Lead free solder or poor QC ?

Question

Second so called Vox AC30 in as many months with the main problem being the simplest of components on the pre-amp board. The wire bridging links , solder points therof, for the DC and ground lines to the ECC83s. The power amp board is more robust wiring and hand soldering, rather than wire links and no problems there. The failed one , with a pair of long nose pliers grabbing the end of the wire and only marginal extraction force, the wire comes through the "solder joint". On most of these wire joints there are no "volcanoes" unlike the other components - is it the wrong size wire/holes, so this lead free stuff moves capillary fashion preferentially along the pcb holes and leaves little at the pad , so only marginally covered?

2005 made, bought 2006, and just out of 1 year warranty. So reworking all such wire joints and also small caps which seem to have similar lack of solder depth.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

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Eeyore · Accepted Answer

What are the wire and hole diameters ?Graham

N Cook · Answer

thelinesthan"soldermovesatIts all re-assembled now , wire size only is measurable, 20 mil diam.--Diverse Devices, Southampton, Englandelectronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

Eeyore · Answer

What I was trying to acertain was whether the wire was a loose fit in the hole.Solder doesn't like that.Graham

N Cook · Answer

hole.the 1/3 W resistors have the same diameter leads and they have normalvolcanoes and presumably through the same size drillings--Diverse Devices, Southampton, Englandelectronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

Eeyore · Answer

On principle I never presume anything like that. I use hole sizes from 0.7mm to1.3mm in 0.1mm increments on my designs for a variety of seemingly routineleaded parts.Graham

Michael A. Terrell · Answer

1/3 W?-- Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 toprove it.Member of DAV #85.Michael A. TerrellCentral Florida

N Cook · Answer

diam.the0.7mm toA possible common feature.Certainly with the recent one and IIRC the previous one, the errant jointswere where there had been beefing up over the traces to increase currentcapacity. That process having been done after the full component solderprocess as any cones were destroyed.--Diverse Devices, Southampton, Englandelectronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

Lead free solder or poor QC ?

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