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Pin Straightening Technique

R

RJBJR

Experienced Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2011
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453
My favorite method is to use a flat-tip screwdriver that has a blade that is about 3/4 as wide as the length of the pin being straightened. Laying the screwdriver against one pin, gently pry toward the desired position a very little at a time until the pin is straight. Probably will have to push the pin a little beyond the desired position as it will spring back. The trick is to do it a little bit at a time on only one pin at a time. The position of the screwdriver against the pin will vary depending on how much room there is to work with. The blade of the screwdriver allows the pin to move without restriction

Any other methods that work good?
 
Well, there are pin straighteners, such as the DIP-R-Sizer:

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About $5 from many suppliers.

Inexpensive, and works very well. Another alternative is to use a smooth-jawed, longnose pliers for the tough cases. Do not use serrated-jaw pliers! You'll end up breaking or weakening the pins.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Another alternative is to use a smooth-jawed, longnose pliers for the tough cases. Do not use serrated-jaw pliers! You'll end up breaking or weakening the pins.
Click to expand...

I did that with a hemostats once, broke the pin right off with no warning. I have used duckbill pliers with some success when straightening a double bend/kink. Just applied flat pressure like the DIP-R-Sizer and finished with the trusty screwdriver.
Have had pins come apart using the screwdriver but they were already compromised and ready to snap.
 
RJBJR said:
I did that with a hemostats once, broke the pin right off with no warning. I have used duckbill pliers with some success when straightening a double bend/kink. Just applied flat pressure like the DIP-R-Sizer and finished with the trusty screwdriver.
Have had pins come apart using the screwdriver but they were already compromised and ready to snap.
Click to expand...

If you're worried about breakage, it often helps to re-tin the pins. Seems to anneal the metal a bit and add some strength.
 
Although I have a couple of the device that Chuck(G) has, and I use them if they are around, I usually just roll the chip on a flat surface until the pins move perpendicular to the IC body.

If, as T asks, they are bend the other way, I just stick the chip into a 40 pin ZIF socket and don't flip the lever. Then I push the body of the IC over to obe side so that the center strip straigtehs the pins on that side, and then over to the other side. There seems to be just enough width to the socket to straighten the pins.
 
Terry Yager said:
What about when they are bent the other way?
Click to expand...

You mean laterally? That's harder. Sometimes insertion into ZIF socket helps. A small pair of duck-billed, smooth jaw pliers and a few prayers mumbled generally works. I prefer those to needle-nose in this case because I can get a more secure grip on the pin.

I've wondered if a dog grooming comb of the correct pitch might help.
 
Chuck(G) said:
You mean laterally? That's harder. Sometimes insertion into ZIF socket helps. A small pair of duck-billed, smooth jaw pliers and a few prayers mumbled generally works. I prefer those to needle-nose in this case because I can get a more secure grip on the pin.

I've wondered if a dog grooming comb of the correct pitch might help.
Click to expand...

OK, I misunderstood what T meant by "the other way" and thought he meant bent under the body of the IC. If he does, indeed, mean parallel to the body of the IC, a pair of small needle-nose pliers is about the only way to go if they are bent more than a few degrees.
 
Chuck(G) said:
If you're worried about breakage, it often helps to re-tin the pins. Seems to anneal the metal a bit and add some strength.
Click to expand...

Druid6900 said:
If, as T asks, they are bend the other way, I just stick the chip into a 40 pin ZIF socket and don't flip the lever. Then I push the body of the IC over to obe side so that the center strip straigtehs the pins on that side, and then over to the other side. There seems to be just enough width to the socket to straighten the pins.
Click to expand...

Two good suggestions that I will definetely use.
 
Druid6900 said:
If, as T asks, they are bend the other way, I just stick the chip into a 40 pin ZIF socket and don't flip the lever. Then I push the body of the IC over to obe side so that the center strip straigtehs the pins on that side, and then over to the other side. There seems to be just enough width to the socket to straighten the pins.
Click to expand...

But it's my ZIF socket I'm trying to straighten!

--T
 
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If my Pana Vise is handy I might use that; otherwise, if they're bent inwards I slip a knife blade between the pins and the body and pry them out until they're all aligned and staight. If they're then bent outwards (or were that way to begin with as they usually are for an insertion tool) I just hold the chip with the pins on a flat surface and 'roll' the body till the pins are at right angles to the body.

I try to avoid using pliers unless the pins are actually twisted; if the pins are bent along the length of the chip I usually pry them sideways with a screwdriver or knife against the base of the adjacent pin, often in different directions if the wide part is bent one way and the narrow part the other way.
 
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Just as a side note, when I actually do break off a pin, if there's any stub left, I just solder another pin (salvaged from another chip) to the busted off part.

--T
 
I find a straight-edged knife is best - you can quickly align rows and columns by pushing the whole row/column a little past plumb, then back again (once any drastically bent pin(s) have been levered up to some approximation of vertical).

Pliers are fiddly and risk scraping the surface off the pin, if it has any.
Rick
 
RickNel said:
Pliers are fiddly and risk scraping the surface off the pin, if it has any. Rick
Click to expand...
In the woodwind repair business we use smooth jawed pliers. When you first get a new pair you polish the gripping surfaces to a shine. This prevents scratching or abrading. If you do any kind of work with little metal parts and preserving the original surface is important I think you need a pair of these on your desk.
 
Ole Juul said:
In the woodwind repair business we use smooth jawed pliers. When you first get a new pair you polish the gripping surfaces to a shine. This prevents scratching or abrading. If you do any kind of work with little metal parts and preserving the original surface is important I think you need a pair of these on your desk.
Click to expand...

You beat me to it, Ole. Both needle nose and duckbill; keep the jaws clean--a little bit of grit can scratch things. Use a power buffer and jeweler's rouge to keep them smooth.
 
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