The Atari ST series computers use PLCC68 sockets which have different pin layout. To get around this I drew small and simple PCB to act as an adapter between a standard PLCC68 socket and Atari board.

Atari PLCC68 Adapter by RetroBox is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Assembly

To assembly the adapter you will need a standard PLCC68 socket and standard, 2.54mm pitch pin headers.

Step 1: Solder in PLCC68 socket to adapter PCB. Use cut corner and pin 1 markings on top of PCB to place it properly. When soldering, make sure that nearby vias will not be covered with tin. After soldering use a sharp knife or cutting tool and cut off all protruding pins on the bottom side of adapter. Be carefull for cut pins not to get inside (between PCB and PLCC socket). It will be hard to get them out and they can’t be left there as they’ll cause shorts between pins.

Step 2: Cut pin header stripes into 4 segments of 8 pins and 4 segments of 9 pins. Solder all segments one by one, start with inner segments. Put longer part of pin headers into PCB vias. After soldering please remove the plastic strips from pin headers.

Now your adapter is ready. Be sure to cross check adapter pins for shorts before soldering to Atari board. The spacing between the vias on the PCB is very small and it is quite easy to short them during soldering. Also, don’t forget to leave some space under the adapter whern soldering to prevent shorts with Atari board.

Disclaimer

The author is not responsible and cannot be held liable for any damages caused by the use or misuse of this project or products manufactured on its basis. The author does not give any guarantee for the products manufactured on the basis of this project and does not guarantee their correct operation. You use this project as well as products manufactured on its basis at your own risk.