Re: RoHS, practically speaking



Walter Harley wrote:

> My mom-and-pop business makes and sells electronic widgets used by
> musicians. Assembly is by hand. Primary market is USA, but I also sell
> into Europe on rare occasion.
>
> I'm trying to understand whether RoHS will have any practical impact on me.
> Have seen some discussion on this ng, but still have some questions:
>
> 1) Do I need to worry about compliance? When it takes effect, will I be
> unable to sell my goods in Europe any more, or will no one be paying
> attention?

As far as I can tell, no-one will be paying attention. Been pretty much the same
for the CE marking required for safety and EMC.


> 2) It already seems that many components are available in Pb-free packages,
> and some are *only* available that way. Do I need to treat Pb-free packages
> differently for assembly? (I.e., does solder stick to 'em the same?)

I think *normal* solder will wet most things..


> 3) Is it feasible to move to Pb-free assembly, for my tiny manual operation?
> What kind of solder and PCBs do I need to use, and do I still use the same
> soldering techniques?

Various solders are available - some include silver or copper and other various
metals including bismuth IIRC. No-one seems to have decided what's best.

Lead free processing requires at least a 50C increase in processing temps. The
solder joints *always* look dull too.

Graham

.

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