How do I remove the PROM

justacruzr2

Greasemonkey
Jun 16, 2017
180
169
43
Midlothian, Illinois
How do I remove the PROM from the board. Took the computer apart last night to remove the PROM but couldn't release the snap on holder. Didn't want to force it and break it. Pictures below show the PROM. This is from a 1984 Grand Prix. Thanks.



IMG_0314.jpegIMG_0315.jpegIMG_0316.jpeg
 
ACDelco actually made a tool to remove them. I laughed when they passed them out.


Why the laugh? Because they were cheaply made? On a regular desktop computer they are very easy to remove. Also noted that they must have dipped these boards in some sort of protectant against rust from moisture. Good idea but it makes replacing a component more difficult. Wonder how those places that rebuild them get that stuff off so they can test and replace components. The opposite side of the board from where your wiring loom attaches is another edge connector. Wonder if that's for testing purposes.
 
That tool is just to remove the retainer that holds the DIP (Dual Inline Package) IC in the socket. To remove the IC one would use tools like these.
DSCN4130.JPG


The red mark shows the most common tool, the yellow is what a real shop would use to remove the DIP package IC.

DIP packages were awful for working their way out of sockets, any vibration or thermal cycling would do the job in time. If something was supposed to have the IC changed easily they would use ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) sockets like these. They were something like 100 times the price of the basic socket so they were never used in consumer electronics, saw them mostly in industrial and computer stuff.
DSCN4133.JPG


Once you get the retainer off the key is to pull it straight up, lifting by any one side will bend the pins and can damage the device. Prying with a screwdriver will almost always end up with one end way up and the other almost unmoved. It can be done but gently, slowly and careful does it.

Stuff in pictures is decades old but can still be had.
 
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