40-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.

These 40-pin ZIF sockets are perfect for working with 0.6" wide DIP packages with up to 40 pins, including the ATmega164P and ATmega644A AVR microcontrollers. We use these sockets (amongst other places) for programming the ATmega chips that go in our open source Octolively and Alpha Five Clock kits.

These 40-pin ZIF sockets fit in a breadboard and will even accommodate your 0.3" ATmegaXX8 AVR microcontrollers.

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. 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".

Home > Components > DIP Sockets

Home > Components > Accessories for AVR Breakout Boards > DIP Sockets