Lessons learned when placing connectors on PCB.

Beware of placing connectors on the board.

When you place connectors on board, its easy to forget about the size of the connecting wire. When placing the connectors on PCB, make sure there is clearance for the male connector. For example if you are placing USB connector and HDMI connector, there needs to be extra space around the connector footprint else you cannot connect them together. It’s best practice to use a separate mechanical layer in order to mark the mating connector size and use that as clearance for adjacent connectors. Its a valuable lesson learned that can avoid costly mistakes.

Speaking of connector placement.

There is one more thing to be mindful of.

Some connectors need to protrude out from the PCB edge. Most common is the ethernet port. The port also has springs on top and sides to make contact with the metal enclosure for grounding.

These two tips will save a lot of headache.