Yes, we're in violent agreement.
Unless you're a manufacturer, RoHS (or whatever your local flavour is) isn't
a problem.
Space vehicles are exempt from these regulations, I guess they figure not
many of them are going to wind up in a landfill. For the tin whiskers, the
problem wasn't lead-free solder, it's the tin plating on the copper tracks,
something even hobbyists do. I think they nickel plate stuff like
spacecraft PCBs now.
Dunno if there is a chemical solution to do nickel plating on copper like
you do with tin, but electroplating nickel is really easy.
Tony
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-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf
Of Jim Higgins
Sent: Thursday, 29 October 2020 4:19 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [homebrewpcbs] RoHS question
RoHS isn't a requirement that applies to consumers, incl hobbyists who
might
tinker with the product. It applies only to manufacturers. We - hobbyists
-
can repair even brand new RoHS compliant gear using tin-lead solder if we
want to.
RoHS is an EU thing dating from early 2003 that expanded industry wide
because industry wants to do business with the EU. I have no idea how the
low/no-lead portion of it was ever incorporated into products made for
applications in space... since the problem of "tin whiskers" (Google it)
in pure
(or almost pure) tin solder was documented back when vacuum tubes were
king and solid state didn't exist - in the early part of the 20th century.
We (the USA) have had at least one satellite failure and one nuclear plant
malfunction due to tin whiskers. In the case of a satellite - even a big
expensive commsat as was the case - it's not really convenient to go up
there
to fix a connection that's growing a whisker that has caused a short
circuit
even if the short hasn't caused permanent damage. RoHS solder formulation
has improved since those days and conformal coating over completed boards
takes care of any remaining risk. Conformal coatings in consumer products
make repairs much more difficult.
Jim H
Received from Tony Smith at 10/28/2020 04:43 UTC:
RoHS doesn't bother a lot of people, even if you're repairing old gear
where the tracks fall off if you look at them funny you're still
allowed to use leaded solder. They're full of lead and god only know
what so redoing a couple of joints in lead-free isn't going to save too
many
whales.
It's not all that complicated, just mainly nit-picking pedantic
pen-pushing stuff. I work in IT dealing with money, so I'm used to that
sort
of thing.
If you making laptops or whatever you get a statement from whom you buy
solder, PCB, wire etc from that says how much lead is in it. You staple
all those together and send it off to the EU and say "our laptops are
made from this"� and everyone is happy. Of course this means you
can't buy the cheapest solder from Honest Johns Alibaba shop and things
are a bit more difficult if you actually make solder, but that's not most
of us.
Tony
