Hi there,
no, the PCBs can be the same. Flex boards are a different opera - and
those are PIA no matter of soldering process type :) I am working as
manufacturing product engineer for Nokia Mobile Phone division and we
have changed to RoHS-compliant products llately. Basically, it is often
possible to even without changing any components. Modern mobile phones
are all lead-free and their screws are not plated with cadmium coating
any more. Everything is possible to do, but reliability suffers at least
a bit. Soldering needs higher oven temperatures (which causes more
mechanical stress inside the PCB and components) and mechanical joints
are not so strong as they were in days of PbSn-soldering pastes.
Basically the only positive side of RoHS is that it keeps the
environmentalists happy...
BR, Margus
Mark Roberts wrote:
I wouldn't be surprised if the lead-free solder required significantly
different manufacturing technology when applied, not to standard rigid
(epoxy-glass) boards, but the flexible plastic film "circuit boards"
that you find in modern cameras.
