[sdiy] RoHS

[clark at andrews.edu]

> Ray, and others, what coating are you using on your boards instead of
> HASL [hot air solder levelling]?
>
> I would have gone with gold plating since this seemed to have the best
> longevity, and the best compatibility with Pb-free and traditional
> solders. The cost was not too bad either. I did have a go at soldering
> on one of these boards. Its wasn't too bad, although it didn't solder
> fast as HASL.

   Hi Tony,

   The board house I use has posted their lead-free seminar documents
online.  I highly recommend reading them to understand the various
differnt finishes and pros/cons of each type:

   http://www.saturnelectronics.com/leadfree.htm

   Note that not only is suface finish important, but also the laminate
material as well.  This is mostly important to those of us using
convection reflow and wave soldering.
   The link below is to the finish I'll be working with.  It is sometimes
referred to simply as lead-free HASL, which keeps the cost down and
seems to have the best fit for both lead/lead-free processes and shelf
life.

http://www.floridacirtech.com/Databases/pdfs/SN100CL%20Sales%20Brochure.pdf

   Cheers,

   Tony

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