Several comments have been posted recently that relate to making sure that only lead-free solder is used to repair RoHS-compliant equipment. It should be noted that the RoHS directive deals with equipment that has been "put on the market" and does not address repair of a fielded system. So if an equipment manufacturer decides to use only lead-free solder instead of tin-lead solder for repair of its RoHS-compliant products, that is voluntary.

I also see it claimed from time to time that maintaining the distinction for repair is necessary to ensure reliability. I have not seen supporting evidence for this claim, and I'm frankly skeptical. Perhaps a forum subscriber who believes it is important to ensure that only lead-free solder is used to repair a lead-free solder connection can explain the basis of that belief.

Gordon Davy
Baltimore, MD
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410-993-7399



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