RoHS Compliant vs. RoHS Compatible

Author: New Age Technologies

Abstract: The desire to reduce pollution within our environment has led to the RoHS directive in the EU that restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Since that time, this environmental standard has spread to other parts of the world. These are the early days of RoHS, and it is not a simple matter to say let’s switch our products to RoHS. As a designer or an executive involved in decisions to move to RoHS, it is important to understand the complexity of this decision. Many individuals believe that converting to RoHS is just a matter of selecting RoHS components and manufacturing with lead-free solder. The issue is that many parts may be RoHS compliant, but they cannot handle the more extreme RoHS manufacturing process. This article is intended to clarify what it means for a component to be RoHS compliant versus being RoHS compatible.

Published 2008

Design for Manufacturing (DFM): Verifying Component Selection

by New Age Technologies

Abstract: When qualifying any component for a RoHS design or conversion, it is important to document in the item
master record what processes the component can withstand and how many heat cycles it can endure. A low
ESR capacitor in an 1812 package may indeed be RoHS compliant but only be RoHS process compatible to
certain processes. The equipment used to process the design must also be taken into account. Re-flow ovens
that were well suited for lead processing may limit the options available for RoHS processing. Through-hole
component selection and thermal relief is much more critical with RoHS processing than it was with SN63.
It is critical to qualify each component or family of components to a defined process or set of processes to
avoid quality and reliability issues.

Published: 2008

Choosing the Right EMS Provider for Medical Products Outsourcing

Advice for medical product OEMs on how to execute the supplier evaluation and selection process, detailing such issues as the three key process capabilities on which to evaluate suppliers; defining your outsourcing strategy; matching your business profile to the prospective vendor; requiring flexibility as a must-have for high-mix, low-volume products; finding a personality “fit”; understanding new product introduction strategy; recognizing enterprise resource planning as a key capability, and buying according to total acquisition cost rather than price.

Failure Mechanisms in High Voltage Printed Circuit Boards

High voltage designs often adhere to IPC, UL or MIL requirements. However, blindly following these specifications can cause heartburn when dealing with space constraints or insulation degradation experienced in severe environments. This white paper written by DfR Solutions provides clear and concise understanding of industry specifications, the mechanisms that induce failure in high voltage designs and how to avoid them.

Xbox 360 "Red Ring of Death" Hardware Failure

Since the product's introduction in November, 2005, a significant quantity of Microsoft's Xbox 360 game consoles have experienced a field malfunction that is indicated by three flashing red LEDs on the front of the console. This error function, which designates a critical hardware failure and renders the unit inoperable, is known among gamers as the "Red Ring of Death" and has spawned numerous user forums and web postings that claim to offer easy "fixes" for out-of-warranty units or for users who lack the patience to return their systems to an authorized repair center.

This white paper contains findings, conclusions, and recommendations for the proper equipment and techniques needed to repair the consoles and eliminate future recurrence of the problems.