 Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me. |
Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Beware lead-free solder
| Author | Message | ||||
CaptainBoing Guru  Joined: 07/09/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2171 |
interesting section of the following vid concerning Tin (Sn) jump to about 5:35 for the solder thingie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9zdt-rOB0Y |
||||
KeepIS Guru Joined: 13/10/2014 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1944 |
This reminds me of a major problem going back over 35 years when I was repairing some of the first equipment with micro helical resonators and PPL modules in Radios transceivers. Took a few months before we realised the problem of microscopic crystalline wires growing in the modules. NANO Inverter: Full download - Only Hex Ver 8.1Ks |
||||
| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
Hmmm, takes me back to my early metallurgy degree days (started 1966  ). That phase change and dendritic crystal growth was a standard demonstration. Worse was being in the metallography lab having to polish a tin specimen and get it largely scratch free under the microscope - pretty much impossible!Greg |
||||
| Phil23 Guru Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Really interesting when you've grown up with a grandfather that spent 60 years a mining engineer & Tin Miner. Remember many instances of grading & bagging refined tin & a couple of occasions which involved actually smelting it into ingots. |
||||
Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9749 |
I still prefer leaded solder. The whole lead-free solder thing is a bit of a red-herring if you ask me - and you didn't  While I do acknowledge the dangers of lead etc, when you look at the amount of actual lead on a soldered PCB or in a roll of solder, it is nothing to be concerned about IMHO. Again, this is just MY opinion - others more in the know feel free to correct my understanding there. The amount of trouble I have had with lead-free solder, I don't bother with it anymore. Neither in solder-wire form, or in solder-paste form. Both wire and paste that I use are leaded. Lead-free solder or paste requires much more heat to make it flow too, which puts many components under much more heat-stress then they need with leaded solder or paste. And cos there is no lead in there to keep the solder "Soft", dry-joints on factory produced boards using lead-free are rampant, cos if stressed at all, the join just fractures - you end up going over the whole board wetting the solder with leaded stuff anyway, which is all a complete waste of time had they just used leaded solder in the first place.  Leaded solder suffers from dry-joints too, but I find the lead-free stuff even worse for dry joints then the leaded stuff based on what I have seen so far. But this is progress, right....... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
| Tinine Guru Joined: 30/03/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1646 |
Where are you UK-based guys buying leaded solder? |
||||
| CaptainBoing Guru Joined: 07/09/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2171 |
still using stocks from years ago. Got a couple of 1KG rolls yet to start - reckon it will see me out |
||||
| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
Was that in Tasmania Phil? I spent some time on one of the tin dredges up near Derby (in Tas). It was a lot of fun - watching all the ore-dressing separation processes was quite fascinating (for a budding metallurgist  ) My mate's grandfather had a 'show' at Sth. Mt. Cameron and used to disappear up there for a week or two at times, then come back with a few bags of 'tin' (cassiterite of course) that we were not allowed to touch - we were little guys back then. I think he really just enjoyed the break from his 'good lady' - he was tough but no match for her!Grogs - totally agree about Pb-free being a pain and I certainly don't use it. But I guess if you were one of those production line girls in China soldering away all day long and dodging Pb fumes you might feel differently. Whenever I see a bit of video of mountains of e-waste I must say I feel a bit that way too. Governments certainly have a responsibility to do something about Pb pollution but on the small scale most of us work with, I don't think it's an issue. High production consumer electronics companies should have to use Pb-free IMHO. Greg |
||||
| piclover Senior Member  Joined: 14/06/2015 Location: FrancePosts: 134 |
@Grogster I totally agree with your views on "lead-free" solder: it's a total PITA, and does "lead" (pun intended) to many troubles with home-made projects. As for where to find the good old Sn/Pb rolls, I bought some, last time, from Selectronic... before they closed. It looks like Farnell/Element14 is still stocking a lot of different models of Sn/Pb[/Cu][/Ag] rolls as well. They are often listed as "for repair" by retailers, since old electronic boards must be repaired with a compatible solder... |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9749 |
Element-14, Farnell, Jaycar, Altronics - any of the electronic hobbyist shops will also usually still stock 60/40 leaded solder. One word of caution: Stay away from cheap rolls on eBay or Aliexpress IMHO, as they tend to be absolute rubbish and make soldering very difficult - if it can be done at all with those rolls. Stick to a known distributor where you will get what you pay for. More expensive then eBay certainly, but quality stuff. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
| Tinine Guru Joined: 30/03/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1646 |
Thanks,guys. I found some at Rapidonline. |
||||
 Print this page |
 |
The Back Shed's forum code is written, and hosted, in Australia. | © JAQ Software 2025 |
