Roel wrote in news:dq9g76$ndq$1 @news4.zwoll1.ov.home.nl:
and
would
I agree its not just about lead. Removing all the lead from circuit boards is not going to have a big impact on the environment.
may
This is a very bad start. Products are either completely exempt due in part to reliability concerns or they are subject to zero tolerance.
I think a reasonable plan that reduced the lead content would be much better than a total ban. If I have one 0603 non RoHS resistor on my board, the board is probably am not in compliance. As I understand it, if a company in the EU has existing inventory, they can continue to use it (provided it is already in Europe). I'm supposed to throw away all my lead based inventory (in a landfill?), and in many cases, completely redesign my product.
It is still hard to buy many components lead free, even when they theoretically exist.
I have a connector that I buy maybe 3000 pieces a year of. The mfr of this part will make it lead free if I purchase 20000 pieces! I can't even tell that the part has any lead content. Its entirely gold plated. My guess is that it is in the plastic.