ICs and Transistors, Socket or Solder?

GAStan

GAStan

Active member
I'm planning a build that uses several ICs and transistors and this is one thing I'm wondering about-should I solder for better connection or socket for easier parts swapping? I'm not concerned with amount of work or cost.

So I'm asking what everyone's opinion is, Socket or Solder?

Please base this on you own experience and not just what you've heard from someone else or read on the internet. Examples of your personal experience would be greatly appreciated. Even something like "I've personally never had any problems with either" is a valid data point.

I'll start: I've built around 10 pedals so far ranging from easy to moderately difficult with the most difficult being the Muffin Factory and Low Tide Mini. All but one worked fine first try-that one problem being an errant solder bridge on a BYOC King Of Tone kit. I've used both solder and socket methods and thus far not experienced any issues with either-with pedals.

In my younger days I learned electronics compliments of USMC. I have no problems with removing a soldered 20 pin DIP chip without damaging the board. Because of this, in conjunction with the "it's gotta survive combat" mentality ingrained by the USMC, my inclination is to solder. However now that I'm a bit older (I'm 60), I don't mind looking forward and making future repairs/mods easier and using sockets provided they are reliable.

So far I've only used the solder type less expensive sockets (as opposed to the machined round pin sockets). If anyone has experience with both types I'd be interested in what you have to say about it.
 
Personally, if it has more than three legs, I'll usuallu use a socket. If I know I want to experiment with values, I'll use a socket, then go back and desolder/resolder once when I settle on the part. If I'm concerned about mechanical robustness, I'll solder it (e.g. I've never socketed a Belton brick).
 
falco_femoralis said:
I always socket IC's now, after having to remove too many of them. In my case I'm trying to preserve both the chip and the board so the socket makes that 100% easier
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Have you ever had an issue with a socket causing a bad connection to the chip?

Do you use the solder or machined (Tayda's description) sockets?
 
GAStan said:
Do you use the solder or machined (Tayda's description) sockets?
Click to expand...
Machine

If it’s a circuit with one or two op-amp ICs, and I know I’m not going to experiment, I solder them directly. A lot of times I use sockets so I can use the IC for something else if I need to.

I have one pedal that’s on the road with a major touring artist, and its ICs are socketed. It makes me nervous, but it’s been fine for 50+ shows and traveling to Europe and back.
 
I use sockets for ICs. Mainly just to save on desoldering if I have to swap one.
Transistors I don’t usually bother with, as desoldering 3 legs isn’t much hassle.

I’ve never had a socket cause a bad connection. I’ve use both the machine and ‘leaf’ type sockets, just depending on what I had on hand.
Some people have very strong preferences about one versus the other. I’ve never had an issue with either type, and am happy to use whichever one I happen to pull out of the parts drawer ;)
 
For ICs, I'm more inclined to solder in jellybean parts but socket things like BBDs, high dollar opamps and charge pumps.
Same for jellybean transistors. If it's a 3904 and your dropping it in and closing it up, why socket it? If you're going to be swapping transistors, trat the socket as temporary then remove and solder it in. I prefer longer make to female headers for this, broken into individual pieces. Easier to remove and if you leave length on the pins, usually self clearing during desoldering.
If you don't think you'll need to salvage it, replace it or audition it, I don't see the point.
To each there own.
In terms of machined vs leaf sockets, the general consensus is a 60/40 split in either direction on any given day. I think machined sockets are good for TO-99(metal cans) (round peg, round hole) and leaf springs for DIPs(rectangular peg, rectangular hole). I feel like both instances offer a superior friction bond over the alternative.
 
I socket opamps and ICs.

I solder transistors that are not prone to swapping i.e BJTs but NOT FETs.

I've soldered and desoldered beltons multiple times over without issue. They are fairly robust due to size and lead length.
 
I only socket ICs on a pedal the first time I verify its board. That way if something goes wrong (it always does) or I make a mistake on a new board design (I always do), I can reuse them.

Other than that, everything gets soldered in.
 
I prefer SMT opamps but generally do socket DIP ones if I don’t just use an SO/DIP adapter. All the socket problems I’ve observed cam from operator error placing or pulling ICs, pretty much.
 
I always socket IC's, and sometimes socket transistors.

I don't think it's a very big deal if you're good at desoldering and don't make mistakes. However, I use non-leaded solder and it's a pain to desolder.

Where sockets shine are mostly the obvious issues, like putting parts in the wrong way around (much easier to fix with sockets), or using the wrong parts, either by making a mistake, the parts having a lot of variance themselves (like JFET's), or if the part in the BOM doesn't work for you for whatever unknown reason and you need to try out some other transistor, for example. And of course if it's something where you want to try out options, but that's very obvious.

What is often disregarded is that sockets also help a lot with troubleshooting even when the socketed part is not the issue. You might think the transistor is the most obvious candidate for being the problem, and with a socket you can just try another part, realize it's not the issue, and keep going. Without sockets you would do the same, but with the added desolder-solder steps which are very annoying (at least to me).

I use the leaf-spring type DIP sockets and have not had any issues, for transistors I use the machined ones. If you're worried about transistors coming out by themselves, you can solder them in the sockets once you've verified it (or indeed desolder the socket and solder the part in directly if you so wish). IC's won't pop out of the socket, they're held very firmly in my experience. It's worthwhile getting the special tool to remove them IMO (I just use this one https://www.taydaelectronics.com/hardware-tools/hand-tools/u-type-plcc-extraction-tool.html, nothing fancy but useful).
 
TO-* gets fully soldered, unless rare / expensive (easy to plunder for future builds). DIP sits snug in sockets, so no risk there.
 
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