[sdiy] bit one

[Glen]

At 11:01 PM 2/6/04 , harrybissell wrote:

>Sometimes people are correct... a manufacturer's decision to use a certain 
>connector is strictly cost dependant, and replacing them is a good idea....
>
>other times its just "gilding the lily"....

I agree with Harry. I've seen gold contacts that gave problems, and I've
seen a lot of tin contacts that perform impressively well. The most obvious
example of a problem with gold, for this group, should be the simple J-wire
keyboard contact. I'm sure that several of you have had to clean a few
J-wire style contacts at some time. I've also seen gold-plated edge
connectors that gave some connection problems. There are a lot more
variables involved than which metal is chosen for a contact surface.

Since most of our through-hole chips have "tin" leads, I would be inclined
to use a good-quality tin socket for those chips. In fact, if the chip in
question is something inexpensive, such as an opamp, I'd seriously consider
soldering the chip in place. If it were something expensive, or something
prone to be replaced for some reason, I'd want to use a socket--perhaps
with some method to hold the chip in place, if I were worried about
vibration or chip-creep issues.

later,
Glen Berry