Abstract: An improved method and apparatus are provided for fabricating an electrical harness including a connector and a plurality of conductors. The connector has a plurality of terminals preloaded partially into a housing with a conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing. One or more connectors are manually positioned within a frame of the electrical harness fabricating apparatus. An operational cycle of the electrical harness apparatus begins when a conductor is detected at a predetermined position within a conductor-guide channel. The conductors are sequentially terminated into the terminals outside of the housing and the previously terminated terminals are fully inserted into the housing.

Abstract: A zero insertion force connector is provided for flat cables having conductors on one or both sides. The ZIF connector includes a base having a plurality of generally parallel slots for receiving generally C-shaped portions of contacts with contact arms of unequal lengths. An actuator is slidably urged into contact with an initial fulcrum on the base. The actuator defines a cable channel into which the flat cable can be inserted such that the cable is guided between the arms of the C-shaped contacts. The actuator then is rotated about its initial fulcrum of the base, and the cable is urged into contact with anti-overstress fulcrums on the base. Continued rotation of the actuator urges the cable into the opposed arms of the contacts to make electrical connection. Resilient deflectable locking latches engage the actuator and hold the actuator into a fully seated condition.

Abstract: A connection for flexible circuits permits one or more flexible circuits such as flat flexible cables to be connected to a standard and widely used electrical connector such as a printed circuit board edge connector. The connection includes a substantially rigid flexible circuit structure having a carrier of flat planar configuration with opposed surfaces. A flexible circuit is adhesively bonded to at least one surface with conductive traces of the circuit exposed. Electrical connections are made to the traces by inserting the carrier with attached flexible circuit into a connector having a housing supporting a plurality of terminals with contact portions in a linear array engageable with the exposed conductive traces of the flexible circuit.

Abstract: A connector arrangement for electrically connecting circuit elements disposed on two printed circuit boards and spaced apart at centerlines of about 0.050 of an inch or less is described which includes a pitch controlling contact locator cooperating between the mating edge of an edge card and the connector housing. The pitch controlling contact locator includes a resilient supported spring member disposed in the connector cavity generally at the midpoint of the terminal array which is resilient in a vertical direction and substantially rigid in a horizontal direction. It further includes a mating cutout disposed in the mating edge generally at the midpoint of an array of contact pads which is adapted to engage the spring member with two points of contact when the edge card is inserted into the connector cavity.

Abstract: An electrical connector is disclosed for making electrical connections to printed circuit boards. The electrical connector contains a latch apparatus for securing the printed circuit board to the connector. The latch apparatus is comprised of two latches which cooperate with slots disposed on opposite edges of the printed circuit board to the connector. The separate latches are mechanically connected together by a bail member. Release of the latch is accomplished rather easily without the exertion of any harmful forces parallel to the printed circuit board, which may be harmful to another printed circuit board to which the connector may be fastened. The latch is released by inserting a flathead screwdriver into an opening defined by the bail member and the rear wall of the connector housing. Slightly turning the screwdriver in either direction will release the latch.

Abstract: A shielded plug assembly for mating a shielded multi-conductor cable assembly to a shielded receptacle connector and the method of making the same. The plug assembly employs a new type of unitary molded wire positioning member to position and secure the conductors prior to and during insertion of the wire positioning member into the plug assembly housing. The method includes cutting the wires after positioning within the wire positioning member and deforming a portion of the wire positioning member to securely hold the conductors therein. When the plug assembly is terminated to the conductors, the cooperation of the wire positioning member and the plug housing are such that the conductor ends are moved within the housing to assure alignment with corresponding insulation penetrating type terminals.

Abstract: A backshell sealing arrangement adapted to make an environmental seal with a variety of frontshell configurations is provided. The backshell includes a generally cylindrical rigid outer shell having a coupling portion with internal threads adapted to engage external threads adjacent the cable end of a plug and receptcle-type connector frontshell. A shoulder is provided in the backshell radially inward of the internal threads and adjacent the coupling portion having a surface which faces the frontshell cable end. A recess is provided radially between the shoulder and an external wall of the backshell. A ring-like resilient gasket of rectangular cross-section elongated in a radial direction is disposed in the backshell such that the outer radial portions of the gasket are received in the recess and the inner axial portions of the gasket are supported on the surface of the shoulder.

Abstract: An electrical connector for electrically interconnecting or splicing a plurality of coaxial cables includes a cover and a base. The cover has a plurality of U-shaped slots for the receipt of the coaxial cables and an electrically conductive metallic shield connector secured thereto. The metallic shield connector includes a plurality of electrically interconnected, downwardly extending, insulation piercing contacts for cutting through the outer insulating layers of the coaxial cables and for physically and electrically contacting and for electrically interconnecting the metallic shields of the coaxial cables. The base includes an electrically insulating substrate that has an electrically conductive central conductor connector disposed thereon.

Abstract: A low profile right angle phone jack for use with printed circuit boards is disclosed. The jack includes a dielectric housing member having a modular plug receiving socket formed therein, a forward mating end and a rearward end. The socket is defined by a plug-receiving opening forned in the forward mating end with a lower latch receving region and extends rearwardly to meet a back surface provided in the housing member. The housing member is mounted with its forward mating end disposed beyond an edge of the printed circuit board. The forward mating end of the housing member is offset downwardly so that the lower latch receiving region of the plug receiving opening is below the upper surface of the circuit board. In addition, the housing member cooperates with the printed circuit board surface to define the socket whereby the upper surface of the circuit board is the bottom surface of the socket.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a carrier assembly including a carrier strip with a plurality of modular telephone plug connectors secured thereto. Each connector has a housing with a tag integrally molded therewith and secured to the strip. The strip has a plurality of holes which receive projections extending from the tags. The projections interengage with the strip to secure the housings thereto.The method of manufacturing the carrier assembly described above which includes the steps of integrally molding a tag with a projection onto each of the housings; punching holes in the strip; locating a projection through a corresponding hole; and securing the projection to its corresponding hole.

Abstract: An electrical terminal adapted to be mounted in a connector housing cavity for interconnecting an insulated conductor and a contact member includes an insulation displacement contact portion adapted to receive the insulated conductor and a second contact portion adapted to make electrical contact with the contact member. A connecting portion extends between the insulation displacement contact portion and the second contact portion. The insulation displacement contact portion is generally U-shaped with a base and spaced first and second legs. The connecting portion extends from an end of the first leg. A first insulation displacement slot is provided in the first leg and extends into said connecting portion and a second insulation displacement slot is provided in said second leg.

Abstract: A modular, multi-row, mass terminated electrical connector which mates with an array of pins. The connector includes a housing having top and bottom rows of elongated terminal receiving cavities each with a forward pin receiving opening. A plurality of terminals are mounted in the cavities with each terminal having a forward pin engaging portion and a rear insulation displacement portion. The cavities of the top rows are staggered with respect to the cavities of the bottom row and the adjacent top row cavities are spaced apart from one another. An access slot is formed in the top of each cavity to expose the insulation displacement portion of the terminals. The insulation displacement portion of the terminals received in the bottom row cavities are accessible between adjacent top row cavities so that all of the terminals of both rows can be mass terminated from the top of the connector. The housing is made up of a plurality of modules connected together by means of selectively removable connecting members.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for fabricating cable harness assemblies of the type wherein a plurality of mating pairs of electrical connector parts are terminated to a continous flat cable segment. Termination includes compressing a predetermined cable portion between a pair of connector parts, one of which has a plurality of insulation displacing terminals positioned therein. The connector parts are transported between loading stations and a termination station, by connector holders mounted on a pair of opposed rotatable indexing turrets. At least one of the connector holders is advanced inwardly toward the termination station, so as to bring the two connector parts together in compression, after a cable segment is located therebetween.Thereafter, the cable is advanced to bring another predetermined portion to the termination station, while the turrets are indexed to present a second pair of opposed mating parts to the termination station.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes an elongated, electrically conductive female terminal formed from metal wherein the female terminal comprises a front end shaped to receive, in electrical connection therewith, a male terminal, said front end including a plurality of walls defining a male terminal-receiving opening, including a first wall portion defining a first slit therein and a second wall portion defining a second slit therein, said slits extending toward a rear end of the female terminal to provide resiliency to said wall portions for expansion of said opening when a male terminal is received in said male terminal-receiving opening. The first slit extends a greater distance toward the rear end than the second slit so that the first wall portion has a greater resiliency than the second wall portion.

Abstract: A plug and receptacle connector assembly is used for interconnecting the conductors of a flat high density cable to circuits on a printed circuit board or the like. The plug contains a first set of contacts disposed on one side of the cable, each of which pierce the cable in order to make contact with alternate ones of the conductors. A second set of plug contacts are disposed on the other side of the cable and each of these plug contacts pierce the cable to make electrical contact with the other ones of the conductors in the cable. The plug contacts are L-shaped with the insulation piercing portions forming one of the legs of the L-shaped contacts. The insulation piercing portions of the plug contacts in the first set of contacts are positioned in a row closer to the rear end of the plug than the insulation piercing portions of the plug contacts in the second set of plug contacts.

Abstract: Disclosed is a laminated multiconductor connector having a plurality of free standing metal terminals with oppositely facing nested surfaces and circuit board tails for electrically engaging the printed circuit board. Dielectric material is disposed between adjacent nesting surfaces of the terminal body in such a manner so as to insulate the nesting surfaces of adjacent terminals and to form a continuous mutually supported stacked array of terminals when mounted to the printed circuit board.Also disclosed is an intermediate subassembly and a related method of production the multiconductor connector.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for notching a flat multi-conductor ribbon cable of the type having an encapsulating shielding medium completely surrounding each cable conductor and filling the spaces therebetween, and an outer jacket surrounding the encapsulating medium. According to the method, the outer jacket and the shielding medium are cut along two spaced-apart lines generally transverse to the conductors. Thereafter, the jacket and the shielding medium are cut along spaced-apart lines parallel and immediately adjacent to each conductor, thereby forming a plurality of slugs which are pushed from between adjacent conductors to expose the conductors in the termination region.The above-described method is carried out in an apparatus having blades which cut the jacket and the resilient medium along the transverse spaced-apart lines.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for spacing a serial succession of electrical connectors along a common centerline progression. The apparatus includes a push bar moveable toward a termination station, which is operative to space the connectors a predetermined amount, assuring alignment with the centerline progression. The push bar includes a plurality of pawl members having connector engaging tips which are receivable within recesses formed in the upper surface of each connector. The pawls are mounted to have a serial succession of increasingly greater displacements measured along the push bar in a direction away from the termination station. The succession of pawl displacements ensures proper predetermined spacing between adjacent connectors, sufficient to place the end terminals of adjacent connectors on a common centerline progression.

Abstract: A terminal for making electrical connections to insulation clad wires includes a base portion and a pair of U-shaped elements each formed of a side wall extending upwardly from the base portion and a pair of end portions extending from the side wall. The U-shaped elements are formed at opposite sides of the base portion and the end portions, each defining one slot, extend more than half way toward the opposed side wall. A compact arrangement is achieved by internesting the U-shaped elements. Insulation displacement slots of different widths are provided for termination of wires of different gauges.

Abstract: Disclosed is a printed circuit board assembly including an integral metal stamping having a plurality of conductive circuit paths received in complementarily-shaped recesses of a dielectric substrate. The integral metallic stamping includes an improved snap action switch having an improved actuator mechanism, an improved rotary switch of the type making on/off contact during rotation thereof, and an upstanding plug-like connector member receivable in a mating female connector. Each of the switches mentioned above as well as the plug-like connector can be formed separately in different printed circuit board assemblies.