[sdiy] [OT] puzzling EPROM problem

[harry]

I'm in the industrial market... where long (abusive) life is very
important.
We have not seen any difference in boards that are... and are
not socketed as far as reliability.  Service is much easier with
sockets.

You must use appropriate sockets. The little gold plated screw
machined sockets just do not have the retention force needed...and
most failed sockets I've seen are this type. Second is the real cheap
econo-plastic single leaf sockets... they are worse than BBD's !!!

I use AMP Diplomate (dual leaf) and have never seen one intermittant
yet. I
ask all our service techs if they have had a problem... NO.

OTOH surface mount makes this all moot point.. don't it !!!  ;^(

H^) harry

TooManySynths wrote:

> --- harry <harrybissell at prodigy.net> wrote:
> > Sockets are rarely used in manufacturing anymore
> > because
> > bean-counters run companies... not engineers and
> > technicians.
> >
> > I erll our techs if they EVER have to repair a
> > board... put in
> > a socket.
>
> There is a big difference though, between a few
> sockets on a board, and a board full of sockets.  I
> realize that sockets drive up the price.  But they
> also add to unreliability of products.  I have
> repaired more than a few computers in the early days
> where the probelem was just pushing in chips.  I also
> remember at least a couple of occasions where a chip
> or two had actually fallen out.  They add to the cost
> of a product in many ways and it isn't only as simple
> as "bean counters run companies".  Tech support and
> repair as well as simply the cost of the extra step
> are valid concerns.  It does make sense, imho, to not
> use sockets if you are producing consumer items,
> especially consumer items that typically are outdated
> before requiring repair.  Sockets, for instance, are a
> waste of money in a tabletop video game, as in pretty
> much ALL computer products.
>
> > It is really nice to have sockets when you are
> > troubleshooting.
>
> Agree, I always use sockets in my diy stuff.
> ESPECIALLY if I'm hand wiring and not using a PCB.  I
> ALWAYS power up without the chips installed and
> physically check correct polarity in the sockets.
> Since I'm building stuff with CEM/SSM chips, it saves
> me a whole lot of stress knowing that I'm not gonna
> blow up fifty bucks worth of chips for a simple
> mistake.
>
> But, that's not the same as manufacturing a consumer
> product that's going to take physical abuse and
> require repair when no legitimate repair should be
> necessary.  It is the lesser of two evils to drive up
> the repair costs for the few machines that truly fail
> rather than spend large amounts of money repairing
> those products that only have faulty connections.
>
> There are other examples of this thinking.  Back in
> the sixties and seventies the "socketable" module was
> used in TVs.  The idea was that the service technician
> could repair the TV in short order by simply swapping
> out the module.  The connections, however, caused most
> of the problems and this idea was short lived.
>
> Whether they cost more or not, sockets add
> unreliablity to a product and their only value is in
> service, therefore, it only makes sense to use them,
> when genuine service costs are more than likely going
> to be high.
>
> Daryl
>
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