Question: RoHS compliant?

[ulrich.von.lich]

I ordered a T43 motherboard 42T0067 from IBM but received a 42T0069. So far as I know, the latter is a RoHS compliant part, while the former is not. I wonder if RoHS means the quality decrease in any way?




THe following paragraphs are pasted from Wikipedia

Adverse effects on product quality and reliability, plus high cost of compliance (especially to small business) are cited as criticisms of the directive, as well as a growing body of research indicating that the life cycle effect of lead free solder is more significant than that of traditional solder materials.

Restricting lead content in solder for electronics requires expensive retooling of assembly lines and different coatings for the leads of the electronic parts. Lead-free solders have a higher melting point requiring higher process temperatures (up to 260°C, instead of 220-235°C), driving changes to materials for chip packages, for some printed circuit boards and components containing plastics.[14] The higher temperature also precludes the use of components that cannot survive the higher temperature.

Lead-free solders are significantly harder, increasing the likelihood of cracks instead of plastic deformation, which is typical for lead-containing solders.[14] Such cracks occur due to thermal or mechanical forces acting on components or the circuit board, the former being more common during manufacturing and the latter in the field.[15]

The editor of Conformity Magazine wonders if the transition to lead-free solder will not affect long-term reliability of electronic devices and systems, especially in applications more mission-critical than in consumer products, citing possible breaches due to other environmental factors like oxidation.[16] This article refers to the Newark InOne "RoHS Legislation and Technical Manual",[17] which cites these and other "lead-free" solder issues, such as:

1. Warping or delamination of printed circuit boards;
2. Damage to through-holes, ICs and components on circuit boards; and,
3. Added moisture sensitivity, all of which may compromise quality and reliability.

[aaa]

I don't think the T43 has that gpu solder problem the other T4xs have, so it probably isn't a big deal.

[ulrich.von.lich]

Thanks! Yes I probably don't have to worry about it..

But recently I've seen many people suffering from the GPU problem on their T42s/T41s and I wonder if they are all caused by the RoHS thing??????

[ajkula66]

GPU problem appears on T43s, but is far less common than on T40/1/2/p machines.

I don't believe that you should be worried about this. As long as you don't pick up your laptop by its corners all the time you should be in good shape.