Assembly Help - IC2

I got to step 6 of the 4.2 assembly instructions when I realized I soldered the IC2 ATmega328P chip directly to the board instead of using the socket. I spent about an hour trying to get it off so that I could swap it with the socket but haven't got it to budge a bit.

Question: Can I leave it directly soldered to the board and continue or should I keep trying to get it de-soldered and potentially risk damaging the chip or the board?

And everything was going so smoothly.

You can leave it soldered in.

In the event that you wind up with a messed up atmega, which I've personally not experienced, you can replace it. The easiest thing to do would be to snip the legs off the chip, de-solder each individual leg, use a sucker/braid to clean out the holes and then install the DIP socket.

Hi guys. First post here... signed up with the forum primarily because I have a Heatermeter kit on the way. I have a small el-cheapo bullet smoker, and a UDS on the horizon.

I've done quite a lot of electronic assembly and repair work over the years (mainly pro-audio and high fidelity audio equipment).

One product I have found quite useful is Chip Quik (no 'c'). It is marketed as a product to aid the removal of smd components, but I have also found it useful for clearing out through-plated PCB holes.

Basically, the product keeps solder in a molten state for longer, allowing it to be wiped or sucked away. It can be a sanity saver at times.

Cheers, Paul H