[sdiy] The Dreaded ROHS

[Roy J. Tellason]

On Tuesday 17 February 2009 01:48:05 am Stewart Pye wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I don't want to get into this debate, other than to say that in my
> experience as a repair technician there are more solder joint related
> failures now than there were when it was all lead based, and it's harder
> to solder to lead free PCB's with lead solder than it is to lead based
> PCB's. A possible flipside of this is that there will be more crap going
> into landfill because it is less reliable and I'm sure there's a lot
> more bad stuff in those products than just lead.

I'm sure that a lot more stuff getting tossed and new replacements for it 
purchased would make a lot of the manufacturers happy.  :-(

> If manufacturers made products that had a long lifespan and could be
> easily repaired there wouldn't be so much crap going into landfill and
> thus not using so many resources in the first place. I've had a crazy
> thought about governments testing products for reliability and ease of
> repair and taxing those items that are throwaway to subsidise easily
> repairable items. 

Government is _NOT_ the solution to this or any other problem,  really!

And in this particular instance,  what they promote is the "growth" of 
companies,  which translates to more stuff going out the door,  and more tax 
revenues from that happening,  both from the companies,  and their employees.  
The fact that more stuff is going out the door because it's crap and doesn't 
last isn't particularly relevant.  Then the residents of an area get to deal 
with the landfill issues,  too,  and pay for that with their taxes.  :-(

> The logistics and politics of it all make it practically impossible but
> surely something can be done. eg: They *used* to have access panels on the
> bottom of most hifi amplifiers. What's  happened?

People keep on buying based on price and only price?

> I'm sorry. I started my own rant here...
>
> Stew.

Hey,  this one ticks me off too...   :-)

There are times I'll buy on price.  Sometimes the cheap stuff is all I can 
afford.  Sometimes,  though,  I'll make the investment in the better quality 
stuff,  like with tools...


-- 
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space,  a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed.  --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James 
M Dakin