Are the boards done with lead on the contacts or are they lead free (rohs compliant)? Thanks.
Yes! We are RoHs compliant
Very nice. Thanks much.
I understand the desire to be RoHS compliant, at the expense of longterm reliability. I do need to ask in reference to;
NASA-STD-5005C, section 5.11.3.1.4.8 Tin
a. Tin and tin plating shall not be used in an application unless the tin is alloyed with at
least 3 percent lead to prevent the growth of tin whiskers.
What process is being used to prevent tin whisker growth? or are the boards using a different metal finish (Silver?)?
RoHS compliances isn’t all it is made out to be, if your concerned about more then just “saving the planet”. Yes too much lead is bad, however it is still needed in some places for good reasons.
I grow tiered of people saying that “too much of that is bad, we need to completely ban ALL of it Everywhere”, only to find out in the end the blanket-ban hurts us worse then the effects of the moderate amount used prior to the ban’s enactment.
:idea: Perhaps a scale based on expected product life would be better then a flat out ban of lead in excess of 0.1% everywhere. Do Alarm clocks, microwaves, coffee makers, home stereo systems, Telephones (Not Cellphone), etc Need to be RoHS compliant and replaced due to spontaneous failure every six months to a year?
(sarcastic Joking)Or are we just supposed to replace our projects every six months when they short out and die, how is that supposed to cut down on hazardous wast? seams like it would cause more, :lol: . If RoHS is all that and some, Where are the RoHS compliant Compact Florescent Lights? They contain Lead, Mercury, and all kinds of dangerous stuff that is far more hazardous then Tungsten used in a good old fashioned light bulb. ROFL
Most RoHS PCB suppliers use silver or gold plating. SFE uses silver, judging by some boards I bought recently.
RoHS has been in force in the EU for many years now. There doesn’t appear to have been any change in reliability since it was introduced.
Leon
Gold or silver is fine for a PCB coating.
Solder is the big issue with ROHS - lead free solder can cause big reliability issues, and the higher melting temperature causes problems for some heat-sensitive components.
leon_heller; Just for something to think about.
MichaelN; yes there is that pesky heat issue as well.
Gold/Silver finishes; A lot of fabs lay down something on the copper to bond the gold/silver finish to the PCB. Both Gold and Silver are prone to growing whiskers.
http://nepp.nasa.gov/WHISKER/other_whisker/index.htm
Gold: non reactive, will NOT oxides. lousy thermal/electrical conductor.
Silver: best Electrical/Thermal conductor in pure state. Oxidizes easily and needs to be protected from exposure to air/humidity/dissimilar-metal-corrosion/etc.
Yes, if your only making sure something works, and intend not to keep your project around for long. By all means go with the RoHS compliant stuff. If you don’t intend to throw away you project any time soon, or want it to last, do some homework on mission critical equipment. Don’t just blindly go RoHS compliant because it is the “In” thing to do.
Thanks for that. I was aware of tin whiskers, but didn’t know silver & gold had the issue too.
I would say that while the original intent of RoHS is good, the implementation & consequences are not. It has become yet another instance of the green agenda being forced on industry without much thought.
I would disagree with your statement that gold is a “lousy thermal/electrical conductor” - it is actually pretty good (not as good as silver or copper though). Also, I’m not sure many companies change to RoHS because it is “trendy” - it is because of the draconian laws which force them to do so. I work on mil-spec stuff, which is thankfully still exempt from this madness.
I’ve got plenty of RoHS equipment which is several years old, it’s still working.
Leon