I Always use sockets now Re: [sdiy] IC socket question

[Cynthia Webster]

This is interesting to me because I'd been taught to insist on machined pin
sockets over all others.  They call them "High Reliability" yet many folks
here say otherwise!  (I know that they can be pure hell sometimes
-just getting the chips into them without bending pins!)

Personally I always use military grade machined pin sockets on every chip
everywhere now, (Gold if possible) because at the rate things are going with
surface mount components and miniaturization... even lowly 741 DIP Opamps
may sell for well over ten-dollars each sooner than you think!

For example I have some CA3094s that have turned out to be quite valuable
and because I'd been using sockets, I was able to easily salvage them as
practically good as new.

I'd be curious though to hear if anyone thinks the use of sockets like this
actually ~causes~ more reliability problems than they fix?

I usually wait until a PCB board is totally wired to the pots and the
switches and everything else ~before~ stuffing the chips into the sockets
for the first time.

Does anyone think this is being too paranoid?

Cynthia

> I will second Harry on this one...The Amp Diplomate is the most trouble free
> socket I have
> used.
> 
> One place I worked used lots of the machined pin sockets, for "reliability".
> We had enough
> trouble with them that they caused major headaches...but they wouldn't stop
> using them...go
> figure.
> 
> harrybissell at prodigy.net wrote:
> 
>> I would not use tin machined sockets at all.
>> 
>> These have very low contact force and probably should be
>> gold plated to be reliable....
>> 
>> OTOH I do use AMP Diplomate sockets in tin... they have a dual
>> leaf - side wipe that has very high contact force... enough to
>> establish a gas-tight connection like Wire-Wrap. Never had a
>> socket failure
>> 
>> (and I say this with some misgivings, because AMP just fvcked me over
>> by changing the design of a HD-15 connector, without warning or changing the
>> part number....)
>> 
>> The Diplomate is a 'good' AMP product...
>> 
>> H^) harry
>> 
>> --------Original Message--------
>> 
>> From: groovyshaman at snet.net
>> To: "synth-diy list" <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
>> Sent: Dec 12 2002 13:19
>> Subject: [sdiy] IC socket question
>> 
>>> Just wondering, do you think there could be any issues down the road when
>>> using turned-pin type IC sockets that have tin sleeves and gold contacts due
>>> to dissimilar metals?  Or should one stick to all-tin or all-gold?
>>> George
>> 
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Powered by Wild On Web:
>> Free POP Mail Access - Access your E-mail from Anywhere in the World!
>> http://www.wildonweb.com
>> |Awards|Money|Bank|Credit|Dating|Games|Jokes|Vitamins|Magazines|Diet|
>> |Bookstore|News|Babies|Cards|Homepages|Hobbies|...
> 
> --
> -Jim
> ------------------------------------------------
> * Visit:http://www.silcom.com/~patchell/
> *-----------------------------------------------
> *I'm sure glad Merry Christmas comes just once a year
> * -Yogi Yorgensen
> ------------------------------------------------
> 
>