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IC's, often called
"chips", come in several
shapes and sizes.
Most common are 4, 8,
14, 16, 18 or 20 pin
dual in line (dil)
chips.
IC's can be soldered
directly into printed
circuit boards, or may
plug into sockets which
have already been
soldered into the board.
When soldering, ensure
that the IC (or the
socket) is the correct
way round and that no
pins have been bent
underneath the body.
When fitting new IC's it
is often necessary to
bend the pins in
slightly, in order to
fit it into the board
(or socket).
Some IC's are damaged by
the static electricity
which most people carry
on their bodies. They
should be stored in
conductive foam or
wrapped in tin foil.
When handling them,
discharge yourself
periodically by touching
some metalwork which is
earthed, such as a
radiator.
Solder two diagonally
opposite pins (say pin 1
and pin 5 in the diagram
below) and check that
the IC is flat on the
board before soldering
the rest. If it is not
flat then reflow the
solder on the two pins
pushing the IC flat.
When satisfied, solder
the remaining pins.
Take care when removing
faulty IC's from pcb's.
You may damage a circuit
board when carelessly
removing a 20p IC.
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