Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

Does anyone know if Solder Free boards say from Gold Phoenix are of better quality/more heat resistant than regular boards?

I read that solder free melts at around 250C and regular solder melts at 180C.

Are the boards the same or are the solder free boards made better so that you can use high temperatures for assembly?

I use regular solder products due to the lower temp but I think if I order my boards solder free, the extra temperature resistance would make assembly much easier and less broken pads and I wouldn't need to monitor the temperature as closely.

Lately I've just turned up my hotplate to max and when it reflows, I remove the board. I don't bother with the temperature profile stuff.