Wiardgroup

Hi,
 In my day job, i work in the Aerospace Hardware racket and we are
wrestling with the slippery slopes of Rohs (and WEEE)implementation
schedules.
 First off here is a page that outlines a '50,000 foot' overview:

http://www.newark.com/services/rohs/rohs_facts.html

 It's more informative in how much it DOESN'T say. IMHO it appears
that the regulations are still in the 'make it up as we go along
phase' which means, in hard-nosed practical terms, that customs entry
points will polarize for a while:
Some will become lax while the poor overworked and underpaid customs
officers try to decipher and comprehend the reams of conflicting
directives. 
Others are going to take a -'kill 'em all and let god sort 'em out'-
approach in order to avoid making a mistake (this has happened to my
company a few times since December.

Regarding the current USA export policy. My reading of the bulletins
is that the shipping declaration may, at the sellers option, label a
shipment as Rohs compliant. If that shipment is inspected at the
destination and the compliance claim is false the exporter risks being
put on an import ban list. If the exporter simply declines to indicate
whether a shipment is compliant the burden of proof is shifted to the
importer. This varies from nation to nation and the risk is that the
shipment will be shunted to a lengthy 'pending-inspection' queue. 

Thus the bottom line is that after July 1 2006, if a shipment is
declared as electronic equipment, the risk of non-Rohs-compliant gear
being stopped at the border is high and likely to get higher.
Exemptions exist (ie for military hardware) and others are being
discussed for "vintage" equipment but that will be based on the date
of manufacture, and thus a new Wiard would not qualify. Some of our EU
customers have been able to successfully appeal customs decisions but
the process takes time.

On a personal peeve note: Rohs compliance favors robot-assembled SOIC
boards over hand-wired PCBs .... at the risk of sounding like a
luddite (transistors are for babies! Tubes are the only choice for
Real Men!) Artisanal electronics is truly threatened by this policy.
The lead-free alernatives touted by the importer nations are all
designed for the manufacture of disposable appliances (ie cell phones,
computers & ipods) and they exempt their own militaries because the
best and the brightest in their own research departments know
full-well that lead-free alternatives are a decade from being
equivalent in function and durability. 
Green technology is a worthy cause and that makes this an authentic
dilemma. But i think it's a mistake to accept the propaganda being
circulated that cost is the only reason to resist the current
lead-free technologies. The alternatives just aren't ready to stand in
for the old technology yet... not in any device that you hope to use
10 years from now.
i've been a vegetarian for 30 years but there's no getting around the
fact that a little lard still makes a better pie crust than anything
else, it takes a just pinch of compromise to make real life work.

(sorry for the screed)
-doc 
 


--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "mrboningen"
<darkflametwentythree@...> wrote:
>
> i'm still worried too :( what are the new US export policies regarding
> shipping to japan or europe grant? are you allowed to do it? i hope so!
> 
> best wishes,
> 
> gregg
> 
> --- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, Ingo Zobel <synaptic_music@> wrote:
> >
> > 
> > as you can imagine i really don't know much about
> > US export policy, i just have a little panic actually.
> > i can understand if you don't care about those few modules
> > going to europe, but you bet that i care about it, because
> > i'd be one of those buyers. looks like i have to check the
> > EU import policy in greater detail now.
> > 
> > best wishes
> > 
> > ingo
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --- Grant Richter <grichter@> schrieb:
> > 
> > > It is the responsibility of the BUYER to comply with local
> > > regulations.
> > > 
> > > Wiard is governed by US export policy, not the import policy of the
> > > country of destination.
> > > 
> > > --- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, Ingo Zobel <synaptic_music@>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > 
> > > > hello grant,
> > > > 
> > > > so you stopp selling things to your european customers?
> > > > i don't hope so, because i love your work and i really want
> > > > to add more of your stuff to my system everytime when you
> > > > come up with something new. i there a workaround for
> > > > europeans like me?
> > > > 
> > > > best wishes
> > > > 
> > > > ingo
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > --- Grant Richter <grichter@> schrieb:
> > > > 
> > > > > There are no plans to remove the lead content from any Wiard
> > > > > electronics.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Wiard modules are museum pieces and are designed using
"archival"
> > > > > techniques with the goal 
> > > > > of having a useful life of 100 years. The use of lead solder is
> > > > > intrinsic to this process, since 
> > > > > the life span of lead solder connections is know from experience
> > > to
> > > > > last this period of time.
> > > > > 
> > > > > The life span of lead-free solder joints in not know at this
> > > time.
> > > > > There is a known failure 
> > > > > mode in lead-free solder which prevent it's use in military and
> > > high
> > > > > reliability electronics (tin 
> > > > > whisker growth).
> > > > > 
> > > > > I can assure you the lifetime ground water lead pollution of all
> > > > > Wiard modules ever built does 
> > > > > not approach 1/1,000,000 the number of lead molecules leached by
> > > acid
> > > > > rain from all the 
> > > > > leaded glass windows in churches during a single rain storm.
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
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> >