RoHS, Lead-free Solder, and "Tin Disease"

[John Holotko]

I'm going to check my stock of regular lead/tin solder. If I need to I'll stock up now before they stop making it altogether.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Read the book Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos to get a better idea why the general public and policy makers often fall for the flawed reporting of medical and environmental "news." Lots of other interesting topics covered too. Another good one by Paulos is Mathematician Reads the Newspaper.

[k4kyv]

I recall when I was still in high school, having a neighbour kid who liked to come over and hang around and pester me.  Couldn't exactly run him off, since our mothers were friends and ex-coworkers.

One of his most annoying antics was that he liked to pick up my solder and chew on it.  Maybe he was deprived of lead-painted windowsills when he was a toddler.  It was impractical to hide the solder, since he would always show up unannounced.

Finally, I cured him of the habit. I swapped my regular roll of solder with a roll of acid core that I happened to have on hand.

He must have got the hint, because he never bothered my solder again.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

More from the EU.

EU approves radical battery recycling law
By Paul Meller, IDG News Service

The European Parliament has signed off on a radical new law aimed at curbing pollution from used portable batteries, ending over two years of debate among European lawmakers. Battery makers will also be forced to provide more accurate information about the performance of their products.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/07/07/battery/index.php?lsrc=mwrss

[W1XYZ]

OMG!

Those EU Radicals!

Having to label batteries correctly - there must be a sinister socialist motive for that. Apple Computer, a multi $Billion company, doesn't want to pay for for the disposal of all those ipods they are giving away in Europe (they sell poorly there) and each one will have to be accepted back for recycling.

Smaller manufacturers like us have no trouble at all compying with this and ROHS, but if a large corporation might have to pony up anything, it's "Radical."  Lead free solder substitutes have been for the most part a boon to Kester (and you can still get plenty of 60/40 if you need that) and most manufacturers have been subject to exemption No. 7 of ROHS anyway.

None of this actrually matters to hams, who already have enough lead stashed away for the next 200 years!

Bob

http://microphonium.blogspot.com