>
> BTW, there is one MORE source of connector problems: surface-mounted
> connectors. Instead of being thru-hole
> mounted, each post is tacked to a surface pad. These  ARE _definitely_
> criminal.

I agree, I've repaired a number of these for people where the solder
joints that held the connector to the pcb fatigued and failed over
time, a failure mode that you just don't ever see with thru-hole.  In
fact, I designed this failure mode into a system, where impact that
couldn't be handled by the case flexure was designed to shear the
connector from a plug-in board rather than cause damage to the
motherboard that would have been a much more difficult repair.

I've seen the failures in connectors that didn't have much force at
all applied, so I'm saying that all external interface connectors must
be thruhole.
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