What is DIP or Dual in-line package?

Among electronic components, dual in-line package, known in short as DIP is a device package with a rectangular housing and two parallel rows of connecting pins. I have seen this being implemented in integrated circuits and seven segment displays, as shown here. The package may be inserted through hole mounted on a printed circuit board or inserted in a socket. Long back, when we were new to integrated circuits or ICs, we used to buy corresponding sockets as well, for fear of damaging the ICs while soldering! Here there are DIP8, DIP14 and DIP16 devices, meaning that they are 8, 14 and 16 pin devices respectively. As you can see, the packages are quite convenient to mount on a breadboard.

If they are mounted with each set of pins on either side of the central notch on the breadboard, that also allows for a little bit of cooling by convection or passive air circulation. Sockets for DIP devices also follow the DIP pattern. DIP switches are also available for mounting on printed circuit boards and breadboards. Interconnecting ribbon cables in computers often have DIP connectors. With the advent of surface mount technology, DIP devices became less common, to an extent that some chips are available only as SMD and not DIP for through hole mounting. There are also manufacturers who sell prototyping adapters to use SMD like DIP on through hole bread boards and soldered prototyping boards.