IC Sockets

[wez]

I'm looking for a good quality IC socket available locally.

not something i've ever had to buy before, so please excuse my ignorance.

first question - machine-tooled v. umm, not machine tooled. i have no doubt the former is better, but is there that much difference?

second question - gold sockets/tin IC pins... discuss. i can't seem to find a consensus - some people say it will be fine, others say the resultant chemical reaction will unleash the apocolypse.

anyone used the ones from jaycar? rubbish or OK? they seem to have 6 pin in Phosphor Bronze or Beryllium Copper but everything else (ie the ones i actually need) all seem to be gold.

thanks!

[waitup]

The difference between the machine tooled and not is one has like little tiny clip like things that hold the legs of the IC, where the other is just a round hole. In my experience either one works fine and neither has caused me too much grief.

I don't know about the different pin types in terms of material... I just buy the altrsonics ones. What package size do you need? I buy them by the 100, so if I've got ones with the right number of pins you can just have some.

NF

[wez]

cool, thanks nick.... yeah considering i'm replacing very dodgy non-machined types - and i never want to have to do it again - the machined ones are a no-brainer i guess. although the cheaper ones would be more tolerant, fit-wise... but then, i assume that's why they fail (not tight enough).

i'll need a bunch of 8-pins, and some bigger ones but i'll need to do an inventory first. but thanks for the offer nick, may well take you up on that. but i'll check with the local altronics guy first (who i always forget about... and always a lottery as to whether or not he has what i need).

[Milo]

Used to use the cheap ones when I had no cash, was always struggling with either lining up the legs, or corrosion down the line. When I fix something these days from the '90s, the 'mysterious faults' are often metal incompatibility problems between IC leg and socket, or just plain bad contact.
Turned pin sockets are an absolute luxury, both for fitting and performance: reliable, good contact. Non-turned are the equivalent of a potential bad solder joint.

[Thirteen]

Machines sockets all the way, they are gold plated, cheapest Australian source that I have found is Rockby Electronics.

[a.d.a.m. baby]

Height profile may be important also, depending on the board layout in the unit. I found the good quality ones took up less height as well, e.g. enabling me to socket the ROM on my 909 where space is tight.