Recently I tried to fix my old ps2 slim that didn't read disks anymore. When I removed the lid I noticed that the problem was that a ribbon cable connector was broken. Can it be repaired? If that's the case how can I reattach the connector and make sure it has a good electric connection?
Electronic – How to repair a ps2 ribbon cable’s connector
ribbon-cable
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I think this is the type of membrane keyboard where the metal is extremely thin. It's often not copper foil as you might expect, rather I think it's printed silver paste. Basically, it has no structural integrity of its own, relying on the plastic for that. If you rub away the surface of the metal, you quickly discover that the surface is all there is to it.
If your ribbon cable consists of two layers of plastic, with the tacks printed onto the inside surface of one, then you may have some success. Try to peel the two layers apart, and cut the non-track layer a few mm shorter.
Alternatively, you might try repairing the broken tracks with some wire glue.
Follow the instructions on Repair the Keyboard Membrane.:
There are, in fact, ribbon cable stripping tools. For example, see this catalog.
Here's another one:
Typically the tool will come with multiple "blades", or these blades might be available as options.
My Chinese no-name ribbon cable stripper (approximately $8, local store) came with 3 blades, one for 10 x 2.54mm pitch, one for 16 x 1.27 mm pitch, and one for 8-conductor cable for direct insertion into RJ45 jacks.
For mass production, ribbon cable stripping machines are available, which can place, size, cut, strip and crimp connectors onto ribbon cable without human intervention. Sites like Alibaba.com might be useful to search for them.
Best Answer
That's the flex PCB which is broken not the connector. I'm not aware of a method to reliably fix flex PCBs which are breaking so close to the exposed pads where the connector goes.
You could try and scrape of the polyimid layer (the orange plastic) near the end and solder the exposed copper to the gold pads, but if you apply too much solder on the golden pad, it won't fit back into the connector. Afterwards to give back some of the stability of the polyimid layer, you can try and wrap it with some adhesive film. But the copper is likely to break off again.
For popular devices like the PS2, replacement parts for common failures are available. A quick google search for "PS2 slim drive flex" returned results which got at least my hopes up, that there is something for you available.
Lastly, you can copy the design and get it made by one of the PCB manufacturers. Prototype quantities of these things might be quite expensive - so you could try to order many and sell the rest or buying a "new" used PS2 slim could be cheaper (but might break with the same failure).