Hi Michael, RoHS parts usually solder nicely with normal 63/37 solder. They will dilute the solder alloy slightly, but that usually is of no concern.
The big problem with RoHS parts is they don't age well on the shelf. I have found that over time, they will not take solder as quickly as when they are new. So, new old stock (NOS) RoHS parts will be a much bigger gamble than NOS tin/lead parts. Another problem, is their mostly tin plating grows tin whiskers which can cause shorts out at some point in the future. It is fun to watch the RoHS parts as they reach soldering temperature. the shiny finish turns to a mossy crinkle finish, like a wrinkle finish paint job. What you are seeing is the electroplated finish crystalize. -Chuck Harris OBTW, in the irony department, it has been reported that RoHS solders are actually more toxic (and mobile) when they enter the ground water than lead. Michael Sokolov wrote: > Hello time-nuts, > > Sorry for the off-topic post, but reading my mail this morning I've seen > a few messages go by on this list about bad solder joints due to the > RoHS stupidity, and I have a question about that. > > My interest in the matter is from the perspective of a hobbyist hardware > builder -- of the non-commercial, anarchist, screw-all-f***ing-laws > kind. To me the RoHS problem is really two separate problems, of which > only one really matters: > > Part one is the lead-free solder. *I think* this one is easily solved > -- just use normal tin-lead solder in everything I build. > > Part two is the lead-free *parts*. This is the real problem. While > some manufacturers still offer both leaded and lead-free parts at least > on paper, in many cases the leaded part is discontinued or much more > difficult to obtain than the lead-free version. _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list time-nuts@febo.com https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
