----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin" Subject: [PIC] Chip Socket > Is there some secret to getting the PIC Chip in the socket ? Paul's advice about using the machine pin socket to avoid further damage is a good one. My original PIC programmer didn't have a ZIF socket, and it took me many years to discover ICSP. Meanwhile, I plugged and unplugged quite successfully. But there were a few things that probably made it a little easier. First, I had one of those sockets that is fairly open. After squaring up the pins as Paul describes, it is pretty easy to press one side of the part against one side of the socket, then roll the other side in. Those sockets where the connections are deep behind tiny plastic holes are pretty tough. If you have that kind of socket I'd go invest a quarter in another socket. The other thing I did was get a chip puller - kind of like a big tweezers with the ends bent in to reach under the ends of the chip. It still takes a little care, but it is a great help in not bending the pins when you take the part out. It also helps if the socket has a depression in the middle so you can get the chip puller, or screwdriver in a pinch, under the chip. I got one of those chip putter-inner thingies, too, but never found it to be all that much help. A *much* better plan is to adjust your target circuit to allow ICSP and then make a cable (using one of those machine pin sockets again) to plug into the programmer end. Then you don't need to be plugging and unplugging at all. Go to http://www.amqrp.org/elmer160/lessons and download Appendix B. --McD _______________________________________________ http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist