General > General Technical Chat
Which type of lead-free solder is the best?
<< < (7/8) > >>
Kilo Tango:
I use SM100C for lead free applications, OK it needs a hotter temp but its qualities match the filleting effect you got with 60/40, esp if you lowered the temperature a bit.....

Not all in the world of lead free is perfect, a chap here  at 4:08, removed an assembled PCB from its carrier and 4 SMD LED's "fell off". Lead free solder is only there to make a contact, 60/40 adds significant mechanical strength via the joint fillet. I have an old Marshall 10W valve amp, dear knows how old, yet it still works well, and it was built with Lead Solder. Valve amps are fairly hostile environments.

Ken
peter-h:
Certainly you need a better process for lead free reflow soldering, to get the low defect rate which we took for granted with leaded reflow, or with PTH flow (wave) soldering.

And some components don't solder. Shelf life often becomes critical, when it wasn't with leaded. I have had varistors from Littelfuse which had problems. Even brand new. The mfg must have discovered this was a real issue and they started putting silica gel sachets into the bags...

The stuff about landfills depends very much on the landfill. Modern landfills don't have water running through them - for obvious reasons. So the story about metals leaching out of electronics is not true, via this route.

The EU regulatory apparatus has to introduce regulation all the time - it's its job :) They will never stop.

Red Squirrel:
One thing I feel is needed is better electronics recycling and lead would be less an issue.  Not just lead but really the entire circuit boards themselves including components.  As far as I know there is not really any methods to recycle circuit boards right now and that is kind of a big problem as they are just filling landfills.  Lot of the electronics recycling places don't actually recycle, they just send it to china, then who knows what they do with it, probably dump in the ocean.
pidcon:
In the past, I went through this endless cycle of switching between different lead-free formulations too. Regardless of the formulations for lead-free solder (SAC305, SAC405, Sn99Cu1, etc.) I would focus more on the lead-free offerings from reliable brands, such as Kester, Multicore, Stannol, and so on. If the work is for a hobby, then try whichever you like based on cost and ease of purchasing. If it's for business, then write to the solder manufacturer and ask for their advice.
nukie:
SN100C by Nihon Superior with their in house flux. This formulation is available from other brands under license. This is by far the best LF solder I tried.

When trying new solder, it's best to 'wash and rinse' the tip with plenty of new solder so the previous solder does not contaminate your new solder. The solder alloy composition is very important and if it's thrown off balance the performance will not be the same.

Use a new cleaning pad after the tip is 'cleaned' because it may pickup another type of solder pieces on the used cleaning sponge.
Navigation
Message Index
Next page
Previous page
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...

Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod