SMK Toughens Up Those Tiny Micro-USB Connections

Posted by timothy on Tuesday September 20, 2011 @01:42AM from the which-are-a-big-pain-in-the-tuchus dept.

An anonymous reader writes "If a gadget ships with a micro-USB port, I see it as a plus because it isn't proprietary — meaning I can easily and cheaply buy replacement cables. But the micro-USB ports aren't the strongest connectors in the world, so if the gadget is expensive (a smartphone) and you accidentally bust the port, you're in trouble. And that's easily done. Japanese manufacturer SMK may have fixed the problem, though, with a new double-strong connector design. They started producing them on Friday, and at an output of 500,000 a month, hopefully they'll be shipping with most new gadgets before long."

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Re:Already exists* by EdZ · 2011-09-20 02:23 · Score: 5, Informative

Through-hole uses a ton of extra space, bot for the component itself and on the PCB, something you don't want in a small device. Plus, SMT is a LOT more resistant to repeated sudden G-loads (e.g. dropping your phone). If you shove your USB cable in like an ape or dangle your phone by it then yes, a through-hole component would probably hold up longer.