source for SMT test sockets

An affordable multichannel SMU would be a cool gadget. Capacitance measurement would make it even cooler.

If it works at rf it would be a smurf

NT

I purchased a Keithley 2612 for about $4k on eBay, a price similar to single-channel models (because nobody was searching on that p/n?). Also try the 2602, and with and without the A or B suffixes. Run from the front panel or better your computer via its ethernet connection on the back. That way you get nice arrays of data in your spreadsheet.

One can do time-based meas on current-charging with a SMU, but it's a poor way to measure capacitance. I use HP 4280A and 4192A, old, big and inexpensive.

We've used some Ironwood Electronics test sockets to do production testing of LQFP128 parts with 0.4mm lead pitch. They have a foot that is soldered to the standard board pads, and then a socket that plugs onto pins on the foot to accept the chip. I make an interposer to securely attach the socket to the board. We've used these to test several production runs of ASICs. They do run somthing like $700 for the two pieces.

Jon

There are tons of various IC sockets for almost every package imaginable. Sockets for SMT _DISCRETE_ parts are rare as hen's teeth.

Thanks Winfield for info, I've just purchased TO-252, SOT-89, and SOT-223 ones from that seller. BTW, SOT-23 are readily available from many places, both 3 and 6-pin in single and dual device versions. I use quite a few in adapters for my Tek 370 curve tracer.

Now looking for a TO-263 sockets :)

You blue that one.

That's called a VNA.

But yeah, an SMU that operates up to 1MHz even at low precision could tell you a huge amount about a lots of things. Three channels (for 4-pin devices) would be enough for me.

I'm afraid what I've been doing is to solder on three wires and stick 'em into a TO-220 socket.

I've designed high-speed SMU circuits that operate over two decades with 1% precision. Want one?

The Keithley SMUs are much slower, but they're good to 4.5 to 6 digits. I've found the extra precision quite useful in preventing problems with the common unexpected wide dynamic range in a set of sweeps.

Sure, that'd be great. I had triggered a related discussion here a couple of years back when I didn't know that such things already existed, or what they were called :) I was envisioning a device like this (and their other related ones):

Something that a hobbyist could hook up to an Arduino with an LCD could be a popular project.

Clifford Heath.

If there is no other way, yes. But it would be very nice to have proper sockets to make an adapter for curve tracer. Soldering wires is OK for one-offs but becomes extremely annoying if one has to test a sizeable lot of devices to sort them into e.g. matched pairs or whatever else. It is rarely needed but it is better to have a proper tool for a job...

Win, did you plan to post a circuit, or did you want a private email address to send me something? Or just not got around to it yet? :)

Clifford Heath.

Good spot. Thanks.