On 27/06/07, Jacob Yocom-Piatt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
you make more money if your widgets break because your new widget is vastly improved. new packaging, same great defects!
The best thing about computer parts randomly failing will hit us in a few years, due to RoHS directives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RoHS#Impact_on_reliability http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisker_%28metallurgy%29
Another problem that lead-free solders face is the growth of tin
whiskers. These thin strands of tin can grow and make contact with an adjacent trace, developing a short circuit. Tin whiskers have already been responsible for at least one failure at a nuclear power plant. Other documented failures include satellites in orbit, aircraft in flight, and implanted medical pacemakers.
Reliability decay of low-lead materials may be economically
desirable for some consumer product companies because it provides a mechanism to enforce planned obsolescence and replacement. Ironically, this is the opposite of the claimed intent of RoHS legislation. C.
