Apologies 100 x 160 is a eurocard size it is by far the most commonly used size for hobbyists that get PCB's made for them by the likes of PCB pool or similar PCB houses.GrowlingandBiffo wrote:Eurocard is a standard format, not a size per sec.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocard_%28PCB%29
You should always use lead free products as lead is banned and for very good reasons...
Lead solder is not "banned" it is being very slowly Phased out across most sectors, but the military products we build have a strictly non lead free policy.
The majority of component suppliers have switched over to ROHS compliant product purely because the one product is usually suitable for both lead and lead free processes.
It is widely accepted that lead free is the way to go as far as the environmental stance, but from a manufacturing and consumer aspect, lead free is an absolute nightmare in terms of long term reliability.
The noxious chemicals produced because of the increase in the quantity of the agressive flux required to make a decent fillet, is significantly more harmful to operative and environment than the trace amounts of lead that vapourise during processing of good old 60/40 Pb.
There are NO plans in the military sector to phase over to lead free the medical sector have concessions on vital pieces of equipent like ECG and dialysis machines.
The electronics test equipment manufacturers have boycotted Pb free altogether!
On the other hand end consumer goods like mobile and DECT phones, PC's and perhipherals, TV, AV equipment were some of the first to drift over as these product inevitably end up not being recycled but end up in landfills.
We in the UK have no government directives or EC driectives that say we must move over to lead free within any time frame.
Our factory has leadfree product and it only constitutes 5% of our total throughput, there just isn't that much of a call for it outside of mainstream disposable products.