| RoHS compliance information | |
| What does RoHS stand for ? | EU legislation on the Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment. |
| What substances are prohibited ? | Heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium) and brominated flame retardants (PBB, PBDE). |
| When does this law take effect ? | July 1, 2006. |
| Where is this law effective ? | All EU / EFTA countries. |
| Is lead free solder really more "green" ? | Probably not ! The most popular lead free alloy is SnAgCu (tin / silver / copper). Silver is a precious metal, and takes much more energy to mine than lead. The higher soldering temperatures will also require more energy in the production line. For more detail, see Examining the environmental impact of lead-free soldering alternatives and It might be lead free, but it's definitely not green. A good summary on Lead free myths. Another concern is the difficulty of desoldering parts at the higher temperatures, which will make repairs more difficult or even uneconomical. |
| Is lead free solder reliable ? | We will know in a few years... Tests indicate that the strength and temperature cycle resistance of lead free solder is comparable. There are concerns about the formation of whiskers on 100% tin surfaces. Lead free solder is more difficult to work with (smaller process windows), so process problems are more likely to occur. Finally, alloys containing a high amount of tin may disintegrate in colder environments (tin pest). |
| Are there exceptions ? | Of course... In particular, Lead as an alloying element for steel / aluminium / copper alloys, and Lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems, network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling, transmission as well as network management for telecommunication. |
| Are there applications exempt from RoHS ? | Device categories 8 (medical devices) and 9 (monitoring and control instruments) are not subject to these restrictions. See the EU WEEE directive (2002/96/EC) for the detailed list. |
| Which PC Engines products are RoHS compliant ? | Please see individual product pages (access from the order form) for details. Non-confirming products may be shipped to non EU / EFTA countries until stocks are exhausted. |
| Which PC Engines products are partially RoHS compliant ? |
The AMD SC1100 CPU was not available in lead free version on the last time
buy. All other components used will be RoHS
compliant. This means that WRAP boards may only be used
for applications in categories 8 or 9 (see above), or servers, storage
and storage array systems, network
infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling, transmission
as well as network management for telecommunication.
wrap* (starting 7/2006, marked 5/6 RoHS) |