Randolph

> What's
> going on with Honda's soldering? It could also be a
> design issue of not properly bracing a component to the
> printed circuit board and just depending on the solder to
> hold it. Then with vibrations and jolts that in an environ-
> ment like a car, eventual failure.

Spot on. Solder is a very poor mechanical fastener. If larger
components, like the relays inside the "main relay" are mounted only by
the solder joints it is very likely to cause problems. If you have
vibrations or any kind of mechanical stress on a solder joint the solder
will eventually fatigue and crack.

This is also why you should NOT tin the ends of wires that go in screw
terminals. You tighten up the screw, and eventually that tight screw
will cause the solder to fatigue and the wire to become loose. Many of
the UL type agencies will not approve products with tinned ends in screw
terminals.