> In my experience, the type of socket you used is quite unreliable and > will tend to develop bad contacts. There is a reason they are cheap... I > would use a turned pin type socket instead, e g an Augat socket. They > will not let you down. More expensive, but considering the work involved > in replacing a socket and the risk of messing up the PCB, the cost is > negligible.
My feeling is that for the sort of things most of us do here, a turned pin socket is the most reliable of all. Yes, soldering the IC directly may have a (slightly) lower risk of bad connections, but given that we do (or at least I do) component level repairs, may want to remove ICs for testing, etc, there is a risk to the PCB if the IC is soldered directly. As you say, cheap sockets are cheap for a reason. They do develop bad contacts! I don't think I've ever had a problem due to a bad contact at a turned pin socket. Not saying they can't happen, but it's very rare. I use nothing else, both for prototyping and for repairs. -tony
