Page 78 - Make Your Own PCBs with EAGLE from Schematic Designs to Finished Boards

For best structural rigidity, many connectors are through-hole so that they use the board to provide
extra strength. Connectors may have mechanical pins that go through the board to provide extra

strength. Surface-mount connectors are essentially only attached to the copper track on the surface of
the board. This means that under stress, it is easy for the copper layer to lift away from the board.

Other Components

The preceding sections detail the most common components. For other components, it just becomes a
matter of finding the part in the library. If there are external components that are to be connected by
wires to the PCB, then select one of the connector types and solder the wires directly to the pads.

Buying Components

It may sound obvious, but always make sure that you can easily get hold of a part before you design

something that uses it. If you are designing something that will become a product, then keeping the
cost of the bill of materials (BOM) to a minimum will become important.
Always use common components except where there is a good reason to use something more