[tinwhiskers] FW: Re: Lasky looks at RoHS 3 years later

  • From: "Dr Mark Vaughan" <mark@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <tinwhiskers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 19:17:30 +0100

Wow so RoHs for the Cell Phones industry is a success - in what sense?

Now I know why mine won't last 18 months, and has to be replaced, I thought
comms was RoHs exempt, but now we know.
In the past nine years, I've been through seven phones, the wife five
phones, my brother seven phones, my mum who hardly ever uses hers three
phones and so on. Not replaced to get new features or because the battery
needs replacing but because the phone can't perform its prime function to
make or receive a simple phone call. And not one manufacturer, Motorola,
Nokia Siemens, Panasonic, and a few others. 
I do however have an old non RoHs leaded Marconi Phone must be 25 years old,
and a Vodaphone car phone from the early 90's which we found last year while
clearing out the factory junk store, they both powered up and the Vodaphone
finds a network for emergency service. I also have an early Motorola brick
phone the kids play with, that will work if you put a sim in it though the
batteries are not so good, I don't know but assume it thus must have lead in
it.
 
The mobile phone companies must love him for promoting RoHs, it's making
them a fortune peddling rubbish.


Regs Mark

Dr. Mark Vaughan Ph'D., B.Eng. M0VAU
Managing Director
Vaughan Industries Ltd., reg in UK no 2561068
Water Care Technology Ltd, reg in UK no 4129351
Addr Unit3, Sydney House, Blackwater, Truro, Cornwall, TR4 8HH UK.
Phone/Fax 44 (0) 1872 561288
RSGB DRM111 (Cornwall)

-----Original Message-----
From: tinwhiskers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:tinwhiskers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Parnagian, Edward
Sent: 08 September 2009 16:09
To: tinwhiskers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; '(Leadfree Electronics Assembly Forum)'
Subject: [tinwhiskers] Re: Lasky looks at RoHS 3 years later

Keep in mind that Dr Lasky has been a very vocal advocate for lead-free from
the beginning.  A major point in his rationale is its "successful"
implementation in cell phones.  Also note his affiliation with Indium Corp.

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: tinwhiskers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:tinwhiskers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Landman
Sent: Saturday, September 05, 2009 6:37 PM
To: tin whiskers forum; '(Leadfree Electronics Assembly Forum)'
Subject: [tinwhiskers] Lasky looks at RoHS 3 years later

http://www.designnews.com/blog/Lead_Free_Zone_Blog/21260-Lasky_looks_at_RoHS
_3_years_later.php

Lasky looks at RoHS 3 years later

August 18, 2009

"Dr. Ron Lasky put out a blog indicating that the transition to
RoHS-compliant electronic components has been a success. In his blog, "RoHS
3 Years Later
http://www.indium.com/blogs/Dr-Lasky-Blog/RoHS-3-Years-Later/20090726,12,343
3/ ," Lasky - who has spent 10 years following the lead-free movement -
notes that more than $1 trillion dollars worth of RoHS compliant electronics
have been manufactured "without significant incident." He notes that the $1
trillion figure is derived by the total parts produced since the July 1,
2006 RoHS deadline and includes parts that go into countries that don't have
RoHS laws. Since most component manufacturers did not run two lines of
compliant and non-compliant parts, even parts going into areas without RoHS
laws were RoHS compliant.He explains that part of the success of the RoHS
conversion was the lack of hard monitoring by the European Union. The
relaxed compliance atmosphere allowed the industry to make a smooth
transition without interruptions in supply of electronic parts and finished
goods."

"Lasky also notes the unintended benefit of the RoHS conversion. "In
third-world countries, electronics are recycled for usable electrical
components and scrap metal," says Lasky. "Almost all of this recycling is
performed unsafely. With RoHS-compliant products, this unsafe recycling will
be done more safely.""

Posted by Rob Spiegel
http://www.designnews.com/blog/profile/8931-Rob_Spiegel.php  on August 18,
2009 |

How would Lasky know this to be true?  Where's the data?  Dr. Henning
Leidecker at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21151552/wid/11915829/ has advised me that there
are failures. NASA is sworn to disclose them or they would not be told about
them.  Catch 22.  Why?  Lawsuits, that's why!

Has anyone died due to failures in Medtronic pacemakers (which were subject
to an FDA recall due to tin whisker shorts)?
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/Inspections/InspectionGuides/InspectionTechnicalGui
des/ucm072921.htm  FDA does not say in this report.  There is nothing in the
open literature that I've been able to find.  That leads me to conclude that
the cases were settled out of court and the records sealed. Does anyone here
know otherwise?

According to this blog
http://scadaperspective.com/pipermail/scada_scadaperspective.com/2008-June/0
00748.html there are failures (again, the company experiencing them is not
mentioned):

"... according to the factory manager of one of the largest industrial
automation and embedded computing companies in the world, it isn't fiction.
What they've done is increase infant mortality testing, heightened quality
requirements, gone six sigma, and they are still seeing a sharp rise in
warranty claims due to solder issues."

Isn't 3 years too soon to tell?  Three to five years is the expected time
for whiskers to grow long enough to cause shorts.  Lets not pop the
champagne cork just yet.

Se also http://www.calce.umd.edu/tin-whiskers/TINWHISKERFAILURES.pdf

It is premature to suggest at this time that there have been no "significant
incident" failures due to tin whiskers.

Unless the persons doing the analysis knows how to detect them (10% of them
are visible to the naked eye, the rest require magnified inspection and
special lighting, knows where to look for them (presuming they are not
vaporized in the shorting incident), how would Lasky be so certain such
incidents never happened?

Bob Landman, President
Life Senior Member, IEEE
IEEE Power & Energy/Reliability Societies
IEEE Standards Association
H&L Instruments, LLC
www.hlinstruments.com/





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