Sal: When western companies first started studying Japanese companies, they found the Japanese using a technique called "poka-yoke." It means mistake-proofing. In this, the designer specifies parts and assemblies so that they can be assembled one way. They do this to lower the cost of assembly and improve quality.
Apparently, your designer was not concerned with those issues. Perhaps you can recover from this lackadaisical design approach by capitalizing on the asymmetry of D-style connectors. Several thoughts on alternate solutions come to mind: * Have the designer relay-out the board orienting all connectors in the same direction. * Add a silk screen mark to the board to indicate connector orientation to make it easier to assemble and inspect. * Make an ESD dissipative overlay template with marking to indicate connector orientation and holes large enough to accept the connector.
Good luck
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