Counterfeit ZIF Sockets! Plus Lab Update (EP 58)

Doctor Plague talks about some counterfeit ZIF sockets among other counterfeit parts, and gives a brief update on his lab.
UNI-T UDP3305S dimensions (approximate in inches):
1. Without corner protectors: H=5.5", W=9", D=12.5"
2. With corner protectors: H=6.625", W=9.5", D=13.75"
Rigol updates: Rigol has responded to my email approximately 15 days later. They said they can send me some free samples of grabbers to replace the missing grabber. They also mentioned that for the PLA2216 heat issue it is a common phenomenon because the DHO900 is a compact oscilloscope, the heat dissipation is very slow, so the temperature of the probe is a little high. What I don't quite understand is what the heat dissipation of the probe head has to do with the oscilloscope since it is a separate enclosure. Maybe the compact scope has a different voltage level that it powers the probe with? Anyway, the high heat appears to be normal. Rigol sent a replacement grabber in a standard envelope, which was damaged (broken in half) by the postal service. They promptly sent two more grabbers in a padded envelope, and this time they arrived undamaged. Case is now closed.
See if you can find J.S. Bach before the end of the video! Be sure to watch to the end to see if you were correct!
Category: Electronics
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[@Brian_Of_Melbourne]

Maybe the next ZIF video could disassemble some ZIF sockets to assess their manufacturing quality?

[@Ariannus]

The Adafruit sockets are probably made by a company that makes counterfeit 3M sockets, but Adafruit doesn't want to import counterfeit goods so they have the factory cast them in a different color and sand off the 3M marking. It seems labor intensive but is probably cheaper in the quantities that they buy compared to paying for a new mold with no logo or a custom logo.

[@SianaGearz]

Depending on volume they could have the manufacturer weld a little onto the mould to remove the 3m logo but not bother too much resurfacing it. For sure they replace the mould regularly every few years so there have to be extras with not too much life left on them.
If the weld is knocked down with an abrasive tool like a grinder head, the casting will look sanded although no manual labour on it was done.

[@migry]

Nice to see you back again 👍

[@DoctorRGPlague]

Hey, thanks!

[@pauldale260]

Good to see you back😊

[@DoctorRGPlague]

Thank you!

[@rofbungle8572]

That's some nice gear you've acquired! I'm still using an old, old CRT oscilloscope and putting up with its limitations. As well as various cheap Chinese modern tools. They're fine if you remain conscious of their limitations. I have a "TFXTODL" 18 pin ZIF, and it's been working fine for a few years. Use it pretty regularly - probably several hundred insertions now without major issues. Construction quality seems to be better than your 40 pin one. The plastics are crisply formed and contacts are OK. Sometimes I have to insert an IC then pull the lever about half way down to apply slight pressure, and then slide the IC left and right a bit to clean the contacts - that always does the trick: same technique noted by @Shmbler.

[@Shmbler]

The quality of those cheap chinese textool copies is absolutely awful. They tend to make bad contanct if you just clamp things down. Quite often you see repair videos where ppl swap in and out chips in ZIF socketed boards to determine what's bad, without actually realizing that the ZIF sockets themselves might be causing a wrong diagnosis. I found that I can get around bad contact problems by first clamping the chip down and then dragging it a tiny bit sidewards through the slots.

[@networkg]

New subscriber here, just a suggestion, I don't know if your costume is just for this video, but let me say, your content is good enough without it and you might be more comfortable.

[@DoctorRGPlague]

Thanks!

[@ryannnn_nelson]

how can you prove those ZIF sockets were manufactured after the patent expired. they could have been manufactured 40 years ago but floating around in a warehouse all that time.

[@aware2action]

You need to fix your passive jaws, with random motion voice activated servos!❤👍

[@duelmonitor]

Great. Mine are Textdol. Lol.

[@SianaGearz]

If they're like mine, it's not, look closely! It's TFXTDOL. With an F instead of E.

[@edgeeffect]

@@SianaGearz Oh yeah, mine are mostly TFXTDOL ... but I've got a TEXTQOL too

[@ovalwingnut]

New viewer here Clearly I was a bit FrEaKeD out (no disrespect) but surprisingly I warmed up to the Plague Master in the ~20 mins allotted. I'm pleased to report that I am no longer disease free.. I "caught the plague!!" Cheers from So.Ca.USA 3rd House On the Left (call before stopping by)

[@DoctorRGPlague]

Thanks for watching!