[sdiy] ROHS PCBs

[Scott Juskiw]

Keep them in an airtight bag to minimize oxidation. If, when you go to solder them, you discover that the pads have oxidized or are resisting solder, just run some steel wool over them to remove the oxidation, then solder away.

I had to do this recently with some boards that I had accidentally left out in open air for 6 months. No problems soldering after the steel wool treatment.

On 2011-02-27, at 11:14 AM, Greg James wrote:

> OK - so I've managed to collect myself into a corner, primarily due to my
> addiction to Jurgen Haible's prolific kit generating PCB operation.
> 
> My question is: What risk do I take if I can't build these ROHS PCBs in the
> next year or two? Are they worthless after a few years sitting on the shelf
> unsoldered? Given that I'm in the US, is leaded solder any help down the
> road (I read that lead solder on ROHS PCBs is OK, but not the other way
> around)? Is there some magic solvent I can buy that will "rejuvenate" or
> "reactivate" the PCBs?
> 
> Any suggestions, info, help would be great. I know that ROHS is still fairly
> new, so maybe there isn't much practical experience with this question. But
> I'm hoping some of you out there that make a living dealing with this stuff
> might have some insights.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Greg