Lead free solder rework

[bnwitt]

I don't want to open up a can of worms but how many techs in here are now using lead free solder in the repair shop? I am still using my Kester 44 as I still have 4 pounds of it in stock. So, I've got solder until doomsday. I just looked at the pricing for Kester 48 and was shocked. I've not done any lead free soldering yet and am wondering if it is going to be a hassle. I haven't had any problems using my 44 on any PCB's that have come through asian or otherwise so I'm thinking the heck with it. Any feedback?

[jrfrond]

We do not use it, as small repair shops are not required by law to adhere to RoHs specs. In additon, it is more expensive and just plain sucks. One of the reasons there are so many intermittent problems with electronics nowadays is due to brittle lead-free solder. So, we just stick with the silver-bearing Kester solder we've been using for years, and take pride in the fact that our touched-up joints look FAR better than the factory originals.

[bnwitt]

That's what I thought

Yes that is pretty much what I thought. I've been doing a lot of research on this whole lead removal euro thing and it seems it is causing more problems than just brittle joints. Here is an article about the tin whisker problem with non lead solder and components:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...ch.engineering

A more recent article shows Bourns has been working to reduce the whisker problem in their trimmer leads:

http://www.edn.com/article/CA6637145.html?nid=2551


Barry

[tubeswell]

bureaucracy + mad cow disease = lead free solder

[52 Bill]

The thing I hate about the new stuff I'm seeing is that before you often could see a cold joint and go from there.

Now all the joints look cold.

[tubby]

Yes that is pretty much what I thought. I've been doing a lot of research on this whole lead removal euro thing and it seems it is causing more problems than just brittle joints. Here is an article about the tin whisker problem with non lead solder and components:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...ch.engineering

From the article (quote):
"[...] without lead to tame it, tin behaves oddly on circuit boards. Left alone, tin plating, like cadmium and zinc, spontaneously generates microscopic shreds of metal - about one to five microns in diameter, or less than one-tenth as wide as a human hair."

i know there's the zvex nano and stuff, but i guess we'll not live to see a decent hand-wired amp THAT small

other than that i've tried lead free solder and noticed two things:
1. it's not as shiny. yes, the joints may look cold (especially if you have bad soldering technique).

2. it needs slightly higher temps before melting, which can be a problem with very heat-sensitive parts.

i'm using lead free solder and trust in my soldering technique.

[bnwitt]

i know there's the zvex nano and stuff, but i guess we'll not live to see a decent hand-wired amp THAT small

Well unfortunately I work on a lot of other types of equipment besides hand wired amplifiers. The propensity of failure in hand wired amplifiers is not the point here. The points of the article and the situation are:

1. Whiskers were a problem that was solved by the introduction of lead in solder and components back in the 50's and by removing lead we have re-introduced the problem into our equipment causing shorter life spans and higher mass in land fills. One step forward and two steps backwards.

2. Lead in components and solder does not leach into soil or migrate as lead in paint or fuel does so this ban was unnecessary. Junk science once again fails society.

3. The elimination of lead in solder and components has introduced substitutes that are more toxic and energy wasteful, thus causing more harm to the environment and in greater mass due to the shorter life span of equipment. We've cut off our nose to spite our face.

The bottom line is that nothing has been gained by this ill informed, misguided tree hugger passion fueled effort. Quite the contrary, environmental damage has been increased and will continue to accelerate due to this moronic knee jerk chicken little movement. With many additional failures now happening due to lead free solder's brittleness, manufacturing process errors and ROHS component whiskering, the current failure rate is dramatically higher than before the elimination of lead in solder and component tinning. We in the service industry are also well aware that many manufacturers have now begun replacing cheaper products when they fail instead of repairing them for economic reasons. This means more units will go to the land fill each day due to the higher failure rate caused by these same ROHS standards .

These additional dead bodies end up in a land fill near you with substances which are even more toxic than non leaching lead. So once again a government thinks it's doing the right thing and makes matters worse. It's like the flu shot that kills grandma.

The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.

[gbono]

When I first started working with the ROHS initiative - ammunition, car batteries, etc were exempt. Haven't read the latest version but I have to assume that we can still have a war and not have to worry about lead free ballistics;-)

[insp166]

A long time ago when I was working my way threw High School 1962 to 1966
I worked in a Service station.

I worked on clutches and break jobs.
Changed batteries polished the post and the cables
We would just blow it all down with the air hose

I wonder how much lead and junk I breathed

[bnwitt]

A long time ago when I was working my way threw High School 1962 to 1966
I worked in a Service station.

I worked on clutches and break jobs.
Changed batteries polished the post and the cables
We would just blow it all down with the air hose

I wonder how much lead and junk I breathed

Asbestos from the break and clutch jobs would be your main concern.

The whole thing with hazardous materials is whether or not they are in a form which can be liberated and absorbed. In the asbestos world its called friable and non-friable. With lead it's breathable or ingestible so it has to leach into the ground water or be atomized into the air.

We should definitely be looking to eliminate materials that are capable of being easlily liberated into an absorbable form. Unfortunately we tend to go off the deep end with our efforts and shoot ourselves in the foot.

As far as ammunition is concerned, we just want to kill the guy not give him lead poisoning.

[jrfrond]

Two points to note:

- "Tin Whiskers" are a genuine problem, and I have seen them, particularly on SMD components, under our high-power shop microscope. Corrosive, harsh and humid environments can exacerbate the problem of this crystal growth. This is one of the main reasons that RoHs solder is not specified by avionics and medical electronics.

- The employment of RoHs specs, which restricts the use of lead and other heavy metals, was borne out of the cellphone/beeper industry, with millions being dumped in landfills each year. Now, with the disposability factor in place in consumer and even in pro audio, it has become a real issue.

[insp166]

Asbestos from the break and clutch jobs would be your main concern.

The whole thing with hazardous materials is whether or not they are in a form which can be liberated and absorbed. In the asbestos world its called friable and non-friable. With lead it's breathable or ingestible so it has to leach into the ground water or be atomized into the air.

We should definitely be looking to eliminate materials that are capable of being easlily liberated into an absorbable form. Unfortunately we tend to go off the deep end with our efforts and shoot ourselves in the foot.

As far as ammunition is concerned, we just want to kill the guy not give him lead poisoning.

We also as kids could get Mercury and we would coat pennies with it to make it look like a dime.

Yep we had in on our hands and ate candy

We melted lead and made soldiers and painted them

We had that plastic stuff you got in tubes put it on a straw and blew a plastic bubble

Yep we would chew on the stuff also


We ran behind the Mosquito truck DDT spray.

We swam in the local creek, people up stream would flush their toilets in it you could see all of the soap suds on wash day at the falls

I never got Athletes foot there or infective ears.
I got that later when the public pool opened up

I don’t think I will make 92 I am only 61 now

[capnjuan]

..... We ran behind the Mosquito truck DDT spray.

My brother and I were there ... you must have been hidden by the cloud on the other side of the street ... except they were spraying for Japanese beetles in our neighborhood When they were small, I discouraged my kids from chewing on electronic components and have long refused to allow the storage of nuclear waste at either my house or place of business ... and I have stuck w/ traditional solder .... J

[tubeswell]

Two points to note:

- "Tin Whiskers" are a genuine problem, ... This is one of the main reasons that RoHs solder is not specified by avionics and medical electronics.

And also (I understand) by the military...

And if its not reliable enough for them, why should it be any good for the rest of us?

(Just because those sectors have powerful, well-organised lobbies otherwise staffed by practical people who actually need to have reliable equipment?)

[bnwitt]

Corrosive, harsh and humid environments can exacerbate the problem of this crystal growth.

Sounds like the bar environments I used to play.