[sdiy] When NOT to use sockets for chips ?

[Scott Gravenhorst]

Experiences differ.  I've had some problems with sockets that made me
stop using them in finished equipment except for those conditions Jim
listed.  

Our experiences don't cancel each other, neither is right or wrong. 

For what you are talking about, I have used solderless breadboards to
do proof of concept.  And an SBB is just a big socket, so in that
respect, I do value sockets for experimentation.  I have blown things
up on SBB while figuring things out.  Once I have the final schematic
nailed down, it moves to stripboard where I solder all ICs.

As always, YMMV.


"Tim Daugard" <daugard at sprintmail.com> wrote:
>From: "Scott Gravenhorst" <music.maker at gte.net>
>
>> obeyed.  There is no need to socket them unless you plan to abuse
>them.  The
>> odd IC that might fail (_extremely_ rare except for specific
>devices with
>> known issues) can be replaced an resoldered.
>>
>> Note that commercial equipment applies these rules as well, and
>for the same
>> reasons that Jim lists.  CPUs, RAM, and programmable option ICs
>are the only
>> ones that are socketed.
>
>If was building commercial equipment, it would definetely be no
>sockets. MIL SPEC is no sockets, confromal coated. But for my own
>equipent it is always sockets. I have destroyed one IC four times in
>a piece of test equipment I built. Soldering and unsoldering that
>chip would seriously weaken the board after three repairs (high
>humidity environment - every cycle adds more posibility of
>contaniments into the solder and copper). I don't have any problems
>with socketed chips, even in things built 15 years ago.
>
>Tim Daugard
>AG4GZ 30.4078N 86.6227W Alt: 12 feet above MSL
>http://home.sprintmail.com/~daugard/synth.htm
>

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