Socket to Your Arduino

There is an old tradition in electronics, if a part is expensive or inclined to blow, make it replaceable by putting it in a socket. Sometimes this goes too far as with final circuits that are still on a proto board where everything is in a socket. But if we are using small arduinos like the nano we more or less treat them as a component and putting them in a socket is a good idea. As far as I know sockets for these parts are not made, and the pins on an arduino are not really the normal pins for sockets. However we can make what we need on a strip board or PCB by using 2 rows of female headers. Pictures tell the rest of the story.

In this case I am using strip board, but any PCB board with .1 inch spacing should be good.

Waiting to make a connection. Other arduinos have similar pin outs.

This is what female header strip looks like, then cut it with a fine tooth saw. I cut through the middle of a pin which is sacrificed.

First tack solder the two end pins and adjust to make sure header is straight and all the way in. Then solder up the rest.

Plug it in, if you blow it up, unplug and put in a new one.

Here are pictures of some finished boards with the arduino and supporting electronics.

Other parts can also be mounted this way: after I did this I realize the idea is not so new, Ramps boards, for example, mount stepper drivers in just this way. Some links that I found include:

Proto Arduino - Arduino Nano or ATTiny85 Prototype Board
https://info.pcboard.ca/proto-arduino/

Nerd Club: Raspberry Pi shield design https://nerdclub-uk.blogspot.com/2016/03/raspberr...

OSOYOO 3D Printer Kit with RAMPS 1.4 Controller + Mega 2560 board + 5pcs A4988 Stepper Motor Driver with Heatsink + LCD 12864 Graphic Smart Display Controller with Adapter For Arduino RepRap https://3dprinterstore.shopbuilder.co/index.php?r...

New Pololu Shield RAMPS-FD for Arduino Due 3D printer controller [700-001-0063] - $28.00 : geeetech 3d printers onlinestore, one-stop shop for 3d printers,3d printer accessories,3d printer parts http://www.geeetech.com/new-pololu-shield-rampsfd...

RAMPS 1.4 Control Board + 5X A4988 Stepstick Driver Module for 3D Printer RepRap | eBay https://www.ebay.com/i/182948423982?rt=nc