There are some components that show up in almost every tutorial and prototype.
But if you use any of them in a product you plan to manufacture and sell, you could face failed certifications, sourcing nightmares, dead-on-arrival units, and expensive redesigns.
In my latest video I show you each one and explain why it doesn't belong in a real product, plus what to use instead.
10 Components You Should NEVER Use in a Product
If you prefer you can read the article here.
Component #1 - USB Micro-B Connectors
USB Micro-B is the most notorious mechanical failure point in consumer electronics.
The connector is fragile and can't handle the stress users put on it.
It fails after far fewer insertion cycles compared to USB-C, and EU regulations already require USB-C for most consumer electronics.
Customers expect USB-C on new products, and a Micro-B port signals that your product is outdated before it even ships.
Component #2 - Through-Hole Components
Through-hole parts are bigger, harder to place with automated assembly equipment, and they drive up manufacturing cost.
If an SMD equivalent exists, and it almost always does, you should use it.
Component #3 - Barrel Jack Power Connectors
With USB-C, your customer already has chargers that will work, but with a barrel jack, they have to keep track of that one specific adapter.
That's the kind of experience you do not want your customers to have.
Component #4 - Unshielded DC-DC Converter Inductors
Pairing a switching regulator with an unshielded inductor is asking for EMI trouble.
The magnetic field radiates freely and contaminates sensitive sections of your board.
This often shows up as noise in a pre-compliance scan, or worse, as an outright failure at the test lab.
That tiny savings on your BOM can easily turn into a $5,000 or more certification failure.
Component #5 - Cheap No-Name Electrolytic Capacitors
Cheap electrolytics dry out early, drift out of spec, and destroy your product's reliability over one to three years.
Stick with Panasonic, Nichicon, or Rubycon.
Component #6 - Bare 2.54 mm Pin Headers
Bare pin headers are perfect for prototyping but terrible for anything that ships to a customer.
They have no locking mechanism and vibrate loose in anything that gets moved or shipped.
Use connectors rated for your application with proper retention.
Component #7 - Mechanical Relays
Mechanical relays wear out after a limited number of cycles, they're loud, they're large, and they draw significant coil current.
For many products, a solid-state alternative is better since there are no moving parts.
Component #8 - Single-Source or End-of-Life Components
If only one factory on earth makes your critical component, you're one supply disruption away from a dead product.
Always check lifecycle status before committing any component to your BOM.
Component #9 - Counterfeit or Clone ICs
Fake STM32s and cloned chips are more common than most people realize.
They pass bench testing often enough to make it into a production run, then fail in the field at scale.
Buy from authorized distributors like Mouser or DigiKey.
Component #10 - Hobby-Grade Sensors
Sensors like the DHT11 were never designed for production products.
They lack the consistency and reliability your customers will expect.
Talk soon,
John
P.S. If you want expert help catching problems like these before they cost you time and money, you can get that inside the Hardware Academy, or through private mentoring with me. You can learn more at Hardware Academy.