Zif Socket

ZIF is an acronym for Zero Insertion Force. ZIF sockets are locking mounts for electronic circuits or chips that allow them to be changed easily with little chance of damaging the fragile pins. The socket has a lever or some mechanism that can tighten the socket’s connection on the pins, which makes insertion and removal far easier than standard chip sockets. ZIF sockets are sometimes found in equipment that has a component the user is supposed to be able to change. They are not common, however, because they are quite expensive.