Keeping transistors in their sockets?

[Focalized]

Seems some inline sockets I have don't keep a good grip on transistors. Especially after going through a few. More so with component leads that are more flat. Metal can ones stay in better.

Any tips, maybe add a bit of solder to thicken the leads?

[stallik]

I tend to use sockets to allow rapid change of the component rather than protecting it from heat while soldering. Once I'm happy with the component selection, if it seems at all loose, I solder it into the socket. Aluminium heat sink tweezers are my friend at this point.


It's not always necessary, as you suggest, sometimes the component legs are really tight. If it's a component that I consider rare precious and beautiful, I'll leave the legs a little longer so it can be clipped out and reused elsewhere.

[antonis]

A smear of solder or a little amount of heat glue..

[drdn0]

Seems some inline sockets I have don't keep a good grip on transistors. Especially after going through a few. More so with component leads that are more flat. Metal can ones stay in better.

Any tips, maybe add a bit of solder to thicken the leads?

Tinning the legs of the transistors can help, but typically I'd just swap the sockets out for the transistors directly once the pedal is up and working.

If you can tin legs, you can safely solder a transistor in

[amptramp]

Stompboxes take the kind of abuse military equipment gets - shock, vibration, temperature extremes and humidity and in military equipment, no semiconductor device is ever socketed.  All are soldered into position whether it is on a board or a terminal strip (for old equipment).  The problem with a socket is  having dissimilar metals in contact where you can get corrosion and of course, the component can fall out if it is not held in by the leads.

The original concerns about high soldering temperature conducting along the leads has proven to not be as severe as people originally thought - millions of transistor radios with germanium transistors were wave soldered without problems.

[Focalized]

Yeah I solder into the socket if I'm done swapping. Avoiding desoldering as much as possible. Some pedals I like to leave the option open if I get some new parts. I should find my hot glue gun.

[Mark Hammer]

I don't gig so none of my pedals will ever encounter much abuse by baggage-handlers, et al.  Within those limits I find using machined sockets (I buy the rows of 40 pins and break off however many pins I need), and tinning the transistor leads provides a very secure connection that can withstand consider motion, dropping, etc.

[mozz]

IF i use sockets for transistors, i will solder only 1 leg. If using a socket for a chip, i use the kind that grab both sides of the pins, i hate those round hole sockets.

[Mac Walker]

No one mentioned it, so I thought I would.

I would never sell a pedal without soldering the leads in place, but this seems to work well for me for trial purposes in the short run, etc.



I would make the bend a little shorter than what is shown, the bend should be enough to completely stop movement in the socket, once installed.

By the way I have gotten an old 90's yamaha guitar to MIDI converter working by simply reseating socketed EEPROMS.

Meaning that even socketed op amps are succeptible to corrosion/poor connections in the long run and might require reseating after some time.

[ElectricDruid]

By the way I have gotten an old 90's yamaha guitar to MIDI converter working by simply reseating socketed EEPROMS.

Meaning that even socketed op amps are succeptible to corrosion/poor connections in the long run and might require reseating after some time.

+1 absolutely this. Probably the number one way to get old synths working again is to pull all the chips, polish the leads, and then put them in and out again a few times until you have reliable contacts on  everything. That alone fixes probably 80% of problems, and often that's enough. The other 20% tends to be more specific to the thing you're looking at, but that's not relevant here.

Long term, sockets are a reliability problem. Luckily, that's mostly a problem that's easy to fix, but you need to be aware of it and ready to sort it out.

[Focalized]

I like the

IF i use sockets for transistors, i will solder only 1 leg. If using a socket for a chip, i use the kind that grab both sides of the pins, i hate those round hole sockets.

I like those chip sockets too. Do the make inline ones? I can just cut up some of the IC ones I have a bunch of. For the ones I have that were loose I've given them a good twist and they stay in much better for now.

[PRR]

Do the make inline ones?

Go to DigiKey.com and search "CONN SOCKET SIP"   -- BUT they are going out of style and charging $8 for 32 positions. Obscene! (In the end of our military adventure in SE Asia and general reduced gov spending they were surplussed at a dollar a dozen 50-strips.) Yes, snipping DIP sockets may be a better path, DIP is not AS obsolete.
"Euro strips" may be an alternate. Totally enclosed, probeable, screwdriver tightened (no heat); related to UK's BS electrical requirements so 1000+ times better than we need, and often cheap.
https://www.altechcorp.com/DINblocks/Eurostrips/euro-PDFS/euro6-7.pdf

[bluelagoon]

Yeah Ditto on Mozz's suggestion, Solder just the one leg in, then if it needs removal it is a cinch to remove, and solder suck the socket. The one leg soldered, means the transistor will not leave the socket by any means.

[Focalized]

Yeah I have lots of SIPs and DIPS some are just cheap and wear out. They hold ICs fine. I have these too but are hard to cut off a three piece, the plastic is really thin between sockets.

[Focalized]

Yeah Ditto on Mozz's suggestion, Solder just the one leg in, then if it needs removal it is a cinch to remove, and solder suck the socket. The one leg soldered, means the transistor will not leave the socket by any means.

Seems to be best yes.

[bluelagoon]

Get your self a thin mini cutting wheel on a Dremel, , when needed they cut those DIP sockets down to size to perfection.

[antonis]

I have these too but are hard to cut off a three piece, the plastic is really thin between sockets.

Just mount them as they are..
With the proper trace connection they should be convenient for any pinout n-p-n & p-n-p configuration..



More seriously, those IC sockets are difficult to mount due to their flat pins and also easy to be bent..

[duck_arse]

Yeah I have lots of SIPs and DIPS some are just cheap and wear out. They hold ICs fine. I have these too but are hard to cut off a three piece, the plastic is really thin between sockets.

dual-wipe contacts. if you only want three pins, pull[push?] the fourth pin out. then you can trimm the empty if you must. or just break/cut the extra pin off, leave the contacts where they are.

[Focalized]

I worked a few cutting up those IC sockets. I just like having nothing go to waste.

[mozz]

They make these dual wipe on strips, these were cut to 4 spaces. Only problem is they really grip, you could lift the pedal trying to swap.