> We always designed chip circuit boards so the #1 pin was always in one direction, so a visual scan of the completed board would verify the chips were all in t

> We always designed chip circuit boards so the #1 pin was always in one direction, so a visual scan of the completed board would verify the chips were all in the right way. The board was also set up so the diodes were all pointed the same way, caps too. I'm not an EE, but wouldn't this have the potential to significantly complicate the layout of traces on the board? I assume you're talking about hand-assembled boards, and hand-drawn too?