Lead Kills X-Pan

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Just picked up my copy of the British Journal of Photography. In it an article states that the X-pan was discontinued because the Lead solder in its circuit boards does not comply with new EU pollution regulations. A redesign of the circuitboard was viewed as currently uneconomic so they killed the camera. I believe that the Pentax 67II is in the same boat. How many other film cameras could be killed by this legislation?
 
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Iyidin_Kyeimo said:
How strange, why does the circuit board need a redesign? Can't see it making any difference what kind of solder you use... 😕
Click to expand...

Well, it probably mean redesign/equiping the factory production line was viewed as uneconomic.
 
In practical terms, if that´s true, it means almost all electronics should be redesigned with new components or at least new soldering techniques.

The ordinary soldering wire has a small amout of lead (ideal mix is 63% tin, 37% lead) because the soldering itself made with tin only wouldn´t be mechanically strong enough to resist the repeated thermal cycle of cold-heat-cold or vibration without the risk of broken connections.

If that notice is true, then, very few cameras would survive this legislation.

If the problem is wasted material recycling .... hummmm..... some cameras are not the same as consumer electronics, quantities involved are not the same however the main point is that they have some electronics inside, and of course some lead contents.

Then what about digicams and P&S chinese made cameras?

Let´s keep the mechanical cameras alive... they wouldn´t be banned!

Ernesto
 
WOW this seems a bit out of control. I think they have bigger fish to fry than some lead in a circuit board.

Just my 2Cents
 
It's a big deal in the EU and China is hot on their heals. The massive growth in computers has cause concern about old HW getting into landfills and lead then going into water supply.

I'm not close enough to the technology any more to know, but I agree, it's not the new board, but the massive line change. They do not expect to sell enough of them in the future to offset the cost of new machines that they feel may not be used for other products.

I think it's kind of like the Y2K excuse to dump a lot of old software that IT (me) did not want to support any more.

My guess is you will see a lot of film cameras beind dumped because of this.

I wonder if anyone every though of asking for an extension?

B2 (;->
 
http://www.ephotozine.com/news/fullnews.cfm?NewsID=2826

"Press release
Hasselblad has, unfortunately, been forced to discontinue the manufacture of the XPan system with immediate effect. Hasselblad (UK) Limited has a small number of kits, but has said that it will not be able to get any more when they have run out, although there will be a supply of both 30mm and 90mm XPan lenses for a while more.
There are a number of reasons why the XPan cannot be continued, but the timing has been forced upon us by the European Community in the form of the ‘Disposal of Hazardous Waste Regulations’. These come into effect in mid July and prevent electronics manufacturers using lead solder in their circuit boards. The XPan is evidently manufactured using lead, and falls foul of these new rules. The cost of redesigning the circuits in a way that removes the need for lead solder is too high, given the declining worldwide sales of the camera. Consequently Hasselblad have been forced into the decision not to produce any more.

Simon Barnard, Managing Director of Hasselblad (UK) Limited stated: “It seems a great shame that this innovative, iconic camera should have to be discontinued in this way, especially as UK sales have been particularly good, but there is really no other choice open to us. Obviously, we will continue to support the product line for at least ten years”."
 
The difference is disposal and the wastes of manufacture. Thing is, look at digital. . . .20 years from now, there will be a thick layer of digicams over the entire surface of the Earth. With some computers mixed in.

Very narrow minded people we have running things.
 
Oh. c'mon gimme a break here!

A camera "outlawed" because of its solder content.

As Col. Potter would say: "Horsehockey!"

If this is true - is the EU about to outlaw all electronic circuitry?

Here's the "skinny" m/l on solder from the ARRL Handbook:

"Solders have different melting points, depending on the ratio of tin to lead. Tin melts at 450°F and lead at 621°F. Solder made from 63% tin and 37% lead melts at 361°F, the lowest melting point for a tin and lead mixture. Called 63-37 (or eutectic), this type of solder also provides the most rapid solid-to-liquid transition and the best stress resistance.

Solders made with different lead/tin ratios have a plastic state at some temperatures. If the solder is deformed while it is in the plastic state, the deformation remains when the solder freezes into the solid state. Any stress or motion applied to “plastic solder” causes a poor solder joint. 60-40 solder has the best wetting qualities. Wetting is the ability to spread rapidly and bond materials
uniformly. 60-40 solder also has a low melting point. These factors make it the most commonly used solder in electronics.

Some connections that carry high current can’t be made with ordinary tin-lead solder because the heat generated by the current would melt the solder. Automotive starter brushes and transmitter tank circuits are two examples. Silver-bearing solders have higher melting points, and so prevent this problem. Hightemperature silver alloys become liquid in the 1100°F to 1200°F range, and a silver-manganese (85-15) alloy requires almost 1800°F.

Because silver dissolves easily in tin, tin bearing solders can leach silver plating from components. This problem can be greatly reduced by partially saturating the tin in the solder with silver or by eliminating the tin. Tin-silver or tin-lead-silver alloys become liquid at temperatures from 430°F for 96.5-3.5 (tin-silver), to 588°F for 1.0-97.5-1.5 (tin-lead-silver). A 15.0-80.0-5.0 alloy of lead-indiumsilver
melts at 314°F."

Now, I'd like to know how you are going to have any electronic goods in the EU if you "outlaw" solder? Are you going back to the caves too?

Gimme a break - the darned camera wasn't selling so they "killed" it!

Where does some of this b.s. come from?
 
This again proves the extreme politic influence of the "green" clan in the EU!
Other examples:
Nuclear elecricty: has to dissapear, but buying electricity from nuclear power plants outside the EU is OK.
Wind generators: no good , harms the birds.

Driving a car with environment friendly fuel (LPG) is punished (extra taxes, yearly expensive control).

etc.

Wim (EU citizen)
 
kbg32 said:
the timing has been forced upon us by the European Community
Click to expand...

That looks odd to me. It's the European Union, not Community.

And anyway soldering materials could easily be changed by Fuji, just as they will be by Sony and Apple and Dell and LG and...
 
In my eyes that's a lame excuse for killing the X-Pan. Soldering isn't exactly a new technology and if there really is a lead problem then because their technology has been outdated many years before the first production run in '98.

The " new" law they talk about is from 2001, starts by 7/2006 and has been discussed years before......
 
Just got an E-Mail from Kacer that they provide lead free computer power supplies over their whole range of computer cases. Asus, Gigabyte, ASrock etc.pp provide lead free mainboards for some time now.
Pretty everything electronic in current production is available lead free.

From another source I heard that Hasselblad has to stop production due to the unavailability of certain parts in the camera and one of the parts is called Fuji TX-2.

And for LPG powered cars, convert your car to LPG here in Bremen and you get 3000 Euro from our local energy provider, if it's old enough you'll get a tax reduction too since the car meets higher environmental standards burning LPG.
The tank has to be better maintaind than a usual gas tank, a car leaking some gas or diesel isn't as hazardous as one leaking LPG.
 
The lead solder withc hunt

The lead solder withc hunt

It wouldn't be such a problem if XPAN shooters would quit throwing their $2100US XPANs into lakes and wildlife refuges by the tens of thousands...

JEEZUZ give me a break! How much solder is there in a circut board?? 2 or 3 drops??
Yes folks, that will definitely be the end of the human race! :bang:
 
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