[sdiy] Lead-free DIY

[Tim Ressel]

Yo,

Funny you should ask. We are going thru ISO 14000 at
work right now. Part of that is a big push for Pb
free. This is all spelled out in the ROHS (greek for
'don't use it') and WEEE (greek for 'what do you do if
you do use it') directives. Pb free is a pain, not
only for its higher temps, but in the fact that if Pb
gets into Pb-free solder it ruins it by making it
brittle. So you have to be very careful. But soldering
Pb-free with nasty old solder is fine as far as I
know.

So it is like this: Using new ICs will be fine. If you
use new solder, expect higher temps and more
tempermental soldering (pun intended). If you use old
solder, it should be fine. Maybe a bit more flux
nedded. If you're desoldering Pb-free ICs for re-use,
good luck.

One other note: the WEEE directive demands
manufacturers who sell products into the EU provide
for recycling of said products. No more tossing old
synths in the waste bin. Maybe some enterprising EU
member can volunteer to recycle old synths that are
being disposed of!

--TimR

--- Magnus Danielson <cfmd at bredband.net> wrote:

> Dear all,
> 
> I want to raise a few questions in order to see what
> impacts we could expect in
> a future near us. The requirement to go lead-free in
> production of electronics
> is bound to come over to the DIY-world one day or
> another. This should really
> shake some people up since Pb/Sn soldering tin may
> eventually be GONE and
> components will have Pb-free solder-plating.
> Soldering with Pb-free tin also
> requires different temperatures etc. Just repairing
> stuff will be different
> quite soon.
> 
> So, what knowledge does people have on this?
> 
> Is there any Pb-free certified guys around here?
> 
> What experience does people have to share?
> 
> What soldering gear can we just toss since they are
> no longer able to be
> usefull? (I think there is stuff which will no
> longer be usefull - outdated!)
> 
> What about whiskers? Is there a *real* solution for
> _everyone_? (I think not
> yeat!)
> 
> Soldering Pb-free is as far as I know harder and
> things behaves differently.
> A friend of mine is just going to dig into the
> field, and probably push
> material onto the web (once a soldering freak -
> always a soldering freak, this
> freak has his own server).
> 
> PS. Stocking up on Pb/Sn solder will only solve part
> of the problem, so that
> quick answer renders quite useless in the long run
> and when dealing with gear
> that is Pb-free.
> 
> So, shoot!
> 
> Cheers,
> Magnus
> 



		
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