bz wrote:
wrote in
:

bz wrote:

I have 60/40, will that work OK though? This computer is a 733Mhz
processor so it's not modern.
The age of the processor doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact
that it is much easier to make a good solder joint if you use good
solder and much easier to make a bad one if you use bad solder.
Apparently all we can purchase now is bad solder (the EU banned lead
in solder in 2006).

Talk about timing, this /. article came out yesterday

http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/06/15/1732216
"Lead is added to solder as it melts at low temperature, but also, it
prevents the solder from growing 'whiskers' — crystalline limbs of
metal. The effect of whiskers on soldered equipment would include
random short-circuits and strange RF-effects. Whiskers can grow fairly
quickly and become quite long."

I've got a bunch of old solder, I'm going to take much better care of
it now. no more using it to balance my 2 meter gliders

I understand that for certain critical applications, lead bearing solder
is still available and legal to use. [caveat: I am not in the EU, not a
lawyer, not an expert on EU law, etc., etc., etc.]


You can still buy lead based solder from most if not all of the
electronics wholesalers here in the UK.

Ron(UK)