Abstract: Electrical contact includes a base portion and a mating portion having a leading end of the electrical contact. The mating portion includes a contact finger coupled to the base portion and extends between the base portion and the leading end. The contact finger has an engagement surface that is shaped to define a primary contact zone. The electrical contact also includes a resonance-control protrusion shaped to define a stub-contact zone. The stub-contact zone is positioned at the base portion or between the base portion and the primary contact zone. The primary contact zone and the stub-contact zone are configured to engage another contact. The stub-contact zone is configured to impede electrical resonance along a stub portion of the other contact.

Abstract: A contact module includes a dielectric holder holding signal contacts having mating portions extending forward of the dielectric holder. A shield structure is coupled to the dielectric holder providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts. The shield structure has first and second ground shields having corresponding mating portions extending forward of the mating end of the dielectric holder. The shield structure has ground blades extending between the first and second ground shields having mating portions extending forward of the mating end of the dielectric holder at least one of above or below the mating portions of the signal contacts. The ground blades electrically connect the mating portions of the first ground shield and the mating portions of the second ground shield immediately forward of the mating end of dielectric holder.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a housing having a cavity receiving a stack of contact modules each having a dielectric holder having first and second sides extending between a front and a rear and extending between a top and a bottom. Each contact module includes signal contacts having mating portions and mounting portions extending from the bottom for termination to a circuit board. The dielectric holder includes a press tab extending from the first side proximate to the bottom having press surface pressed downward by a seating tool to press the electrical connector assembly on the circuit board proximate to the bottom of the dielectric holder to seat the mounting portions in vias in the circuit board.

Abstract: A contact module includes a dielectric holder having first and second sides extending between a mating end and a mounting end. The contact module includes signal contacts held by the dielectric holder along a contact plane. The contact module includes a first ground shield coupled to the first side of the dielectric holder and providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts and a second ground shield coupled to the second side of the dielectric holder and providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts, the ground shield having skewer openings. The contact module includes ground skewers having posts extending from the first ground shield through the dielectric holder. The posts are electrically connected to the first ground shield and extend into corresponding skewer openings of the second ground shield to electrically connect the first ground shield to the second ground shield.

Abstract: A contact module includes a dielectric holder holding signal contacts having mating portions extending forward of the dielectric holder. A shield structure is coupled to the dielectric holder providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts. The shield structure has first and second ground shields having corresponding mating portions extending forward of the mating end of the dielectric holder. The shield structure has ground blades extending between the first and second ground shields having mating portions extending forward of the mating end of the dielectric holder at least one of above or below the mating portions of the signal contacts. The ground blades electrically connect the mating portions of the first ground shield and the mating portions of the second ground shield immediately forward of the mating end of dielectric holder.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing, plural signal contacts, and plural impedance control (IC) members. The housing includes a base having a mating face. The base includes an array of openings along the mating face. The signal contacts are arranged in contact pairs, and are held in the openings of the base. The signal contacts include mating segments that extend a height beyond the mating face of the base for electrically connecting to corresponding mating signal contacts of a mating connector. The IC members are on the base and extend a height beyond the mating face of the base that is less than the height of the mating segments of the signal contacts. Each of the IC members is disposed one or more of adjacent to or between the signal contacts of a corresponding contact pair.

Abstract: Electrical connector includes a connector housing and a plurality of electrical contacts coupled to the connector housing. Each of the electrical contacts includes a base section coupled to the connector housing and an elongated mating pin coupled to the base section. The mating pin extends away from the base section along a longitudinal axis to a contact end of the mating pin. The mating pin has an exterior surface that forms a runway configured to intimately engage another contact during a mating operation. The runway includes a wipe zone, a resonance-control zone, and a mating zone. The resonance-control zone is located between the mating zone and the wipe zone. The resonance-control zone has a greater elevation than an elevation of the wipe zone and an elevation of the mating zone such that the resonance-control zone deflects the other contact further away during the mating operation.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing and a plurality of conductors held within the housing. The conductors are configured to electrically connect to mating conductors of a mating connector. The conductors each extend a length between a mating end and a mounting end of the respective conductor. One or more of the conductors include a copper alloy core, a copper plating layer, and a protective outer layer. The copper plating layer surrounds the copper alloy core, and is composed of a different material than the copper alloy core. The protective outer layer is disposed on and surrounds the copper plating layer. The protective outer layer is composed of a non-conductive polymeric material.

Abstract: A connector assembly includes a shield structure and a contact module having signal contacts with signal pins and ground pins forming part of the shield structure providing electrical shielding for the signal pins. A pin organizer is coupled to the contact module and includes a conductive frame and a dielectric frame having plugs. The conductive frame is electrically connected to the shield structure and has ground pin holes receiving corresponding ground pins and windows receiving corresponding plugs. The plugs have signal pin holes receiving corresponding signal pins. The plugs electrically isolate the signal pins from the conductive frame. The pin organizer substantially fills a space between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board to provide electrical shielding for the signal pins between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing, plural signal contacts, and plural impedance control (IC) members. The housing includes a base having a mating face. The base includes an array of openings along the mating face. The signal contacts are arranged in contact pairs, and are held in the openings of the base. The signal contacts include mating segments that extend a height beyond the mating face of the base for electrically connecting to corresponding mating signal contacts of a mating connector. The IC members are on the base and extend a height beyond the mating face of the base that is less than the height of the mating segments of the signal contacts. Each of the IC members is disposed one or more of adjacent to or between the signal contacts of a corresponding contact pair.

Abstract: Electrical contact includes a base portion and a mating portion having a leading end of the electrical contact. The mating portion includes a contact finger coupled to the base portion and extends between the base portion and the leading end. The contact finger has an engagement surface that is shaped to define a primary contact zone. The electrical contact also includes a resonance-control protrusion shaped to define a stub-contact zone. The stub-contact zone is positioned at the base portion or between the base portion and the primary contact zone. The primary contact zone and the stub-contact zone are configured to engage another contact. The stub-contact zone is configured to impede electrical resonance along a stub portion of the other contact.

Abstract: Electrical connector includes a connector housing and a plurality of electrical contacts coupled to the connector housing. Each of the electrical contacts includes a base section coupled to the connector housing and an elongated mating pin coupled to the base section. The mating pin extends away from the base section along a longitudinal axis to a contact end of the mating pin. The mating pin has an exterior surface that forms a runway configured to intimately engage another contact during a mating operation. The runway includes a wipe zone, a resonance-control zone, and a mating zone. The resonance-control zone is located between the mating zone and the wipe zone. The resonance-control zone has a greater elevation than an elevation of the wipe zone and an elevation of the mating zone such that the resonance-control zone deflects the other contact further away during the mating operation.

Abstract: A receptacle connector assembly includes a contact module having signal contacts and ground contacts and a housing having a front shell and a rear shell coupled to the front shell. The front shell and the rear shell receive the signal contacts and corresponding header signal contacts of a header connector assembly in mating engagement with the signal contacts in a mating zone. The front shell and the rear shell receive the ground contacts and corresponding header ground contacts of the header connector assembly in mating engagement with the ground contacts in the mating zone. The rear shell has pockets receiving corresponding signal contacts and ground contacts. The rear shell has conductors at the front of the rear shell providing electrical shielding in the mating zone.

Abstract: A connector assembly includes a shield structure and a contact module having signal contacts with signal pins and ground pins forming part of the shield structure providing electrical shielding for the signal pins. A pin organizer is coupled to the contact module and includes a conductive frame and a dielectric frame having plugs. The conductive frame is electrically connected to the shield structure and has ground pin holes receiving corresponding ground pins and windows receiving corresponding plugs. The plugs have signal pin holes receiving corresponding signal pins. The plugs electrically isolate the signal pins from the conductive frame. The pin organizer substantially fills a space between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board to provide electrical shielding for the signal pins between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board.

Abstract: A header connector includes a header housing having a base and a cavity with header signal contacts coupled to the base and header ground contacts coupled to the base having a mating end extending into the cavity providing electrical shielding for corresponding contact pairs of the header signal contacts. Each header ground contact includes an end wall and a side wall extending from the end wall. Ground contact shield elements are coupled to corresponding header ground contacts along the corresponding side walls of the header ground contacts. The ground contact shield elements are deflectable and spring biased to extend toward the nearest header signal contact of the corresponding contact pair such that the ground contact shield element is positioned closer to the header signal contact than the side wall of the corresponding header ground contact.

Abstract: A header connector includes a header housing and a contact array of header contacts coupled to the header housing. The header contact has a mating pin at a mating end. The mating pin has a first side and a second side. The mating pin has a tip at a front of the mating pin. The mating pin has a top mating interface remote from and rearward of the tip configured to engage a first flexible contact finger of a receptacle contact. The mating pin has a bottom mating interface remote from and rearward of the tip configured to engage a second flexible contact finger of the receptacle contact. The header contact has an edge mating interface at the first side proximate to the tip configured to engage the receptacle contact.

Abstract: A connector assembly includes a housing and contact modules having signal contacts with signal pins and a ground shield providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts with ground pins. The connector assembly includes a conductive pin organizer coupled to the contact modules having a plurality of ground pin holes receiving ground pins and signal openings receiving signal pins. The conductive pin organizer substantially fills a space between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board to provide electrical shielding for the signal pins between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board.

Abstract: A header connector includes a header housing and a contact array of header contacts coupled to the header housing. The header contact has a mating pin at a mating end. The mating pin has a first side and a second side. The mating pin has a tip at a front of the mating pin. The mating pin has a top mating interface remote from and rearward of the tip configured to engage a first flexible contact finger of a receptacle contact. The mating pin has a bottom mating interface remote from and rearward of the tip configured to engage a second flexible contact finger of the receptacle contact. The header contact has an edge mating interface at the first side proximate to the tip configured to engage the receptacle contact.

Abstract: A contact module includes a dielectric body holding signal contacts and a shield coupled to the dielectric body having grounding portions providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts. Each grounding portion includes a base edge generally coplanar with the base edges of the signal contacts and a compliant pin extending below the base edge. Each grounding portion includes a surface tab extending below the base edge to at least partially fill a space between the base edge of the grounding portion and a mounting surface of the circuit board such that the surface tab provides electrical shielding for the compliant pins of the signal contacts in the space between the base edge of the signal contact and the mounting surface of the circuit board.

Abstract: A contact module includes a dielectric body holding signal contacts and a shield coupled to the dielectric body having grounding portions providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts. Each grounding portion includes a base edge generally coplanar with the base edges of the signal contacts and a compliant pin extending below the base edge. Each grounding portion includes a surface tab extending below the base edge to at least partially fill a space between the base edge of the grounding portion and a mounting surface of the circuit board such that the surface tab provides electrical shielding for the compliant pins of the signal contacts in the space between the base edge of the signal contact and the mounting surface of the circuit board.