[hpsdr] Warning on Atlas! NO HIGH TEMP WORK!

[Philip Covington]

On 6/17/06, Lyle Johnson <kk7p at wavecable.com> wrote:
> ***** High Performance Software Defined Radio Discussion List *****
>
> Folks,
>
> There has been a big misunderstanding.
>
> The Atlas PCBs are standard FR4 fiberglass PCB boards, made with
> standard FR4 materials and are suitable for normal PCB manufacturing
> processes.
>
> Don't worry about it.
>
> The boards are gold plated rather than solder plated so they meet
> European RoHS standards.  That makes it possible to legally import them
> to Europe if they arrive after July 1st, 2006.
>
> RoHS compliant manufacturing methods use lead-free solder, which often
> requires a higher temperature manufacturing process.  PC boards are
> usually made of one of several special fiberglass laminates designed to
> withstand prolonged exposure to the higher temperatures required to use
> such solder in a normal manufacturing process.
>
> The Atlas boards are *not* made of such special, *high temperature*
> fiberglass material, so they are not suitable for use in many RoHS
> compliant manufacturing processes.
>
> They are just normal PC boards that happen to be gold plated rather than
> solder-plated.
>
> Nothing more and certainly nothing less.
>
> > One question, why? A board with SMT components but can't take SMT
> > soldering temperatures, that is bizarre.
>
> Of course it is bizarre.
>
> Which clearly indicates that there is a misunderstanding.
>
> Why automatically assume the worst?
>
> It is in no one's best interest to fabricate and distribute useless
> boards.  Especially not Eric's, who has underwritten the entire cost of
> producing the boards from his personal savings, for the benefit of the
> HPSDR community.
>
> He simply warned that these were not *high temperature* boards; he did
> *not* say they would not withstand *normal* manufacturing processes.
>
> > Or a decision made by a select few.
>
> I'm saddened that anyone posting to this list would even entertain this
> type of thinking, much less express it publicly.  What possible benefit
> accrues to the "select few" -- whoever that means -- to produce and
> distribute inferior PC boards?
>
> > By the way the fiberglass can take it, it's the glue that likes to melt
> > and let go of the layers.
>
> Yes, it is called delamination.
>
> > I do hope that future boards full of SMT components are going to use
> > epoxy rated for SMT work.
>
> Any process that works with the FR4 fiberglass we have all used for the
> past few decades in PC boards, will work with these boards.  The
> fiberglass is exactly the same.
>
> The sky is not falling down.
>
> 73,
>
> Lyle KK7P

Hi Lyle,

Thanks for the clarification.   You were able to respond to this is a
calm and cool manner to correct the misunderstanding.  I had to
rewrite my earlier response three times, because of the "decision made
by a select few" comment which immediately made me see red... :-)

Thank goodness that most people mellow with age (me being one of
them).  10 years ago my response to comments like this would have been
quite different ;-)

73 de Phil N8VB

 1150583795.0