Lead free solder - exposed in a UK national newspaper

Since perhaps 1960 when cerdips first appeared and for milspec packages of various sorts. Not so much after

1979 or so.

Michael

We buy and use IC chips with gold pins, which we form, and recycle the cut leads from.

You are only about three decades off, and the industry has NOT stopped using them.

Mil spec parts have gold all over the connection wires and leads on many of the devices made out there.

Since the advent of COTS, designs typically incorporate both mil and non mil parts together to complete a design for a contract.

In other words... whatever it takes to get 'er done!

I have more than one co-worker with a car with LED headlights. Infinity, Lexus, BMW and others do this already.

I have LED bicycle headlights myself.

And the last is a nice change from jumbotrons.