Hi friends,
When a given solder is available both in a leaded and in an unleaded version, what would you recommend from a sonic performance viewpoint (if somebody could assume that there is difference just with the presence or not of lead...).
Tks
When a given solder is available both in a leaded and in an unleaded version, what would you recommend from a sonic performance viewpoint (if somebody could assume that there is difference just with the presence or not of lead...).
Tks
I wouldn't make any assumption regarding "sonic performance," but from a general quality standpoint, I'd go with leaded. There's a reason military, aerospace and medical electronics are exempt from RoHS.
se
se
Solders Aint Solders....
First choice is Multicore 96s....96% Tin, 4% Silver.
Expensive, but wets very nicely and sounds really good.
Second choice is Multicore Savbit....sounds good also.
Dan.
First choice is Multicore 96s....96% Tin, 4% Silver.
Expensive, but wets very nicely and sounds really good.
Second choice is Multicore Savbit....sounds good also.
Dan.
Don't understand the fondness for silver. With regard to electronics soldering such as we're talking about here, it's really nothing more than a contaminant, resulting in a poorer quality solder joint than tin/lead.
Sure, if you're sweating copper joints in a plumbing project, it's fine (don't want lead in your water supply), but I'd never use it for electronics soldering.
se
Sure, if you're sweating copper joints in a plumbing project, it's fine (don't want lead in your water supply), but I'd never use it for electronics soldering.
se
The fondness is due to its ability to create a higher quality solder joint. Not to mention one that won't start sprouting tin whiskers that can cause failures.
se
Lead Sounds Bad....
Ime tin/silver sounds really good, lead/tin/silver sounds really bad.
Dan.
On the contrary...96S wets especially well, and is better conducting than standard 60/40 lead/tin.
It's worth trying. Years ago I mentioned 96S to a pro-audio colleague. When he rebuilds vintage mics, he nowadays won't use anything else. (he says better, cleaner, clearer sounding)
Ime tin/silver sounds really good, lead/tin/silver sounds really bad.
Dan.
It doesn't wet as well as 63/37 and has a rather higher melting point. And conductivity of the material doesn't matter so much as the quality of the joint itself.
I have. Along with a dozen or so other alloys over the years. I keep coming back go Kester 63/37 with their "44" flux.
Yeah, well some people report putting photographs of themselves in their freezers makes their system sound better. So...
se
I don't like the lead free solder either. The stuff is brittle the minute it solidifies. It may wet well, but that is not the sum total of a good solder joint. SOlder that wets to the joint well, but cracks later is not a good joint. And the tin whiskers in close quarters are a genuine concern.
I also vote for leaded solder unless your local law forbids it.
I also vote for leaded solder unless your local law forbids it.
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What, the blacks get blakker and the whites get... well, you know....?
Has anybody experimented with listening in a coldroom / industrial freezer?
Think of the tweak possibilities...
Perhaps soldering at sub-zero temperatures (good luck with that) might be the answer. Or maybe using solder with a melting point below zero which mandates operation in cold conditions to avoid the circuit falling apart.
Oh the opportunities for 'scientific research' !
blakkhumour
The resistance of any good soldered joint is very low. The resistance of a dry joint is all over the place and unstable. Traditional tin/lead is still the best way to avoid dry joints and as a bonus, the lower melting point makes component damage much less likely.
63/37 all the way. Only exception would be when the components to be soldered contain silver plating, at which point I use Cardas Quad Eutectic. Might be filled with a bit of marketing, but it really does wet beautifully and even smells pretty good as a bonus. But the leaded kind, still.
post15 lnk:
Can anyone see where it tells us if this quad is a eutectic?
or it's freezing temperature?
Can anyone see where it tells us if this quad is a eutectic?
or it's freezing temperature?
Found it.
sn100c is not a eutectic.
Melting point stated as 228°C
That's 44C, 79F degrees higher than 63/37 eutectic.
I have not found the pasty range (melted to frozen range). Maybe they are afraid to tell us !
sn100c is not a eutectic.
Melting point stated as 228°C
That's 44C, 79F degrees higher than 63/37 eutectic.
I have not found the pasty range (melted to frozen range). Maybe they are afraid to tell us !
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Joints? Hell, I remember when IAR introduced their Wonder Solder. Someone purported hearing a huge difference after they'd reflowed just ONE solder joint in the circuit with it. 😀
se
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