Comments on: RoHS & COTS hit the DOD – Damned Wiskers! http://www.drobnxs.com/2009/10/10/rohs-cots-hit-the-dod/ Thoughts on cars and other things Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:16:21 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Dr Obnxs http://www.drobnxs.com/2009/10/10/rohs-cots-hit-the-dod/comment-page-1/#comment-71 Dr Obnxs Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:11:17 +0000 http://www.drobnxs.com/?p=213#comment-71 I honestly don't know. I'm guessing that automotive applications fall between the "make it cheap throw it away" mentaility of inexpensive cell phones and "it needs to last 30-50 years" of aerospace, but just where I have no clue. Some thing I do believe (though I don't have any hard data) is that cars of today won't be on the roads in 50 years like my 1965 Mustang is. The electronics will eventually die, there won't be good ways to replace them, and one will have to make more modern stuff work in thier stead or just trash the car. Doesn't bode well for Russo and Steele car auctions of the future! Here's one little story from my neighbor. He has a mid 90s Ferrari. That's not that old. One of the electronics modules in the car is a common failure point, and it's not made any more. So if it goes, what they do is gut the fancy aluminum case and put in more modern electronics to do what needs to be done. I think his car is a 91, so it's 19 years old. It's either that, or just part it out! I don't know if tin wiskers will be the downfall of automotive electronics, but there's a pretty high chance it will contribute. Matt I honestly don’t know. I’m guessing that automotive applications fall between the “make it cheap throw it away” mentaility of inexpensive cell phones and “it needs to last 30-50 years” of aerospace, but just where I have no clue. Some thing I do believe (though I don’t have any hard data) is that cars of today won’t be on the roads in 50 years like my 1965 Mustang is. The electronics will eventually die, there won’t be good ways to replace them, and one will have to make more modern stuff work in thier stead or just trash the car. Doesn’t bode well for Russo and Steele car auctions of the future!

Here’s one little story from my neighbor. He has a mid 90s Ferrari. That’s not that old. One of the electronics modules in the car is a common failure point, and it’s not made any more. So if it goes, what they do is gut the fancy aluminum case and put in more modern electronics to do what needs to be done. I think his car is a 91, so it’s 19 years old. It’s either that, or just part it out!

I don’t know if tin wiskers will be the downfall of automotive electronics, but there’s a pretty high chance it will contribute.

Matt

]]> By: nabeshin http://www.drobnxs.com/2009/10/10/rohs-cots-hit-the-dod/comment-page-1/#comment-70 nabeshin Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:59:27 +0000 http://www.drobnxs.com/?p=213#comment-70 So will these metal whiskers kill my MINI in a few years? So will these metal whiskers kill my MINI in a few years?

]]> By: Captian Joe http://www.drobnxs.com/2009/10/10/rohs-cots-hit-the-dod/comment-page-1/#comment-64 Captian Joe Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:46:25 +0000 http://www.drobnxs.com/?p=213#comment-64 Oh, you should see RoHS steam rolling through international medical equipment manufacturers! Imagine trying to update and replace to RoHS compliant over 5,000 components in a medical linear accelerator system. Now I have another unknown thrown into system characterizations! But the upside is the mandatory product recycling in the EU … We make over $10K just recycling the copper and tungsten in each machine. Captain Joe Oh, you should see RoHS steam rolling through international medical equipment manufacturers! Imagine trying to update and replace to RoHS compliant over 5,000 components in a medical linear accelerator system.

Now I have another unknown thrown into system characterizations!

But the upside is the mandatory product recycling in the EU … We make over $10K just recycling the copper and tungsten in each machine.

Captain Joe

]]> By: Dr Obnxs http://www.drobnxs.com/2009/10/10/rohs-cots-hit-the-dod/comment-page-1/#comment-25 Dr Obnxs Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:39:44 +0000 http://www.drobnxs.com/?p=213#comment-25 Hi Tim, Direct the CERN engineers to the NASA site (if they don't know about it already). It has a clearing house of references to research on the subject that seems pretty up to date. Matt Hi Tim, Direct the CERN engineers to the NASA site (if they don’t know about it already). It has a clearing house of references to research on the subject that seems pretty up to date.

Matt

]]> By: Tim http://www.drobnxs.com/2009/10/10/rohs-cots-hit-the-dod/comment-page-1/#comment-24 Tim Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:21:26 +0000 http://www.drobnxs.com/?p=213#comment-24 Hey Matt, The problem of learning to work with RoHS-compliant solders may also be responsible for the recent problem with the LHC superconducting splices, from what I understand of it. -Tim Hey Matt,

The problem of learning to work with RoHS-compliant solders may also be responsible for the recent problem with the LHC superconducting splices, from what I understand of it.

-Tim

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