Socketed CV PCB Mod (Z80, BIOS, RAM, etc.)

A ColecoVision whose main chips have been fitted into sockets instead of soldered directly to the board - and probably the most valuable modification in this catalogue for anyone who intends to keep a console working.

Why it matters

• The Z80, the BIOS ROM and the RAM are soldered in from the factory. Replacing any of them means desoldering a chip from a forty-year-old board, which risks lifting a pad or a track every time.
• With sockets fitted, a failed chip is a two-minute swap. So is trying a fast-boot BIOS, or putting the original back.

What it enables

• The BIOS replacements, DRAM-to-SRAM converters and F18A video upgrades elsewhere in this catalogue all involve removing a soldered chip. Socketing is what turns each of those from surgery into a swap.

It is preventive work rather than a repair, done while the board is open for something else - which is exactly when it should be done.