Abstract: A female electrical terminal has a contact end and a terminating end. The contact end includes a pair of opposing walls for receiving a male terminal therebetween. A flexible element is disposed in the contact end for pressing against the male terminal. The flexible element includes a mounting section with spaced wall portions juxtaposed inside the opposing walls of the contact end. Complementary interengaging latches are provided between the opposing walls and the spaced wall portions of the mounting section of the flexible element. An abutment is provided in the contact end to prevent inward collapsing of the spaced wall portions and, thereby, to maintain the latches in interengagement.

Abstract: An electrical connector is adapted for connecting a conductor of an electrical wire to a terminal of a mating connector. A dielectric housing has at least one elongated terminal-receiving cavity defining a longitudinal axis. A terminal is received in the cavity and has a mating portion adapted to mate with the terminal of the mating connector, a conductor-terminating portion, and an intermediate portion joining the mating and conductor-terminating portions. The intermediate portion includes a base and a pair of elongated resilient side walls extending from the base. Each side wall has an upper free end portion. A pair of elongated slots are provided within a wall of the cavity receiving the upper free end portions of the side walls of the terminal to prevent movement of the terminal laterally or angularly of the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing having an elongated terminal-receiving cavity for insertion thereinto of a terminal in a given insertion direction. The cavity includes a constricted opening leading to a locking shoulder facing in the insertion direction. An elongated terminal is adapted to be inserted into the cavity and has a body portion with a cantilevered locking arm formed out of a side wall of the body portion. The locking arm has a fixed end joined to the side wall and a free end projecting outwardly from the side wall oblique to and opposite the insertion direction. The free end is adapted to engage the locking shoulder. The housing and terminal are constructed such that, upon insertion of the terminal into the cavity, the locking arm is biased laterally inwardly and then resiliently returned to a locking position with the free end thereof engaged with the locking shoulder. The locking arm has a first portion bent inwardly from the fixed end oblique to and opposite the insertion direction.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for maintaining an electrical connector assembly mounted on a printed circuit board during soldering of the assembly to the board. A housing has a plurality of terminals mounted therein. The terminals include solder tails projecting from the housing for insertion into respective holes in the printed circuit board. Each terminal is stamped in planar form of sheet metal material. The solder tails are arranged in a row of pairs thereof, with the solder tails in each row being in a plane transverse to the row. All of the solder tails are of similar shape with each solder tail including a straight intermediate section projecting from the housing, a straight tip section for insertion into a respective hole in the printed circuit board, and an offset curved section between the intermediate and tip sections. The curved section of one solder tail extends in a direction transverse to the row opposite to the curved section of the other solder tail in each pair thereof.