Hi Technetters, I had some discoloration problem on random pad locations on Ni/Au plated boards. Following is the response from my vendor, please prove me your comments. " the average Ni thickness = 162 microinch the average Au thickness = 5.8 microinch They ran a solderability test which passed, verifying no contamination. The belief is that the Ni sometimes dispositions rougher, leaving a semi-mat color versus the normal shinny disposition, lending to a variance in the Gold coloring in some areas. Due to the immersion gold being a pure gold, with a self eliminating thickness, this variance in color can and is more prevalent than the thicker electrolytic Gold process. " Note: Can you suggest any lab in San Jose/Milpitas Area where I can take fabs to verify this? re, ken patel ______________________________________________________ Ken Patel Phone: (408) 490-6804 1708 McCarthy Blvd. Fax: (408) 490-6859 Milpitas, CA 95035 Beeper: (888) 769-1808 ################################################################ TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ################################################################ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet ################################################################ Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information. For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312 ################################################################