IC Pin Bending Tool

MoltenVoltage · November 03, 2009, 04:01:49 PM

I am about to build a tool to bend the pins from an IC so they are the proper distance to put in a socket and am wondering whether anyone else has built something similar.

My initial idea is to have two pieces of rigid plastic spaced the right distance so I can set a string of ICs on top, then have a metal bar on a hinge that will press on the centers of the bottoms of the chips. The bar will then be rotated to press the chips through the space between the plastic pieces, and they will come out the other side perfectly spaced.

Has anyone else built a tool for this task?

Thanks!

Mark Hammer · November 03, 2009, 04:20:23 PM

I bought one of these at Radio Shack over 20 years ago. It was a little spring-loaded thng intended to "straighten" out pins that had been mis-bent somehow.

JKowalski · November 03, 2009, 04:52:27 PM

I just pick up the IC, and squish the leads flat against the table... It seems a little excessive to make a tool for it.

synthmonger · November 03, 2009, 05:24:18 PM

Quote from: JKowalski on November 03, 2009, 04:52:27 PM
I just pick up the IC, and squish the leads flat against the table... It seems a little excessive to make a tool for it.

Been using that method for years. Works just dandy! You could also pop the IC into a breadboard to straighten out the pins.

JKowalski · November 03, 2009, 06:10:52 PM

Quote from: synthmonger on November 03, 2009, 05:24:18 PM
You could also pop the IC into a breadboard to straighten out the pins.

Well, I do it typically to put the IC IN the breadboard.

Nitefly182 · November 03, 2009, 06:27:38 PM

Quote from: JKowalski on November 03, 2009, 04:52:27 PM
I just pick up the IC, and squish the leads flat against the table... It seems a little excessive to make a tool for it.

If you were building a lot of pedals though that would be a pain.

jacobyjd · November 03, 2009, 07:41:07 PM

Quote from: Nitefly182 on November 03, 2009, 06:27:38 PM
Quote from: JKowalski on November 03, 2009, 04:52:27 PM
I just pick up the IC, and squish the leads flat against the table... It seems a little excessive to make a tool for it.

If you were building a lot of pedals though that would be a pain.

True. Plus, it's not hard to bend the legs TOO far using the table method.

MoltenVoltage · November 03, 2009, 08:25:38 PM

I have a few hundred chips to program so its worth the trouble to build a tool.

I built it and it turned out OK - ended up using square aluminum rods as the guides, but its hard to keep the chip from rotating sideways and skewing the pins.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

davent · November 03, 2009, 08:59:50 PM

Is there any reason to not just purchase one ready made, something like this? http://www.web-tronics.com/ics-01.html

dave

JKowalski · November 03, 2009, 09:10:29 PM

Quote from: davent on November 03, 2009, 08:59:50 PM
Is there any reason to not just purchase one ready made

That's sacrilege! This is a DIY community, man!

Ah, didn't think about production runs. I'm not really that kind of guy.

Maybe think about a ZIF programmer, or even simpler making a PCB with a ZIF on it that plugs into your programmer? ZIF's are a breeze, for sure.

davent · November 03, 2009, 10:59:36 PM

Quote from: JKowalski on November 03, 2009, 09:10:29 PM
Quote from: davent on November 03, 2009, 08:59:50 PM
Is there any reason to not just purchase one ready made

That's sacrilege! This is a DIY community, man!

i thought it just meant pedals... i have to make my own tools too... i think i may be in way over my head!

MoltenVoltage · November 03, 2009, 11:46:08 PM

Quote from: JKowalski on November 03, 2009, 09:10:29 PM
Quote from: davent on November 03, 2009, 08:59:50 PM
Is there any reason to not just purchase one ready made

That's sacrilege! This is a DIY community, man!

Ah, didn't think about production runs. I'm not really that kind of guy.

Maybe think about a ZIF programmer, or even simpler making a PCB with a ZIF on it that plugs into your programmer? ZIF's are a breeze, for sure.

That's a good call. I use a ZIF for 28 pin chips. Just need to make a jumper to plug into the 8 pin programmer, then over to the ZIF board.

For chips going into pedals, I think the technique of pressing from the sides (like in the web-tronics tool) looks a little more predictable. I think its time for version 2.0...

Re the DIY religion, I agree that anything that you can build yourself, you should - preferably with scrounged materials. The square aluminum rods were from a broken paper shredder.

Thanks for the suggestions!

sean k · November 04, 2009, 01:46:34 AM

Table guy myself but if I had to do lots I'd size a bit of wood to fit under the IC's, about 7mm wide then just press them from both sides with lengths of wood, one side fixed to the aforementioned tabletop.

Taylor · November 04, 2009, 02:19:10 AM

Hmm, this is something I'd like too. I hadn't thought that there would be a tool for that. I recently fought out that there's a tool for forming resistor leads into right angles, so I guess there's a tool for everything.

Why do ICs come with their pins at angle from the factory?

Mark Hammer · November 04, 2009, 09:07:26 AM

Quote from: davent on November 03, 2009, 08:59:50 PM
Is there any reason to not just purchase one ready made, something like this? http://www.web-tronics.com/ics-01.html

dave

That is what I bought 20 years ago.

octfrank · November 04, 2009, 01:23:21 PM

Quote from: Taylor on November 04, 2009, 02:19:10 AM
Why do ICs come with their pins at angle from the factory?

Basically two reasons: first is so IC insertion tools can grab the part, the pins cause the IC to stay in the tool while it is placed. Second is so the IC will stay in place as the board travels down the line to solder, the tool inserts the IC into the board, the pins spring back out holding it in place.

News:

IC Pin Bending Tool