30 Oct
2012
30 Oct
'12
9:36 a.m.
On Tue, Oct 30, 2012 at 12:25 PM, Keith Monahan <keithvz at verizon.net> wrote:
I've got to remove a PLCC from a socket, and
intend on just using a couple
screwdrivers/picks.
You can frequently get away with this a small number of times, but
it's not difficult to crack the socket doing this.
I may need to do this a few times, but I generally
don't find the need to do
it.
Each time is a new risk.
Is a specialized PLCC extraction tool really
required/much easier/safer/etc?
Yes.
There seem to be a ton of tools online starting around
$2 US a piece. If I'm
going to spend the time/shipping to order one, I may as well get a decent
one. Can anyone recommend a specific model/US source for it?
I don't know model numbers or brands, but I've seen two kinds - the
really cheap ones are really just large specialty tweezers - a bend of
flat metal with hooks. The more expensive kind is multiple metal and
plastic parts with pivot points and leverage and a more-or-less
up-and-down approach to inserting and securing the corners of the PLCC
part. Those are nice. I think I've seen them around $10-$15.
Be sure to get the size that fits your parts. Not all sizes of
extraction tools works with multiple sizes of PLCC parts, and using a
tool that's too small and "spread to fit" can result in odd stresses
that could crack the socket from the non-vertical component of your
lift vector.
-ethan