3F07 Audio Jack Socket

The 3F07 audio jack socket is a 3.5 mm PCB mount stereo socket that is not only very affordable but also available from a wide number of outlets including eBay. After writing this article, which is referenced from my electronics project pages, I have had promising feedback from many online sellers who have said that their sales have gone up. This is probably because many educational establishments started switching to these sockets after I wrote about them. in the UK, the price of a socket is very high some reason, and there is a big demand for sockets that are affordable. If the price remains low and affordable then this component will be hugely popular amongst hobbyists.

3F07

The 3F07 is available in different colours such as, black, green, and pink. They are through-hole type with standard pin spacing and I was able to mount them onto prototyping boards and breadboards without any difficulty. These are ideal for hobbyists, students and for commercial application use. These low cost sockets are available in bags of 10 to 50 for a very low price and worth having in your electronic parts box for future projects.

ZX80 Socket Modification

To use these on the Sinclair ZX80 project you simply need to remove the two middle pins. I managed to remove them by simply using a pair of pliers and pulling them off at the terminals. They come off completely and cleanly with their contacts! Alternatively, you could also snip off the pins and cover over the ends with some tape to make sure they do not touch anywhere else on the PCB.

The middle pins provide the switched return for the left and right channels, which is not required on the Sinclair ZX80 PCB. The remaining three pins fit perfectly into the PCB holes.

PCB Mounting

As you can see it fits nicely on the Sinclair ZX80 PCB and is a direct replacement for the old CL1384 style socket,

Back View

On the Sinclair ZX80 PCB, it looks like this from the back.

Sinclair Computer Socket Mod

As you can see from the plan view, there is plenty of space for all the sockets. I have to say I just love these sockets. I will be using these for all of my electronics projects in the future.

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