Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [lead-free]

28 questions
32
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2 answers

Should I use lead free solder?

I have been a hobbyist solderer for about 6 years now, and my skills are very proficient. I have always used lead solder because my experience with lead free solder is awful. But I'm going to college in a few months and I just upgraded to a very…
Sponge Bob
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Are some soldering iron tips unsuitable for lead-free solder?

I don't do much lead-free work at all, so I'm asking this question out of ignorance. I have been using leaded solder as long as I have been soldering, and I have never had an issue with a soldering iron tip. The plated part of the tip always stays…
W5VO
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Can leaded BGA chips be reflow soldered with lead-free process?

We have a board with two BGA chips. Due to the current shortage of many parts, one of the chips is next-to-impossible to find; except that we found a supplier with a good stock of the non-RoHS / leaded version of the chip (which is a discontinued…
Cal-linux
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What's the advantage of lead-free solder containing silver?

I'm looking to buy some lead-free solder. There appears to be two different kinds available, tin-copper alloys and tin-copper-silver alloys. What advantage does the latter have, as it is more expensive?
Louise J. Harris
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Any drawbacks to "low temp" lead-free solder paste?

I am about to try my first "reflow skillet" soldering job, and as I look at the available types of solder paste I see there are lead-free pastes with much lower melting temperatures than others. For example, this one from ChipQuik. The advantages…
Kaelin Colclasure
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When Does Lead-Free Matter?

When shopping for components it's common to find a lead-free or RoHS-compliant version of the part along side one that is not. Under what circumstances does it matter that I chose exclusively lead-free or RoHS (or whatever other lead-free…
vicatcu
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What lead-free solder type is convenient to use for hand-soldering?

I have read some discussions about the lead-free solders on the forum, but could not see what solder type is easier to use for hand soldering (among lead-free ones)? As an example, I see only two RoHS compliant solder alloy options (e.g. on Mouser…
Angs
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Breathed in lead-free solder fumes, should I be worried?

A few weeks back I was being a moron and decided to solder something with lead-free solder. I didn't have any experience soldering so I assumed lead-free solder was harmless, and I breathed in loads of lead free solder fumes. I soldered like this…
Scam Likely
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Can "lead free" tips be used with leaded solder?

I've just purchased my first soldering iron, an Atten 8586. The item description claims it is suitable for lead free soldering, however I have no interest in using lead-free solder at this point. I've read through Are some soldering iron tips…
aaronsnoswell
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What are those black spots in these lead-free solder joints?

I have just changed to lead-free solder (I'm now using Chip Quik's "SMDSWLF.031, a Sn96.5/ Ag3.0/ Cu0.5 solder with 2.2% no-clean flux) but I'm not sure what I'm seeing when inspecting my boards. The following pictures show an example: the first one…
MV.
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Experience with lead-free synthetic solder paste?

I'm looking to start working with solder paste as I'll be making a batch of SMT boards. It seems that most people use lead-based solder paste that requires refrigeration. Vendors charge a hazardous materials fee that seems to be around $25 plus…
Russ Kuhn
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How hazardous is simply handling leaded solder?

I'm a beginning hobbyist with a pregnant wife, which makes me nervous about lead. I have a breakout board that is RoHS-non-compliant, very likely containing leaded solder. How worried should I be about handling this board? Everything else I use…
Jun Inoue
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What do these two icons mean?

Left one - "no plumbum/lead" Right one - "triangular invert color no picking by hand" (found on BeagleBone Green)
Darren Ng
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Is it advisable to use lead-free PCB and solder paste on a first SMD assembly job?

I am sending my first PCB design to Sunstone for manufacture and I need to decide whether to order the board finish lead-free. All of the components are lead-free, and I have not decided on solder paste. There are about 25 chips on the board and the…
ThomasMcLeod
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How can I prevent lead free solder from ruining my soldering iron tip? Can I re-tin my tips?

I have been using a Weller WLC 100 for about 10 years, and I have always used this conical tip from Apex Tool Group: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/apex-tool-group/st-7/?qs=fKX4t1ubQE95bthTEmHMHA%3D%3D&countrycode=US¤cycode=USD Recently…
Thomas Wilk
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