through-hole components but should easily clear the housing during removal.
Now you can marvel at this wonderful little board and perform whatever repairs are needed to bring it back from the dead!

The internal board has quite a few tightly packed through-hole components but should easily clear the housing during removal.

Now you can marvel at this wonderful little board and perform whatever repairs are needed to bring it back from the dead!

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                    Bridgetown Electronics Repair

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