> If I know that I'm going to be handling an expensive chip a lot, I'll
> just put it in a machined-pin socket. (I can sometimes be a bit of a
> klutz and the end pins can get a lot of abuse if I drop the chip.)
>
> I routinely do the same for emulator probes and my ICD.

Good advice.
Beginners may possibly have missed the point.
You then leave the IC in the socket at all times and plug the socket into
where the IC would normally have gone. The machine-screw sockets generally
have stronger pins than IC, and if you do manage to break a pin you just
remove the socket and add a new one to the IC. This way you get many
insertions of the combination for only 1 or a few insertions of the IC into
the carrier socket. You also get to insert the IC in the location of your
choice rather than perhaps deep inside some equipment where space is limited
and approach angle difficult.

A very good idea when doing frequent programming insertion / removal.

But, maybe everyone understood all that already :-)


        RM

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