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OK so today's 'What is this?' is a double exhibit.
First up is an IC-tester, this I figured out using the power of The Force. (and it's also printed on it) But how does it work? And what is the strange chip soldered on to one end?
The second guy seems to be an IC extractor tool of some kind, except that when you push the button down, well, the clawlike middle part actually moves down so how will this ever extract anything? Been thinking about it but can't figure it out..
So.. anyone?
The strange chip is DRAM. I've never seen such a tool but I dare guess that the bottom part clips onto the subject IC so it provides a per-pin testing possibility via the upper, exposed, pins, which are more conveniently spaced.
In this case it seems it was last used to check for a defective RAM chip, so the Fujitsu MB8264-20 chip was soldered on the exposed pins and then the tool was clipped onto the possibly defective ram chip, to provide an easy piggyback-like function without actually piggybacking the chip.
As for the other tool, maybe it's used exactly to push chips INTO their sockets and not extract them?
The IC extractor tool does make some sense just looking at it free's up aQuote:
Originally Posted by tbtorro
hand when desoldering..
:coffee:
I would imagine the Chip on the IC tester contains some sort of diagnostic logic. That way you could just clip it on the IC and make sure it was working properly.
The second one, that's a stumper, perhaps its an chip inserter. To make sure it wen in exactly.
looks a bit like you would push it down and then let go so it grabs the chip and auto pulls up.Quote:
Originally Posted by BLTCON0
But having said that i have never seen either tool before either lol.
I like strange looking thingys
Yes taking a look at the relatively low height the middle arms stand with respect to the edge legs, and also at their shape, it could well be that too. This function also relates well to ChrisUnionNJ's explanation.
OK, BLTCON0's explanation of the chip tester seems perfect. Since the top part pins seem like flatened soldering PINs this could be a generic clip tool to piggy-back different chips. As the one on is DRAM, I would imagine this would be a convenient way to go through an entire RAM card chip-by-chip, running a RAM test utility and see when the board starts working..
For the other tool, I also like ChrisUnionNJ's solution, but then again, when you desolder, say one row of the PINs on one side of the chip, then would the tool tilt the chip when pulls it out of the PCB? And then how to lift the other side? I guess I just have to try this tomorrow and see.. To be cont.!
I would think you would alternate rows also how much tension does it have?Quote:
Originally Posted by tbtorro
:coffee:
It has quite a decent tension, but also from the sides, so I could imagine it won't tilt just maintains the pull force until all the pins are desoldered, then it pops the chip out. Now I definitely have to try it out. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisUnionNJI would think you would alternate rows also how much tension does it have?Quote:
Originally Posted by tbtorro
:coffee:
OK I found out about the chip extractor. It's designed to pop the IC out when using a muli-pin desolder iron. The one that heats all pins at once. Works like a charm to remove C64 DRAM chips or A500 RAM chips etc..