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Metal Whisker Videos

Click this Link to Visit the NEW Video Section for -
Preliminary Guidance for Optical Inspection for Metal Whiskers

May 2010: Videos:  "Real-Time Growth Videos of Whiskers and Hillocks in Tin Over Copper Structures", Brown University

December 2008:  Whisker Growth Videos by CALCE (University of Maryland)

April 2007:  Tin Plasma Formation (Metal Vapor Arc) by The Aerospace Corporation

The following videos have been produced by component engineers from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the NASA Shuttle Logistics Depot to document various aspects of metal (e.g., tin and zinc) whiskers.  

Video # Subject Production Date Description
13 Melting a Tin Whisker Using a Volt/Ohm Meter to Measure Resistance April 2012 Video demonstrates that a multimeter (volt/ohm meter) set in RESISTANCE MEASURING MODE may supply a voltage that is sufficient to melt a tin whisker thus removing evidence of the whisker as a possible root cause of electrical faults
12 Optical Microscopy of a D-Sub Connector with Tin Whiskers:
Extended version of Video from July 2006		 April 2012 Video demonstrating impact of lighting and inspection angle while using optical microscopy to detect tin whiskers on a Dsub connector shell.

As presented by L. Panashchenko at the IPC Tin Whisker Symposium 2012 (Dallas, TX)
11 Zinc Whiskers on Hot Dip Galvanized (HDG) Steel and Whisker Bending Due to Electrostatic Attraction September 2007 Video illustrates HDG coatings are not immune to whisker formation.  Also illustrates bending/flexing of whiskers in presence of electric fields
10 NASA Shuttle Logistics Depot-Tin Whisker Video
Hi-Res MPEG file (~45Mbytes)
Lo-Res WMV file (~11Mbytes)
 April 2007 Video detailing the efforts of the the NSLD in addressing a massive tin whisker infestation in NASA Space Shuttle avionics boxes
9 Tin Whisker Infestation on Tin-Plated Card Rails
(~5Mbytes)		 November 2006 Video showing extreme tin whisker infestation on tin-plated card rails
8 D-Sub Connectors with Tin Whiskers (~5Mbytes) July 2006 Video showing tin whisker growing on D-Sub Connector Shell
7 Transformer Cans with Tin Whiskers (~5Mbytes) July 2006 Video showing tin whiskers growing from tin-plated transformer cans
6 RF Enclosures with Tin Whiskers and Loose Whisker Debris (~5 Mbytes) January 2007 Video showing tin whiskers on RF enclosure that produced field problems for an anonymous source.
5 Electromagnetic Relay with Tin Whiskers  (~11 Mbytes)
(Mfr date 1993. Inspection date 2006)		 June 15, 2006 Video showing long tin whiskers on an electromagnetic relay made in 1993 and inspected in 2006.
4 Terminal Lugs with Metal Whiskers (~5 Mbytes) May 26, 2006 Video shows metal whiskers on terminal lugs
3 Tin Whiskers on Variable Capacitor - 1960 Grundig Radio
(~5 Mbytes)		  April 2006 Video shows extremely dense growth of tin whiskers on a variable air capacitor inside of a 1960 vintage radio tuner. Longest whisker in video ~8-mm. Video highlights extreme flexibility of long, slender whiskers. 
2 Tin Whisker Growth Kinetics
MPG Format (11 MBytes)		 Nov. 5, 2002 Demonstrates the growth process of a tin whisker over a period of ~1.5 months
1

Tin Whisker Motion Due to Gentle Air Currents

RealPlayer Format (2.5 MBytes)
MPG Format (26 MBytes)
 Nov. 5, 2002 Demonstrates how some tin whiskers behave under influence of minor air currents.  These whiskers were found growing inside of electromagnetic relays whose procurement specs prohibited the use of pure tin-plating, but the finish WAS PURE TIN nevertheless.

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Responsible NASA Officials:

   Michael Sampson/NASA GSFC Code 306
   Dr. Henning Leidecker/NASA GSFC Code 562		 Additional Researchers: 

Jay Brusse/Dell Perot Systems
Lyudmyla Panashchenko/NASA GSFC Code 562
Jong Kim/Orbital Sciences Corp.

Last Updated:

January 24, 2011

DISCLAIMER:
This website provides information about tin whiskers and related research. The independent research performed during the past 50+ years is so vast that it is impractical to cover all aspects of tin whiskers in this one resource. Therefore, the absence of information in this website about a particular aspect of tin whiskers should NOT be construed as evidence of absence.

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