Sockets provide for repeated insertion, removal, substitution and replacement of Integrated Circuits (ICs) and transistors in a circuit. Socket adapters allow the use of ICs and transistors of one package type to be used in place of another package type such as adapting an eight-pin DIP package to a JEDEC socket package. Popular surface mount and through-hole packages may be converted to DIP, JEDEC, PGA, PLCC, QFP, SOIC and SOWIC.