Well, I've got an update for your question, RC.
Here we have a fine specimen of a lead free solder. It is a component in a television. Lifespan? 2.5 years. Yep...
2.5 years! TWO POINT FIVE *#(@*#$%^ YEARS!!! (Picture Ron White in your mind, if you know who that is.) Cost of lead free solder?
$1250.00 and a few points raised on the blood pressure. So as it's obvious, I'm a little bit stressed out. I'm not in a "save the environment" mood...at all...especially when there are unwatched episodes of Hogans Hero's or Gilligans Island on. I just know there gonna get off that island soon, and now I'm gonna miss it. O.K...I have deleted about 2000 words from this post to keep from ranting (as much), but I basically mentioned ROHS, "feel good" laws, save the whales, shoot the seals, axis of evil, and everything in-between. So, anyhow, an hour or so conducting research on the net, and I find a likely solution to saving my investment, the environment, AND my sanity. It turns out this is a VERY common problem. A partial dis-assembly of said television, break out the 'ol soldering gun, repair cracked solder (it's not lead free, anymore
), purchase a fuse from Mouser, install fuse when it arrives, re-assemble television. Total cost? Around $12.00. Most people would have called it a loss, tossed it, and purchased a new TV, with the old one ending up in the landfill exposing the environment to a million contaminates... other than lead. Yeah, real great job thinking "green" and making things 10 times worse. I want my lead back, thank you very much.