Abstract: An improved hermaphrodite electrical connector (10) of the type including side by side pin connector (16) and socket connector (12), projecting from a base plate (18), and carrying a coupling ring lever assembly (22) for joining the mating connectors, in which the connector shells (32, 34) are integral with base plate, and the coupling ring (26) and lever (24) are also integrally formed. Various means including stops (58) prevent over-compression of a wave washer (52) used to friction load the coupling ring-lever assemblies (22).

Abstract: A terminal (2) for a capacitor (1) is formed by making a first fold A (90 degrees) in a metal strip; making a second fold B (180 degrees) in the strip; and making a third fold C (45 degrees) in the strip at an oblique angle to a lateral edge of the strip so that one end of the terminal (2) is laterally spaced from an edge of said strip.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus for obtaining a uniform advance for an internal combustion engine requiring unequal firing angles between cylinders and is characterized by an electromagnetic pulse generator having a trigger wheel that includes a number of metal vanes greater than a number of cylinders in the internal combustion engine. Although the trigger wheel generates more trigger pulses for each operating cycle of the engine than there are spark plugs only the number of trigger pulses equal to the number of spark plugs are transmitted to one or more switching devices to allow the discharge of stored electrical energy through a respective spark plug in timed relation to the operating cycle of the engine.

Abstract: An electrical connector insert that permits front or rear release of the contact within the connector and rear removal of a contact. The invention relates to connectors and more particularly to an electrical connector insert within the connector that retains electrical contacts (50) having an annular groove therein (51) and a plurality of resiliently and radially expandable tubular contact retention towers (15) each having an internal annular shoulders (18) therein that engage the annular groove (51) in a respective contact (50). Surfaces (16 and 17) on opposite sides of said shoulder (18) taper radially outwardly away from said shoulder, and are adapted to receive an appropriate tool from the rear or the front of the tower (15) to radially expand the tower (15) whereby a contact (50) is released from either the front or rear of the tower (15) for removal from the tower.

Abstract: The invention is a trigger switch of the type having a pistol grip shaped housing (1) with a first trigger switch (10) mounted in the upward forward portion of the housing (1) and a second trigger switch (20) mounted immediately below said first trigger switch (10) and characterized by a trigger guard (30) which is pivotally mounted at the upward end thereof to said housing (1) so that the guard (30) may be moved from a first lower position that protects the second lower switch (20) from being operated to a second upper position that allows the second switch (20) to be operated and a member (60) fixedly mounted to the housing (1) adjacent to guard (30) and extending between the first and second positions of the guard (1) and including a boss (61) thereon that extends in the direction towards said guard (60) and is adapted to engage the guard (30) when the guard (30) is moved between the first and second positions.

Abstract: A cable termination apparatus (90) for use in locating and terminating an electrical cable (10) of the twin-axial type to an electrical connector (50), the cable having a pair of insulated wires (20,30) having inner conductors (22, 32), the apparatus being characterized by as comprising a body (91) of conductive material including a passage (95) for receiving and locating one of the wires (30) and a radial slot (96) for receiving and locating the inner conductor (22) of the other wire (20), the passage (95) extending through the body and having a generally frusto-conical wire entry portion, (97) the slot (96) extending axially inward from one end of the body and intersecting with the frusto-conical portion (97) to provide stress relief to the conductor (22) when terminated within the slot (96) by solder (98).

Abstract: A method of making a gold plated socket contact characterized by heat treating in a vacuum furnace the previously formed and partially gold plated inner sleeve (10) of a three piece contact assembly.

Abstract: The invention is an electrical connector assembly of the type having a housing (50); a rubber moisture sealing grommet (20) and a contact retaining insert (10) characterized by a plurality of passages (15) that contain a plurality of pivotally mounted (13) and radially deflectable arcuate segments (11) that include on the inside thereof a radially inward projecting and radially tapered shoulder (12) that engages a groove (32) of a contact (30) located in a passage (15). A tool (60) may be inserted into the passage to pivot the arcuate segments (11) outwardly so that the shoulders (12) disengage the groove (32) in the contact (30) thereby releasing the contact (30) for removal from the passage (15).

Abstract: The invention is an electrical connector assembly of the type having a housing (15); a rubber moisture sealing grommet (20) and a contact retaining insert (10) characterized by a plurality of passages (15) that contain a plurality of pivotally mounted (13) and radially deflectable arcuate segments (11) that include on the inside thereof a radially inwardly projecting shoulders (12) that engage a groove (32) of a contact (30) located in a passage (15). A tool may be inserted into the passage to pivot the arcuate segments (11) so that the shoulders (12) disengage the groove (32) in the contact (30) thereby releasing the contact (30) for removal from the passage (15).

Abstract: An electrical conductor (10) having at forward end portion (F) of the conductor an integral electrical contact portion consisting of a plurality of fine, axially aligned wire strands (21), each wire having an acutely angled end surface (22) for mating with another electrical contact, said contact wires being an integral part of and continuous with the wires of said conductor in a rear portion (R). Preferably, the wires in the forward portion of the conductor are held radially together by a sleeve or holder which is inserted over the forward end, around the wires and crimped in place, separating the rear portion (R) of the conductor, which generally has insulation (30) around the conductor for a portion of its length from the forward contact portion.

Abstract: A coupling ring 10 for connecting together two halves of an electrical connector assembly includes means integral with the coupling ring for mounting the coupling ring 10 to a connector housing 20. The integral mounting means includes a plurality of resiliently deflectable fingers 11, each having an annular shoulder 12 thereon that mates with a groove 21 in the connector housing so that the coupling ring 10 may be rotatably mounted to a housing 20 of an electrical connector. A skirt 14, integral with the coupling ring 10 protects the fingers 11.

Abstract: An electrical connector insert (10) for releasably retaining a plurality of contacts (30) in each passage (15) extending through the insert (10). Each of the passages (15) in the insert include an annular member (20) which has an arcuate surface (21) that engages an annular groove (31) in a contact (30). The contact (30) may be inserted from the front or rear of the connector and removed from the front or rear of the connector.

Abstract: An electrical connector insert that permits front or rear release of the contact within the connector and rear removal of a contact. The invention relates to connectors and more particularly to an electrical connector insert within the connector that retains electrical contacts (50) having a enlarged middle portion (51) and is characterized by a plurality of resiliently and radially expandable tubular contact retention towers (15) each having an internal annular groove (18) that engages the enlarged portion (51) of a respective contact (50) surfaces (16 and 17) on opposite sides of said groove (18) taper radially outwardly away from said groove and are adapted to receive an appropriate tool from the rear or the front of the tower (15) to radially expand the tower (15) whereby a contact (50) is released from either the front or rear of the tower (15) for removal from the rear of the tower.

Abstract: The invention is an electrical connector assembly of the type having a housing (50); a rubber moisture sealing grommet (70) and a contact retaining insert assembly (10 and 20) characterized by a rear insert (10) having a plurality of passages (15) that contain resiliently and radially deflectable members (11) that include at the forward ends thereof a radially inwardly chamfered surface (13) and, rearwardly adjacent to the chamfered surface (13), a forwardly facing shoulder (12) to engage the rearwardly facing shoulder (31) of a contact (30) located in a passage; and a plurality of passages (22) and a front insert (20) each communicating with a respective forwardly facing shoulder (12) of the deflectable members (11) to enable a tool to be inserted into either the front passages (22) or rear passage (15) to engage and radially deflect the members (11) to release the contact (30) for removal from the rear of the connector.

Abstract: The invention is an electrical connector insert assembly for retaining contacts in electrical connector of the type having front or rear releasable and rear removable contacts. The insert assembly that retains the contacts includes inserts (10) and (20) each having a plurality of passages (11, 21) having a respective contact (50) mounted therein and is characterized by a first and second plurality of resiliently and radially deflectable contact retention members (15, 25) arranged in face to face relationship in each of the passages (11, 21) the retention members (15, 25) having facing shoulders (16, 26) that retain the contact (50) by engaging the shoulders (52) and (53) of the enlarged portion (51) of the contact 50.

Abstract: This invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to a three-piece socket type electrical contact for the connector. The socket type contact includes an inner sleeve (10) stamped and formed from a single sheet of beryllium copper metal, the sleeve having a rear wire receiving portion that includes a groove (11) having a plurality of elongated slots located in said groove; a copper ferrule (20) located in said groove; and a stainless steel rear sleeve (40) telescopically mounted over the rear portion of the inner sleeve (10) and said ferrule (20).

Abstract: An improved electrical connector assembly (10) is disclosed. The assembly is especially adapted for engagement with a printed circuit board (76) having electrical circuits formed on both sides thereof. The assembly includes a body (12) of molded dielectric material having four spaced rows of passages (24) extending therethrough from a front face (26) to a rear face (28) of the body. The assembly also includes brush wire electrical contacts (14) each received in its respective passage. Each of the contacts has a cylindrical body portion (62) and an elongated tail (64) attached to one end of its body portion. The ends (72) of the termination portions extend beyond the rear face and form two spaced straight line rows adapted to receive the printed circuit board therebetween. The ends (63) of the body portions opposite their respective termination portions comprise four spaced apart, straight line rows of body portion ends.

Abstract: An ignition system for an internal combustion engine that provides automatically advanced timing over a predetermined range of engine speeds. The ignition system includes a timing circuit (100) that controls the resistance and hence voltage across a capacitor (53) that biases a switch in the trigger circuit (50) of the system. The transistor (125) is operated in its active region so that the transistor (125) operates as a variable resistor. As the resistance of the transistor (125) decreases with increasing engine speed the timing of the system advances. The predetermined speed at which the advance begins is determined by zener diode (119) in series with the base of the transistor (125). The maximum advance of the system is limited by a resistor (94) in series between the transistor (125) and the capacitor (53) of the trigger circuit (50). The transistor (125) is operated in its active region by a transistorized circuit that receives its power from the main storage capacitor (27) of the ignition system.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) is provided which both untwists and shears a forward end of twisted conductive strands of a multi-stranded wire (40). A pair of strand receiving members (20, 30) having acutely angled front surfaces (24, 34) are slidably disposed and in spaced relationship by a support (12). To untwist the strands the twisted strands are inserted into and passed through a wire passage (26) and into guide bores (27) of the first strand receiving member (20). To shear the strands, the strands are then passed from the first strand receiving member (20) and into guide bores (37) of the second strand receiving member (30). Strand receiver (30) is then displaced with respect to strand receiver (20) with the strands extending between the front surfaces being sheared apart and provided with an acutely angled end defining an elliptical surface. The strand shearing is preferably across the minor axis of the ellipse.

Abstract: A dielectric insert 10 for securing a plurality of electrical connector retention clips 29. The insert 10 includes passages 15 having therein retention clip shoulder housings 17 and an abutment 21 which define a cavity 23 within which a retention clip 29 can be removably mounted. The insert 10 is an integral body molded of a dielectric material. A means for molding the insert 10 through the use of a core pin 53 and a bushing 61 is also disclosed. This insert 10 and the means for molding it are adapted to either the pin contact 33 or the socket contact 43 used in electrical connectors 77 and 77'.