Tubes and RoHS compliance?

[alex278]

I was wondering, is it still possible to make tube amplifiers (for commercial purposes) after 1 july 2006, the day the RoHS directive becomes effective?

For those unknown to RoHS: it's a restriction on hazardous substances, mostly aimed at lead, chromium and other similar heavy metals. The way RoHS compliance is usually enforced is that you have maintain a huge list wherein the RoHS-conformity of each part is listed. Fat chance of getting a RoHS-list from RCA, Philips or Pope...

[Joel]

You're joking, right?

[Alastair E]

Unfortunately, he's NOT joking!

Lately it seems, especially in the Netherlands and Holland, that a huge amount of new legislation relating to the manufacture of anything, especially electical gear have come into effect...

Wont be long before the UK follow suit...........

I know, that here in the UK, that tubes and CRT's need special disposal due to the lead in the glass.......

[SY]

The real idea is to make small electronics manufacture as difficult and impractical as possible to prevent any serious competition with the big, well-established, government-favored companies. We call this law "The Philips Protection Act."

[poobah]

I was OK with this stuff when it was about little hungry kids eating paint chips... I haven't heard of too many tikes eating circuit boards.

Why not pass a law that says all electronics must last ten years instead of 2. If we quit building junk in the first place; there wouldn't be so much to throw away.

[Geek]

If we quit building junk in the first place; there wouldn't be so much to throw away.

Sony will just force DRM legislation to make your player self-destruct in 2 years anyway.

What I find odd, is though Canada/US has no RoHS-like laws, RoHS compliant components are so abundant here that I could make kits RoHS compatible (without the tubes) without spending a penny more.

[poobah]

I guess I don't understand why electronics containing lead cannot be properly labeled and recycled... this was d@mned popular when things contained more gold. The most electronic home probably contains less than a pound of lead... there is 50 lbs of lead under the hood of the car! Cadmium makes lead look like vanilla icecream... look at all the gutless portable tools people are building (and buying).

I do alot of surface mount cr@p with very large and very small components on the same board. The oven temperature profile for lead free solders is higher in temperature and shorter in time. This makes it harder to build mixed technology/hybrid board styles.

I agree with with SY... I think it is more about politics. I'd like to see a list of the products that are excluded from the RoSH initiative... THAT would be telling.

[tubelab.com]

What I find odd, is though Canada/US has no RoHS-like laws, RoHS compliant components are so abundant here that I could make kits RoHS compatible (without the tubes) without spending a penny more.

There may not be any laws here....yet. But since most modern electronics for US / Canada consumption are designed to be manufactured in another country, and possibly sold there (if they are even designed here). With this in mind most component vendors are phasing out their non RoHS compliant parts.

I work for a major electronics company. Most of the products designed in the facility are not sold in Europe. As of Jan 1. all of the products designed here must be RoHS compliant. It is only a matter of time before RoHS is world wide.

Good luck finding RoHS compliant tube sockets.

[Geek]

Hi Tubelab!

Originally posted by tubelab.com
Good luck finding RoHS compliant tube sockets.

Indeed.

However there is a method and I have used it as a replacement for odd sockets in short supply (like compactron). Use the individual "pin sockets" available for IC's and wires and insert them in a PCB with a compactron form. Instant (and RoHS) socket! The cost is ballpark for a US-obtained oddball socket.

The problem is durability compared to the ceramic compactron socket. And of course, the cost is far more than 7 or 9-pin minature.

[anatech]

RoHS does not apply to parts used for repair of existing equipment. It will be interesting to see what RoHS compliant tube guitar amps show up.

I have long argued against "junk" manufacture, as you are poobah. I also believe SY is at least partially correct. We all lose because the correct choices were not made years ago.

$$$$

-Chris