SMD connectors such as this should (and most do) have through hole mounting tabs. The USB A SMD connectors you'll find in today's flash drives are sturdy enough for the work they do. All the force is move to the board through these two large pads. They are placed with regular SMT equipment - The solder stencil has openings for the tail holes, and the paste simply goes into the hole during the stencil phase. The connector is placed by a machine that can handle large parts and apply force when placing, since the solder tails have bumps that hold the connector in place during manufacturing. Still, a machined tray may still be used to support the other end of the connector through reflow since cheaper connectors don't support themselves as well, but are suitable for every other requirement. The paste may be partially pushed out by the connector tails, but during reflow it wicks back into the connection. It's not as strong as a fully through hole connector, but it generally is adequately strong for this application. Other applications where the connector is subject to more than a few insertions daily may require the stronger connection of a fully TH device. -Adam On 9/5/06, Wouter van Ooijen wrote: > >> Does anyone have any better ideas? > > > > Yes. Do you want TH or SMD? I have both in stock but never > > bothered to put them on my website. > > sorry, mistake: TH only. I think SMD would not be a good choice for this > type of connector. > > Wouter van Ooijen > > -- ------------------------------------------- > Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: www.voti.nl > consultancy, development, PICmicro products > docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: www.voti.nl/hvu > > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist