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

[patchell]

    The reliability problems I have experience have a bit of a range, but they are
all mechanical problems, rather than electronic.  One bit problem, chips falling out
of the sockets, generally in shipping.  The most insidious are the sockets that are
missing the "guts" (the spring clip that goes into the pin barrel).  Doing a once
over inspection, it is very difficult to notice, and many times, the equipment will
work just fine right through test, but then will fail, intermittently, in the
field.  I spent many hours doing failure analysis on boards that have hundreds of
chips on them only to track the problem to a socket that is missing guts.  With the
Amp Diplomate sockets, I have never experienced these problems.

    I have nothing really against sockets, although, I try to avoid using them.
They do make debugging a new circuit easier.  And when I breadboard, I use them
exclusively.

Cynthia Webster wrote:

> 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
> >>
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> > --
> > -Jim
> > ------------------------------------------------
> > * Visit:http://www.silcom.com/~patchell/
> > *-----------------------------------------------
> > *I'm sure glad Merry Christmas comes just once a year
> > * -Yogi Yorgensen
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> >
> >

--
 -Jim
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* Visit:http://www.silcom.com/~patchell/
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*I'm sure glad Merry Christmas comes just once a year
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