20-pin DIP ZIF sockets

These Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) sockets clamp onto a chip, making a good electrical connection, when you push the lever down. When you release the lever, it releases the chip. This allows you to repeatedly insert or remove a chip from the socket without damage to either.

These are great for two situations: When you want to replace the chip that goes in a given place frequently, or when you want to program one chip after another in the same fixture.

The 20-pin ZIF sockets are perfect for programming microcontrollers in DIP packages with up to 20 pins, including 8-pin, 16-pin, 18-pin, and 20-pin devices. There's even a little bar to indicate where to put a DIP-8, if you want to use one. We use these ZIF sockets (amongst other places) for programming the ATtiny2313 chips that go in our open source menorah and Larson Scanner kits.

When using ZIF sockets, keep in mind that the pins are a bit wider than regular IC pins-- they fit in most pad-per-hole type prototyping boards, but may not fit in a chip socket or circuit board that was meant to hold a chip alone. (They do fit nicely in current versions of our 2313 target boards, for example.) Specifically, the contact pins are 0.030 x 0.012", rectangular, phosphor bronze with gold plating, and have a 1 A current rating. The socket height (with the lever down) is 0.46".

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