If you use solder (and few here won't) then you're going to have to r= elearn soldering before July 2006. This applies from hobbiest through volume production. I'm sure Google will have heaps on RoHS and WEEE, but here's a good 9= and scary) summary from Farnell. If you think it's just a matter of cranking up the soldering iron temperature you may be in for a shock. May be time to stockpile some good 'ol soon to be illicit lead solder= for personal use:-) Their related website (http://international2.farnell.com/NZ/online_magazines/rohs-frame.jht= ml) is much harder to wade through than the following And we still proceed with GE :-) RM ________________________________________________________ Regular update on the RoHS and WEEE Directives and how they will affe= ct you and your business. Our RoHS Directive website continues to be updated regularly. In this bulletin we look at what product areas are affected, as well = as some of the technical, environmental and commercial issues. What are the RoHS and WEEE Directives? In Europe, the RoHS (Restriction of Certain Hazardous Substances) Dir= ective bans the use of lead, <-------------- ************** cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in electrical and electronic equipment products after July 2006. The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive deals = with the recovery, sorting and treatment of waste products. Legislation is expected to be introduced by August 2004, with compliance in Europe a= year later. Who is affected? Anyone that: Manufactures and sells electrical and electronic equipment within the specified categories. Sells equipment produced by other suppliers under their own brand. Imports (or exports) affected equipment into European Union (EU) memb= er states. will be affected by both directives. It is expected that from August 2005, such producers will be responsi= ble for financing the collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment= from central points, specialist treatment, and meeting targets for re-use, recycling and recovery. Which products are affected? Large household appliances (eg. fridges, washing machines, electric o= vens) Small household appliances (eg. vacuum cleaners, toasters, irons, clo= cks, scales) IT and telecommunication equipment (eg. computers, photocopiers, tele= phones) Consumer equipment (eg. televisions, video recorders, hi-fi equipment= ) Lighting equipment (eg. fluorescent lamps, discharge lamps) Electrical and electronic tools (eg. drills, sewing machines, lawnmow= ers) Toys, leisure and sports equipment (eg. video games and consoles, tra= in sets) Medical equipment systems (eg. radiotherapy equipment, pulmonary ventilators) - WEEE only Monitoring and control equipment (eg. thermostats, control panels) - = WEEE only Automatic dispensers (eg. drinks machines) Electric light bulbs - RoHS only Luminaires in households - RoHS only Is the shelf-life of "lead-free" components reduced because of lead-f= ree plating? Unlikely, in fact it could well be improved, as tin has a slower oxid= ation characteristic compared to tin / lead alloy. What does the term "Green" mean? In some products, such as semiconductors, further improvements are li= kely to be made beyond the RoHS Directive. Other substances will be removed a= nd these "Green" environmental packages will not, for example, contain a= ny halogens, usually bromine(Br) or antimony based flame retardants. What about compliant solders? Tin lead solder pastes melt at 183=B0c while lead-free pastes require= 220=B0c. The temperature of the soldering iron may need to be increased, and t= he temperature rating of both components and PCBs will need to withstand= these elevated levels. The alloys used in lead-free solder can vary dependi= ng on the application, but it is generally safe to use the 99C alloy (99.7%= tin, 0.3% copper) for lead-free hand soldering as this is compatible with = most lead-free alloy options. A trace of silver is added to some lead-free= solder pastes to assist with the wetting and joint formation during the rapi= d reflow phase of typical surface mount technology (SMT) assembly proce= sses. What is the "popcorn" reaction? Molded components can gather moisture when heat is rapidly applied. A= bove 100=B0c the moisture expands and becomes a gas. It tries to expand th= rough the molded compound and, when it can't get out, tends to break or pop the molding compound like a "popcorn effect". The industry has introduced= a number of procedures for getting around this by baking and sealing th= e component. What if I need to maintain or repair my present equipment after July = 2006? The use of "banned" substances (lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent ch= romium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers) in spare= parts to repair equipment put on the market before July 2006 will be permit= ted, but will not be allowed in new equipment. While still to be debated a= nd agreed by governments, non-compliant product could be used for repair indefinitely. What are the financial implications for electrical and electronics producers? Taking the UK as an example, the DTI (Department of Trade & Industry) estimate a minimum annual cost of over =A3210M to comply with the WEE= E directive: Separate collection of WEEE - =A326M Dismantling and treatment of WEEE - =A398M Meeting re-use, recycling and recovery targets - =A352M Marking products for separate collection - =A318M Providing information to treatment and recycling facilities - =A37M Reporting compliance information to Environment Agency - =A311M These are conservative estimates and the final annual cost in terms o= f WEEE could well be as much as =A3455M. RoHS compliance costs in the UK are estimated at over =A3170M per ann= um for R&D. In addition, more than =A3100M per annum in increased capital an= d operating costs of using alternative substances after July 2006. Will prices increase? The European Commission estimates an average cost increase of between= 1% and 2% for most WEEE products and 3% to 4% for a few large or more comple= x products. However, some suppliers have no plans to increase prices in= the short term, and it is likely to vary from product area to product are= a. How do I find out more? You can find out more by visiting our area dedicated to the RoHS and = WEEE legislation at our website. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.