On 27 Aug 2010 00:34:04 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

On 2010-08-26, wrote:
On Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:04:53 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

[ ... ]

Oxidized connections at the connectors account for a very large
percentage of computer repairs, too. R&R connector, computer starts
working.


Used to be REAL common with socketed DIP RAM and DIP socketed
processors. Remember when virtual;ly every chip on a motherboard was
plugged into a socket????

That was when memory chips cost a significant fraction of the
cost of the board on which they were installed and it was beneficial to
be able to replace an individual (bad) chip.

And the common repair used to be to lift the computer (no hard
disk installed) a few inches off the table, hold it parallel to the
table and drop it to re-seat the chips. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.
I remember $8 and change for a 1K chip being a bargain - and you
needed 9 of them to make 1 K of ram in an 8 bit computer (8 bits plus
parity)
I still have some of the"schmutz" we used on the sockets to prevent
the corrosion - cost something like $80 an ounce back then - mixed it
10:1 or 20:1 with ethanol and spritzed it on the sockets before
installing chips or drizzled it over the pins of already installed
chips and pressed the chip in the socket to work it in. The darn stuff
worked pretty good, too.
Can't read the label any more.