Where to get 8-pin sockets?

[jdcolombo]

Hi folks.

Over the past year, I've been converting a bunch of HO-scale locomotives owned by friends to ESU LokSound decoders.  Many of these came from the factory with NMRA 8-pin sockets, but several have not.  I'd like to find a source for 8-pin sockets at a reasonable price (SBS4DCC wants >$3 for one; surely they can be had more inexpensively from some electronics house?), so I can wire in a socket for those engines that don't have one, and then use a standard 8-pin decoder interface, rather than hard-wire the decoder to the engine itself.  Makes programming and troubleshooting later a lot easier.

If you have any ideas, please post.

Thanks!

John C.

[RBrodzinsky]

Tony’s Trains has a 10 pack from NCE for $15.  Or, just check DigiKey for 0.1” pitch 2x4 sockets. Quick look showed about 50¢ each there, though you have to watch for correct receptacle dimension

[Point353]

DigiKey or Mouser.

[jdcolombo]

Thanks guys.

I'm going to try Digikey.

John C.

[peteski]

Those 8-pin sockets are standard female sockets with 0.100" spacing (same as the pin spacing of most through-hole integrated circuit manufactured for the last 50 years).  While you might be able to buy 4-pin double-row socket, it will be much cheaper to buy a longer socket (like 25 or 50 pin double-row) then cut it into multiple 8-pin sockets.