op amp question

[DBDbadreligion]

is there a special way  you have to put op amps on a perf board when wiring everything on?  i cant tell which side is + and - and all that jazz.

[zyxwyvu]

is there a special way  you have to put op amps on a perf board when wiring everything on?  i cant tell which side is + and - and all that jazz.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/wiki/index.php?title=DIY_FAQ#OP_AMP

There's usually a little half-circle cut out on the side with pins 1 and 8, and also a small circle indentation near pin 1.

[GibsonGM]

The sockets I get from RS have a little cutout at one end...I always make that be pins 1 and 8.  Then I wire up everything, and put the IC in last.  This way you can swap IC's, and also the heat of soldering doesn't get the chip since it is not even on the board til you're done.    If you get sockets from small bear or elsewhere, you can make your own mark to remember which is the #1 pin...

[runmikeyrun]

ALWAYS socket ICs!  You'll want to swap them later if you solder them in, guaranteed.  Plus it makes it easier to replace them when you plug in the wrong power supply

[DBDbadreligion]

i didnt realize you had to buy seperate sockets for them.  i just used the op amp and soldered it directly to the PC Board.  is that bad?

[Processaurus]

is that bad?

Not really.  Most mass production pedals skip the socket.  It just means they're harder to get out if you need to in the future is all.  I honestly never think I've had an opamp break in anything (commercial, or that was working correctly, i've killed some from miswiring), though.  I did wire a quad opamp's power and ground backwards recently, the socket  was real nice because I could just turn the chip around and put it in the socket the other way and it just happens to work out. 

Sockets are nice too for powering up your circuit for the first time, you can leave out the chip and quickly test the socket pins with a multimeter, and see if power, and ground are hooked up right and if the biases on the opamp's inputs look good, then stuff the opamp.

Sockets are dirt cheap, its worth it for peace of mind.  I wouldn't worry about stuff you've already made though.

[DBDbadreligion]

alright kool, it was my first circuit board ever.  it's the B. Blender like this one http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=34876.0.
i havent got an enclosure or and footswitch yet.  but i feel faith in myself that i hooked everything up correctly.
i took it very slow, from around 8pm-midnight.

thanks for the help, i was getting worried.