Tin Whiskers?

miklorsmith · « **on:** 9 Oct 2007, 02:46 pm »

http://news.lp.findlaw.com/ap/ht/58/10-09-2007/2bc8006fe76b963e.html

It seems the lead-free idea isn't perfect?

Double Ugly · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 Oct 2007, 02:47 pm »

Ouch!

That'll leave a mark!

ezkcdude · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 Oct 2007, 06:43 pm »

Quote from: miklorsmith on 9 Oct 2007, 02:46 pm

http://news.lp.findlaw.com/ap/ht/58/10-09-2007/2bc8006fe76b963e.html

It seems the lead-free idea isn't perfect?

Who said it was perfect? We already knew it makes soldering more difficult.

SET Man · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 Oct 2007, 10:34 pm »

Hey!

Yup this is real. I first heard about this while watching a TV show "Modern Marvel" episode about electronics on the History Channel. They actually show magnification of the tin whisker growing. Very very strange.

This is more of a problem with smaller electronic devices. Still lead is not good for the environment especially today where we have a lot of dispensable electronics. So I hope that there will be a better solution for this.

Take care,
Buddy

Freo-1 · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 Oct 2007, 10:41 pm »

This is what happens when politicians think they are engineers

So, thanks to dunderhead decisions, they are "helping" the consumers by increasing the chance for failure (and who knows, maybe a fire hazard?)

art · « **Reply #5 on:** 9 Oct 2007, 11:28 pm »

http://www.edn.com/article/CA6477864.html?nid=2431&rid=203930815

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071005/ap_on_hi_te/tin_whiskers

We may be stuck with this crap. Yet one more reason to hate politicians.

Pat

markC · « **Reply #6 on:** 10 Oct 2007, 01:50 am »

I'm going to the local supplier and buying up all the Kester 44 they have! Just bought a new roll 3 months ago... hope they have more!

Oh, and NO-you can't buy any from me.

Zyca · « **Reply #7 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 03:31 am »

Quote from: markC on 10 Oct 2007, 01:50 am

I'm going to the local supplier and buying up all the Kester 44 they have! Just bought a new roll 3 months ago... hope they have more!

Oh, and NO-you can't buy any from me.

I'm actually using kester's leaded solder to "wash" the pins on some ICs, to get rid of the frosted look on soldering. I love that eutectic look on the soldering joint. I tried to find that eutectic alloy for lead free tho, but I couldn't find anyone selling the supposingly "true" eutectic lead free mix from anyone.

sts9fan · « **Reply #8 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 12:26 pm »

Oh no electronics failed!!! Lead is a terrible poison and should be removed. Ease of soldering is a bullshit reason to want to use it. All this lead ends up in dumps or in some African river. You cannot argure the harmfulness of it. It is fact. Exceptions never work so your hifi argument is moot.

ebag4 · « **Reply #9 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 01:34 pm »

Quote

They have ruined missiles, silenced communications satellites and forced nuclear power plants to shut down. Pacemakers, consumer gadgets and even a critical part of a space shuttle have fallen victim.

Some of these failures under the right circumstances could easily take out more people than lead would/could ever impact. Consumer electronics are no issue, they fail you replace them, but for mission critical equipment such as Nuke plants and missles perhaps some exceptions could be made.

art · « **Reply #10 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 02:10 pm »

You mean like Swatch? Really important stuff like that gets exemptions. Which proves how stupid the idea is.

Lead in solder is about as dangerous as some of the sophomoric opinions expressed here. Unless you breathe the fumes. Read the articles fully next time before you comment.

Pat

sts9fan · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 02:20 pm »

Lead is poisonous period. It should be treated as such and not be put in nearly every consumer product out there. So as an electronics engineer where is you credability for enviormental protection? Your opinion is 100% bias. I rather be called sophomoric then be blatantly bias.

aerius · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 02:24 pm »

Lead rhymes with dead, so clearly, clearly it must be treated like weapons grade plutonium.

Steve Eddy · « **Reply #13 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 02:25 pm »

Quote from: sts9fan on 12 Oct 2007, 12:26 pm

Lead is a terrible poison and should be removed.

Mercury is also a terrible poison (and is also among those hazardous materials covered under the RoHS initiative. Yet the same people who support the RoHS initiative are trying to get everyone to replace all the incandescent light bulbs in their homes with compact fluorescent bulbs. Which contain... Mercury.

Quote

All this lead ends up in dumps or in some African river.

Where do you figure all the mercury in those compact fluorescent bulbs is going to end up?

se

R_burke · « **Reply #14 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 02:32 pm »

I work as a Program Manager for a Defense Electronic company and we have been dealing with the lead free solder issue for quite a while.

Yes there are tin wiskers as a result of using lead free solder and yes they can cause problems. BUT THIS ISN'T A NEW PROBLEM and the industry has been aware of it for quite a while and are cleaning solder joints more than before and making a point of keeping the wiskers to a minimum.

We have been building our equipment with lead free solder and buying lots of Single Board Computers that use lead free solder for years and haven't experienced any problems as a direct result of wiskers. The only negative we experienced as a result of lead free solder was a slight increase in costs and some initial down time while manufacturers re-tooled.

sts9fan · « **Reply #15 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 02:51 pm »

The topic is Pb not Hg. Saying "what about Hg!" does nothing for the Pb debate.
this is the type of argument that is used quite often in car fuel economy debates. I say my TDI running in 75% soy esters is using less oil. Guy B then say "So what do you heat your home with?". I say "oil". He then says "HA!!! Your a hypocrite!!". I then say "No I am taking baby steps"
Less Pb in the enviorment is independant on Hg. I will agree that Hg is MUCH worse for the enviorment FWIW.

aerius · « **Reply #16 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 02:59 pm »

And somehow it's just fine to make lead crystal glassware, lead crystal jewellery, lead alloy roofing tiles, lead alloy flashing for roofing, and pewter keychains, plates, & other decorations among other things. But you can't put lead containing solder in your iPod.

Steve Eddy · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 03:20 pm »

Quote from: sts9fan on 12 Oct 2007, 02:51 pm

The topic is Pb not Hg. Saying "what about Hg!" does nothing for the Pb debate.
this is the type of argument that is used quite often in car fuel economy debates.

It wasn't an argument. Just some irony.

If you want an argument, I think an outright ban was much too extreme. I think a reclamation program funded by an excise tax on electronics using leaded solder would have been much better.

se

art · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 04:32 pm »

The next great scam to extract money from the evil capitalists:

Lead indulgences.

Right up there with carbon indulgences.

For those of you with biased opinions, that obviously did not read any of the articles..........

Swatch got a lead indulgence. Yep, something as critical to the survival of modern society as a stinking watch gets to use lead solder.

If lead is so damn dangerous............we should take all the lead already in the ground and send it to Mars. Would you be able to sleep at night any better?

Along with all of the CO2.......the Hg....all the rest of the hysteria.

(Wait......if we send all the CO2 to Mars, some of you will have to do without the ganja you must be inhaling.)

None of this has squat to do with the environment: just some stupid idea to tax industry and make a bunch of bureaucrats feel good about themselves at the end of the day.

Pat

Occam · « **Reply #19 on:** 12 Oct 2007, 04:46 pm »

Moderators comment -

Folks, this thread is about tin wiskers, not about mercury, oil, CO2, or even the major man made cause of lead contamination which is the disposal of lead acid (car) batteries. Lets keep it on track or I'll split or lock the thread. No talk about evil environmentalists, no politics....

TIA,
Paul