Best wasy to solder these?

toolguy

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I've soldered in many machine pin sockets. I simply buy the cut to length kind and then that allows me to solder both the top and bottom of the pins easily.

However, I have to replace a 40 socket, using the dual wipe type for my Ms. Pac ribbon cable, due to one female terminal is broken.

What do you guys do to solder both top and bottom on these sockets?

Thanks!
 

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As long as the pads aren't damaged, no need to solder the top. Usually the through hole actually has a collar inside that will carry through to the top.
 
I've soldered in many machine pin sockets. I simply buy the cut to length kind and then that allows me to solder both the top and bottom of the pins easily.

However, I have to replace a 40 socket, using the dual wipe type for my Ms. Pac ribbon cable, due to one female terminal is broken.

What do you guys do to solder both top and bottom on these sockets?

Thanks!

You don't. Unless the board is in someway bad (like the through-hole is damaged for a given pin), there's no need to solder on the top of the board.
 
Urg... I hate machine pin sockets.

They have a big shoulder on the pins that holds a lot of solder. It makes it difficult to cleanly remove one from a board - especially a board that is easy to lift traces on such as Pac Man or Galaga.
 
Urg... I hate machine pin sockets.

They have a big shoulder on the pins that holds a lot of solder. It makes it difficult to cleanly remove one from a board - especially a board that is easy to lift traces on such as Pac Man or Galaga.

And then you add somebody splashing a little solder on the top side.....trace lifting waiting to happen!

Edward
 
When I remove them, I usually heat them enough to loosen the pins in the plastic and push the pins out. That leaves the plastic in place to hold the pads down. I never reuse them anyway so I don't mind destroying them. It is not very often that I feel the need to remove a machine pin socket, unlike the wiper sockets where the spring clips bend or break inside the plastic.

ken
 
Yes I too have never had to remove a machine pin, does not mean that it does not happen though. I suppose you could cut the plastic around each pin and then remove each pin and plastic that way? I dunno, just thinking here...

From what I've learned at pinrepair.com, the machine pins are the best. Best because of the way they grab chip pins, uaually have gold contacts and since you can cut them to length, easy top soldering ensures you get the traces there good too.
 
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And then you add somebody splashing a little solder on the top side.....trace lifting waiting to happen!

Edward

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there that think they need to solder machine-pin sockets on the top side as well. This is partly due to bad advice that is out there on the web (from supposed repair experts! :mad: ):

http://pin-logic.com/how_to_install_a_machine_pin_soc.htm

You see this crap done all the time on pinball boards....
Just to be clear... THIS IS NOT HOW YOU DO IT!!!
You should never need to add solder on the top side, unless you've done a shoddy chip/socket removal and torn out a via!
 
Sockets and IC's should never need to be soldered at the top of the board. There are little copper rings through the board that make these connections. Only certain very old boards are not through-plated. I've not seen a game board like that though. Even Pong is through-plated.

-Ian
 
I've soldered in many machine pin sockets. I simply buy the cut to length kind and then that allows me to solder both the top and bottom of the pins easily.

However, I have to replace a 40 socket, using the dual wipe type for my Ms. Pac ribbon cable, due to one female terminal is broken.

What do you guys do to solder both top and bottom on these sockets?

Thanks!

*NEVER* solder both the top and bottom... all that does is ensure that that socket is a major PITA to get off the board when/if it goes bad (and it's particularly easy to damage machine pin sockets).

The holes on the board are supposed to be plated through... if you mangled the board when removing the socket, then strip back the trace on the top and bottom site, and solder a small piece of 30ga wire to make the connection, and when you solder in the socket, the solder in the hole will connect the pin and the wire and the traces.
 
Alrighty then!

I hear you all, no solder on topsides. : )

Nonsense!
-IF- you have a blown via then for heavens sake, solder both top AND bottom.
But, only do this if the via is bad. I've run into other people's "repair jobs" where soldering both top and bottom was required. The previos person apparently used gear pullers and blow torches to remove the old IC's.

With a machine pin socket and a good via, the solder will naturally wick up thru the hole anyways.

Ed
 
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