The guys over at SchmartBoard, creators of novel solder applications designed to make it easier for beginners to get started, have announced an impending new product that could prove handy: the SchmartPatch. Designed to make it easy to repair circuits with damaged solder pads on surface-mount components, the SchmartPatches are PCB strips with common surface-mount device (SMD) pads pre-printed. Find the pad matching the damaged circuit portion, cut it off and stick it to the board with the pre-applied adhesive. Solder on your new component, connect it to whatever remains of the original pads - or nearby traces if the pads are completely destroyed - with wires and you’re done.
Many calls we have received over the years have to do with how can I repair a pad on a circuit board to replace a bad capacitor or other surface mount part. We have also hear of times where designers have produced a first batch of boards and need to add a part such as a resistor to tweak it to the right value for instance.