Disadvantages to socketing ICs

[shadow460]

Are there any? It adds another failure point to the circuit, but that's all I can think of. I had to remove the IC sockets from a Vader unit and solder the ICs directly to the board to get it going.

 

I've got some sockets in my 7800, my heavy sixer has the three main ICs socketed, and I'm considering adding a different BIOS to my ColecoVision. If I do that, I plan to solder it down.

[+nanochess]

I've used sockets for chips for a long time. It's a good thing for changing chips a small number of times, more makes it become prone to failure.

 

A high-quality socket can help you a lot when replacing chips that fail commonly or when testing different BIOS.

 

Some disadvantages of SOME sockets: some sockets "expulse" the chips a little (you should "press" at least every year), some sockets "oxydize" and fail to make contact, them introduce some noise in the signal, even I've found some sockets that "break" by below when you insert a chip so a pin could be without contact!

[Game-Tech.US]

I use turned pin sockets after having several dual wipe type fail from insertion and removal of chips with a bit of solder on the legs.

It was pulling the wiper right out.

Turned pin type has been hassle free.

I can also say i've been sorry I didn't put in a socket several times, usually when trying to track down problems.

[jferio]

Sockets can add a definite point of failure, but I tend to prefer using sockets whenever I need to handle ICs. While a cheap socket can fail quickly, it does provide a nice set of advantages:

 

1) Less likely you'll damage the IC soldering it in. ICs can be heat-sensitive, and some irons will overheat them, especially if you've got an iffy tip that needs more than a couple of seconds to liquify the solder.

 

2) Reduction in work. I know that the old Commodore 64, there was at least one static-sensitive chip in charge of the keyboard interface. If you have to swap that, better put in a socket so you never have to go in there with the iron again. This will be especially important to me when I get into ATMega programming via the Arduino.

 

3) Chip leg bending mods. If I have to do one of these, I vastly prefer to remove the chip, bend the appropriate pin on a socket, and solder that down. If I break the pin off the socket by mistake, it's no big deal, but if I break the pin on the IC itself, I can't reverse the mod without buying a system to donate a replacement IC.

 

Odds are if you're having trouble with socketed chips on a really old system, the socket has oxidized, and replacing the socket would be as effective as removing the socket and directly soldering the IC.

[+grips03]

I like sockets as the pads on older PCBs don't tend to like being soldered, unsoldered many times.

[shadow460]

I like sockets as the pads on older PCBs don't tend to like being soldered, unsoldered many times.

 

That only matters if I'm planning to remove 'em, which requires me to open the system yet again. Opening the system is work, and I'm lazy.

Edited February 13, 2013 by shadow460

[Uzumaki]

If the socket's there already, leave it. If there's no socket and I plan to change chips a few times, such as EPROM, I'd solder in socket. Otherwise, solder in chip and forget.

[+grips03]

I only don't use socket if the socket won't fit due to increased height, otherwise I use them