The Restriction on Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) was first accepted by the European Union in February 2003. The goal of this legislation was to create unified standards on the acceptable amount of materials that are hazardous to human health being sold in the European Union. For example lead (pB) is dangerous to brain development in children.
In January 2013, RoHS 2, which restricts substances utilized in the manufacturing of electrical and electronic equipment went into effect. Specifically it:

1.  Establishes simple, effective and enforceable regulatory conditions.
2. Makes enforcement more harmonious with better legal clarity.
3. Sets forth the exemptions to the rules with more transparency.
4. Establishes gradual increases in the requirements with efforts towards full compliance by July 22, 2019 unless exemptions are renewed.

RoHS 1 & 2 Restricted Substances

The following six substances have remained through the original RoHS and the newer RoHS 2 rules:

1. Lead (pB): 0.1% by weight (<1000 ppm)
2. Mercury (Hg): 0.1% by weight (<100ppm)
3. Cadmium (Cd): 0.01% by weight (<100ppm)
4. Hexavalent Chromium (Cr VI)I: 0.1% by weight (<1000 ppm)
5. Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB): 0.1% by weight (1000 ppm)
6. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDCE): 0.1% by weight (<1000 ppm)

Compliance Versus Exempt

Often confusion or lack of understanding exists around the term “Compliant” vs “Exempt”. RoHS compliance requires all manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment to comply with RoHS 2 regulations. However there are over 80 current exemptions to the regulations. These exemptions are scheduled to expire in 2019 unless they are renewed. Some might be renewed while some new substance restrictions may be introduced.

Current Market Place for Wireless Products

1. Some have the viewpoint that compliance will be required in the next few years thus they make the decision to utilize RoHS in current products.
2. Generally products being utilized in the medical industry today are much more likely to require RoHS compliance vs. exempt.
3. RoHS is not always, but is often considered by customers globally outside of the European Union.
4. At AIR802, the product of concern is coaxial connectors.

• These connectors are manufactured with brass.
• Typical brass exceeds the lead (pB) allowable levels.
• While some of our connectors, particularly those in antennas are often  compliant, the majority exceed the lead (pB) levels, which are exempt from the rules.
• There is no legal requirement to keep them under limits. At this point, it is driven by customer demand.
• If customers request we will use a different grade of brass which will meet the restriction limits (even though not required today).
• Generally, use of brass with lead at <1000 ppm will add roughly 40% to the cost of connectors.

Please comment or contact us with any further questions!

 

What is a Connected Vehicle?

The Wikipedia definition of a connected car is: “A connected car is a car that is equipped with Internet access, and usually also with a wireless local area network. This allows the car to share internet access with other devices both inside as well as outside the vehicle.”

Outlook:

Current research and momentum are moving well beyond this with vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to roadside infrastructure (V2I) applications and technology. Imagine a safer world, one with near crash-free driving!

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that this technology could be a game changer, with the potential to reduce 80% of all vehicle crashes involving non-impaired drivers. As a result, putting teenagers behind the wheel for the first time can be less of a worry for parents. Travel time can be reduced through real-time assessments of all potential routes, traffic, and emergency updates like accidents and weather. The possibilities for improvements with this technology are astounding!

 In addition to these factors the continued improvements to fuel efficiency and vehicle design by manufacturers will lead to huge time and money savings. The possibilities are as exciting as they are endless; travel as we know it is rapidly changing for the better.

The Future is Now

All sound farfetched? Research and the creation of standards are already underway with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The efforts are centered on the use of the 5.850 to 5.925 GHz spectrum. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently exploring whether this spectrum can be shared with unlicensed Wi-Fi devices. Certainly applications and demand for spectrum are continuously growing. Consequently it will be very interesting to see the path legislation in regards to the connected vehicle, the use of the spectrum, and general technological advances will take in the near future. Networking News will continue to keep you up to date!