Abstract: Provided is a system to reduce the force required for inserting a circuit board assembly including a plurality of circuit boards into the card edge connectors. A circuit board assembly includes a first circuit board, a second circuit board and a coupling part. The first circuit board includes printed circuit elements and a connecting part. In the same manner as the first circuit board, the second circuit board includes printed circuit elements and a connecting part. The front edge of the connecting parts are shifted from the front edge of the other connecting part by a distance “d” along the connecting or inserting direction of the circuit boards toward the card edge connectors, so that the distance between the front edge of the connecting part of the first circuit board and the first card edge connector differs from the distance between the front edge of the connecting part of the second circuit board and the second card edge connector.

Abstract: The invention relates to an interface module, such as a Giga-Bit Interface Converter module, provided to mate within a host device chassis where, at the rear of the mounting slot, a first connector engages a host socket of the host device. According to the invention, the first connector include sequential mating contact traces on a contact beam of a substrate such that when the module is inserted into the corresponding host socket, certain contacts are connected in a pre-defined sequence such that a first set of contacts electrically engages prior to a second set of contacts which electrically engages prior to a third set of contacts. In further accord with the present invention, the first set of contacts includes grounding contacts, the second set includes contacts for powering the substrate and the third set includes signal contacts.

Abstract: A zero insertion force (ZIF) socket for electrically connecting an electronic package and a mother board, comprises an insulative cover, a driving device, an insulative base defining a number of engaging slots therein and at least two types of engaging terminals received in the corresponding engaging slots. The engaging terminals or rows of the engaging slots are each offset relative to each other. Thus, electrical contacts are established between the engaging terminals and conductive terminals of the electronic package at different times thereby effectively lowering the operating resistance of the ZIF socket.

Abstract: An electronic card connector adapted to mount to a circuit board and receive and electrically connect an electronic card to the circuit board includes an insulative header having a board facing side. Long and short contact terminals are received and retained in the header with tail ends thereof extending beyond the board facing side to electrically engage with the circuit board. The board facing side of the header has a recess defined therein corresponding to each of the long contact terminals. The recess has a depth sufficient to accommodate the difference of length between the long and short contact terminals thereby reducing the overall dimension of the connector. The electronic card connector includes a card release mechanism for ejecting the electronic card from the connector. The card release mechanism includes a card release bar that is movable with respect to the header to pivot an actuator which in turn drives the electronic card out of the connector.