> At a recycling center where I volunteered, a manufacturer dropped off several
> gaylords full of electronic scrap, including a batch of thick (1/8") circuit boards
> assembled with lead-free solder. The boards had failed final test and were
> discarded because they couldn't be reworked due to through-hole pullout. I
> found that while I could salvage individual components, I invariably ruined the
> board, and I suspect that factory techs had the same experience.
>
> If the intent behind adoption of RoHS was the reduction of electronic waste, I
> wonder how much of the waste stream now consists of unrepairable lead-free-
> soldered products?
>
> Getting the lead out of gasoline likely made much more of a difference in the
> overall lead burden than removal of lead from solder.
>
> 73--
>
> Brad AA1IP
Just used leaded solder to repair them, it works. You'll need to use a higher temperature due to the lead-free needing it. Technically not ROHS compliant, but who's to know?
Not all lead-free solders are the same, and early alloys (& methods) had a few problems like you've found. Seems to have been sorted out these days (and yes, even the whiskers).
Tony
(1/8" PCBs? Lots of layers? Thick boards suck up lots of heat, unsoldering anything is a hassle)