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.