NSL-32 ROHS version….

[gyraf]

..once talked to a local material physicist about this, and the short answer was that we don't have other obvious routes to photoconductors or optical/resistive sensors - other than 1) a single line in a lead-based infrared-sensitive variation (but lead off course has the same problem) and then 2) a small chance in the Indium antimonide (InSb) family, but I don't think anyone pursued this (yet)

lead-based: https://www.thorlabs.com/thorproduct.cfm?partnumber=FDPS3X3

/Jakob E.

 

[ruffrecords]

I am still confused as to why the compound cadmium sulphide is included in ROHS. There is no way to "mechanically" separate the cadmium from the sulphur. As I have noted before, nobody would want raw sodium in a product but regular table salt is sodium chloride which is perfectly safe.

Cheers

Ian

 

[gyraf]

it's not about separating Cd from S, but about what percentage of cadmium - in any form - is in the bit you can scrape off with a sharp knife. As the photoconductor is on the surface (for obvious reasons easy to access with a sharp knife), stuff can be extracted that in itself contais more than the 1thou cadmium allowed

There's much more CD in my nice aluminum rack handles than in the optocell, but that is allowed as you can't access it "individually"

 

[clintrubber]

It's interesting (& saddening) to see to which lengths replacement modules (need to) go to replace a pesky LDR.

So far I've seen only the 'workarounds' for the Fender silverface reissue tremolo ('vibrato') and Korg NuVibe, there'll be other examples (please tell). These two each spend 'quite some BOM'.

As said by others, given the production numbers for LDR-based gear it won't be economical to invest in an alternative.
Technically speaking all that 'workaround stuff' could be 'thrown into an IC'. You could end up with a superfluous integrated VCA-variant though. For truly dedicated version, production numbers will not make such an IC viable.

Yet something alike was done for reverbs tanks though (those Belton modules), but demand for reverb is higher than tremolo... but who knows...

 

[ruffrecords]

it's not about separating Cd from S, but about what percentage of cadmium - in any form - is in the bit you can scrape off with a sharp knife.

That does not make sense to me but since when have standards to pass the common sense test

As the photoconductor is on the surface (for obvious reasons easy to access with a sharp knife),

Is it? Surely it is encapsulated in clear plastic. You can scrape that as much as you like and all you will get is plastic.

stuff can be extracted that in itself contains more than the 1thou cadmium allowed

There's much more CD in my nice aluminum rack handles than in the optocell, but that is allowed as you can't access it "individually"

I don't understand "access it individually". What does that mean and why cannot you access the Cd (in any form) in your rack handles?

Cheers

Ian

 

[gyraf]

the legalese is about mechanical separability, i.e. if you by mechanical means can obtain any sample containing more than 0.1 percent cadmium

if it's impurity evenly distributed across aluminum, you can't hack out a small piece that exceeds the limit. From the surface of a LDR you can..

/Jakob E.

 

[ruffrecords]

the legalese is about mechanical separability, i.e. if you by mechanical means can obtain any sample containing more than 0.1 percent cadmium

Sorry to bang on about this, but you will not obtain cadmium from an LDR.. You will obtain the compound cadmium sulphide. It seems it all boils down to the definition of "mechanical means". You cannot extract cadmium from cadmium sulphide by mechanical means. You might be able to do it by chemical means but not mechanical ones.

if it's impurity evenly distributed across aluminum, you can't hack out a small piece that exceeds the limit. From the surface of a LDR you can..

/Jakob E.

So density of the offending element is important too.

Cheers

Ian

 

[rogs]

I must have missed something here? .... I see that NSL 32 devices are still listed from many of the major suppliers - and are shown as being in stock....
How do Mouser, Farnell, Digikey etc get round this ban?

 

[ruffrecords]

I must have missed something here? .... I see that NSL 32 devices are still listed from many of the major suppliers - and are shown as being in stock....
How do Mouser, Farnell, Digikey etc get round this ban?

They don't have to. The "ban" applies only to the EU.

Cheers

Ian

 

[rogs]

I wonder if this is a serious supplier? ..... https://xvive.com/audio/category/optocouplers
The data sheets claim RoHS compliance... and 'Pb free - CD free' ?