Solder Reflow Profiling Tips - Graping
Graping is a phenomenon which appears as un-reflowed solder particles, typically seen on the surface of the solder joint. &nbs...
Pb-Free Solder
Recent Electronics Assembly Trends
I love watching a good basketball game, and one of my favorite local teams is the Syracuse Orangemen. If you go to a Syracuse home game, notice.....
Profiling Basics – Reflow Phases
Reflow profiling can be broken down into several phases. I generally use the following; Preheat Pre-reflow Reflow Cooling p style="margi...
Pb-Free Bar Solder Dilemma: Price vs. Performance
Many consumer electronics transitioned to Pb-Free 4-5 years ago. However, there are still a substantial number of electronics being built with S...
Is Conductive Epoxy a Low-Temperature Alternative to Lead-Free Solder?
Conductive epoxy is a common material choice for bonding components, especially if the assembly process is temperature-sensitive. Tin-based solde...
What Happens if US RoHS Happens?
The US House of Representatives bill H.R 2420, affectionately known as US RoHS, was introduced in May of 2009. From what I can tell,...
Understanding Gold on Nickel
The use of gold layers deposited onto nickel is standard in many industries, from DRAM memory module edge connectors, to electrical test probe co...
Melting Point - Tip of the Iceburg for Hand Soldering
This is a blog post about a great post that may never be… Unless a solder iron vendor wants to step up and declare that they offer technical su...
Lead Free Alloy Selection
Ignoring the solder selection as part of your design process is risky business. font face="Times......
Has RoHS Really Been Successful?
In a recent blog entry titled RoHS: 3 Years Later, Dr. Lasky comments on the overall success of the RoHS legislation. Before imp...
The Best Flux For Hand Soldering and Rework
Solder Basics… If I needed to pick my favorite flux for hand soldering, it would easily be PoP Flux 030B. I know it’s probably...