Sockets for the ICs

[Ammer66]

Hello Builders,

my kit has not yet arrived, but i want to use sockets for all the ICs.
Since sockets for RAM and ROM are supplied, we need sockets for the rest of the chips.
So i did a little counting using a picture that was kindly sent to me by Marcel.

Therefore needed are:
14-Pin Sockets - 2 Pieces
16-Pin Sockets - 25 Pieces
20-Pin Sockets - 9 Pieces

Hope this helps, have a good time,
Ammer66

[WattSekunde]

Yes, my Gigatron is up and running with the same number of sockets.

I chose sockets with integrated bypass caps to save some time.

IC socket with integrated bypass capacitor.

P5200009 cap m.jpg (39.41 KiB) Viewed 2956 times

[at67]

Now there is a great idea.

[Iván]

Hi guys,

Waiting for my kit, I'm seeing all my questions are already answered on the FAQ or here (LEDs & sockets ); however, the FAQ states that:

For the logic chips we believe sockets cause more issues than they solve, so we didn’t add them to the kit.

Could you elaborate a little about which problems may I expect if using sockets?

Thanks!

I.

[marcelk]

Could you elaborate a little about which problems may I expect if using sockets?

Mechanically it needs more care. It is easier to bend or break a pin on insert, or miss that a pin is not inserted at all but dangling on the side. It is much simpler to put an IC directly into the PCB without errors than to push it into a socket. If you have experience with this, there will be no issue, but the kit is optimised for effortless builds even for relative beginners.

It may not seem like a big deal for 1 kit, but consider this: if the IC insertion success rate is 99%, it means the remaining 1% cause a problematic build, and a bad experience, for one third of the kits... That is a support load we won't be able handle. And then: those builders who really want them often have their own preference for a specific type, usually the more expensive milled ones. So better leave it up to the builder to decide what to do here.

The big two chips are a totally different story, so we added them there.

[Iván]

Makes perfect sense to me.

I was just wondering which issues you encountered more oftenly, and it's true that bending IC pins is a common problem when dealing with sockets. I find your recomendation for direct soldering for most chips more than appropiate.

Although I'm not a seasoned solder, my OCD drives me to add all sockets for completition. I'll follow your advice and I'll bear with the consequences if I break anything

[HGMuller]

I always considered sockets a liability, which you only use as a last resort if it is absolutely mandatory the component is easily replacable. (Such as an EPROM that has to be taken out to be reprogrammed, or state-of-the-art memory chips, which sometimes might evelop a faulty bit.) It is just something extra that can break. The number of soldered connections doesn't decrease, as you still have to solder in the sockets. And for every pin you then introduce the possibility that the contact might be bad, or that the socket is broken.

[peteyoung]

Hi,

I just completed my Gigatron. I went ahead and socketed all the chips. Probably the most difficult parts were finding 20 pin sockets at a good price, and bending the chip pins so they fit the socket.

[marcelk]

Thanks for posting! Every picture of a newly completed built makes us blush...

[peteyoung]

I think you guys did a great job building a turnkey kit. I especially like the instructions for testing each step of the way after power, clock, etc. Thanks for creating this! I'm going to toy around with the Gigatron and an Arduino for loading code this weekend.