Abstract: An electrical connector comprises a dielectric housing having passageways extending therethrough in which electrical contacts are positioned. Resilient latching arms are provided by the housing, and they have latching projections engaging the contacts thereby retaining the contacts in the passageways; the resilient latching arms having locking plate slots opposite the latching projections. Locking plate means is inserted into the housing into the locking plate slots limiting projections of the resilient arms thereby maintaining the latching projections in latching engagement with the contacts.

Abstract: A connector adapted to couple stripped electrically conductive wires of a ribbon cable with the traces of a printed circuit board through a mating connector upstanding from the printed circuit board. The connector comprises a housing formed with a longitudinal central slot adapted to receive an electrically conductive ground bus. The upper end of the bus is adapted to retain stripped ground wires of the ribbon cable by crimping and soldering. The lower end of the bus is adapted to be received within the mating connector. A plurality of parallel apertures are formed in the housing on opposite sides of the bus to receive signal contacts the upper ends of which are adapted to retain stripped signal wires of the ribbon cable by soldering. The lower ends of the signal contacts are adapted to be received within the mating connector.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for stripping insulation from low profile high performance cable are disclosed. The apparatus includes hand-held tools with an aperture at each end for sequentially slicing or cutting predetermined layers of insulation from the cable at predetermined lengths from the end of the cable being stripped. The methods are for performing these steps whether performed by the tools, by a hand-held knife or by automated machinery.

Abstract: A socket connector suitable for use in establishing interconnection to a plurality of closely spaced surface pad portions of traces on a circuit panel is disclosed. This socket connector is suitable for use with a high density single in-line memory module. The individual terminals are edge stamped from a spring metal blank and inserted in closely spaced centerlines and cavities in the housing. Insertion of a circuit panel edgewise into the connector biases the terminals outwardly with the stresses primarily confined to the plane of the spring metal blank. The terminals are inserted from above and positively retained within the housing. Low insertion forces, together with a wiping action between the terminals and the surface pad portions of traces on the circuit panel is achieved.

Abstract: Terminals for a socket connector suitable for use in establishing interconnection to a plurality of closely spaced surface pad portions of traces on a circuit panel are disclosed. This socket connector is suitable for use with a high density single in-line memory module. The individual terminals are edge stamped from a spring metal blank and inserted in closely spaced centerlines and cavities in the housing. Insertion of a circuit panel edgewise into the connector biases the terminals outwardly with the stresses primarily confined to the plane of the spring metal blank. The terminals are inserted from above and positively retained within the housing. Low insertion forces, together with a wiping action between the terminals and the surface pad portions of traces on the circuit panel is achieved.

Abstract: Sockets specifically adapted for burn-in testing of small outline integrated circuit components are disclosed. The multicontact sockets have terminals located in cavities oriented to receive the small outline integrated circuit leads. The terminals are located between adjacent leads and are positioned to resiliently engage the interstitial edges of the package leads, thus imparting minimal stress normal to the plane of the leads. Both surface mount and through-hole sockets are disclosed and the terminals as depicted can have a bowed leaf spring configuration or a preloaded flat terminal, arcuately deformed for retention within the housing cavities. Thus the small outline integrated circuit components can be routinely inserted into the sockets for test purposes. The sockets can also be used in a conventional manner to socket integrated circuit components such as SOICs on a printed circuit board.

Abstract: A burn-in test socket for use with flatpack semiconductor components is disclosed. The flatpack burn-in socket is especially adapted for use with robotic assembly techniques. The socket comprises an insulative housing with a plurality of terminals adapted to be in registry with leads on a flatpack semiconductor device located in a conventional flatpack carrier. The terminals are doubly reversely formed to laterally wipe the leads during insertion. Electrical continuity of the socket terminals and dynamic electrical testing of the semiconductor device can be probed from above the socket.

Abstract: A current injection compensation circuit for dynamically compensating for the effect of ambient conditions on phototransistor output is disclosed. An output voltage is maintained at a nominal reference voltage level independent of ambient light input to allow use of a large output for a detected signal. Phototransistor current is a function only of ambient conditions, especially incident ambient light and is unaffected by compensation current injection. The ambient compensation current injection network can be employed with interactive touch input devices, such as infrared touch entry systems used with video displays.

Abstract: A pin and socket connector consisting of at least one connector half having a terminal retainer and a terminal housing which can be secured in a pre-staged and a final assembly position is disclosed. The terminal retainer includes a latching arm which engages the coupling fastener on the terminal housing in a pre-staged position and subsequently in a second fully assembled position. Terminals are removable from the terminal retainer in the pre-staged configuration but are positively secured within the connector when the terminal housing and the terminal retainer are in the fully assembled position.

Abstract: An electrical assembly for mechanically and electrically coupling lengths of cables having stripped ends. The assembly comprises two identically constructed, electrically conductive, eccentric terminals, each for receiving and terminating a stripped cable end to be coupled. A bayonet is formed on the front end of each terminal. Each bayonet includes a male and female attachment member adapted to be latched in contact with another like bayonet to form a rotatably disengagable hermaphroditic coupling which is rotatably disengagable. A leaf spring is attached to each terminal to releasably secure the bayonets together. Two identically constructed, electrically insulating housings and a separable sleeve formed of mating male and female sleeve portions shroud the terminals prior to coupling and attach together to provide a watertight enclosure for sealing the terminals during operation and use.

Abstract: A surface mount electrical connector for use on printed circuit boards including plug and receptacle connectors is disclosed for use with parallel and perpendicular printed circuit boards. Box and pin terminals are positioned in rows adjacent a ground bus. The connectors are attached to the boards by posts on the ground bus. The terminals are insertable in cavities in the connector housings and can be retained in a partially inserted position. Mounting the connector housing on the printed circuit board independently inserts the terminals fully into housing cavities with compliant solder tails on each terminal being in contact with conductive pads on the boards despite deformities or warpage of the boards.

Abstract: A touch entry system employing arrays of emitter and detector opto devices located around the periphery of an irradiated field detects intrusion of an opaque element such as a stylus within the field. The detector analog output is converted to a digital signal for input into a microprocessor. Digital signals input into the microprocessor can vary due to inconsistencies in conventional opto devices. A programmable amplifier responsive to the microprocessors preconditions the analog signals prior to analog to digital conversion to bring all digital signals corresponding to the unblocked emitter beam condition within a normalized range before input into the microprocessor.

Abstract: A surface mounting socket suitable for use with dual in-line circuit packages and printed circuit boards adapted only for surface mounting is disclosed. The socket has a plurality of terminals each having perpendicular sections which form a compliant termination to a surface mounting pad on the printed circuit board. Each terminal is compliant about a longitudinal force along two orthogonal axes and is compliant in response to a torsional moment about a third orthogonal axis.

Abstract: A high performance controlled impedance low loss low attenuation cable having the characteristics of a shielded twisted pair cable is disclosed. The cable contains a plurality of pairs of associated conductors located in a single plane to give a low profile flat cable suitable for use in undercarpet wiring installations. The cable comprises a plurality of layers of extruded insulating material with a metal foil shield surrounding only associated pairs of conductors. Insulating material having different dielectric constants is employed in conjunction with the encircling foil shield to give the cable the characteristics of a conventional shielded twisted pair cable.

Abstract: Fully shielded electrical connector for shielded cable comprises a terminal housing, upper and lower ground shields and upper and lower insulative cover parts. Lower shield has a pair of wings extending forward from respective sidewalls thereof through the housing. Each wing has a flange lying against the respective housing sidewall and a resilient tongue which extends beyond the sidewall for engaging the flange on the wing in a complementary connector. Parts are designed for ease of assembly without special tools. Lower ground shield has flanges flanking cable receiving opening in rear wall which fit flushly in cable receiving opening in rear wall of lower cover inserter member has cable receiving aperture therethrough which opens in dovetail slot which engages dovetail flanges on rear wall of lower housing to prevent overstressing openings in lower shield and housing when cable with contact ferrule is inserted therein.

Abstract: An infrared touch input system having bezel glare compensation via power profiling is taught. Briefly stated, a touch input system is utilized having a four-sided frame and having an infrared transparent bezel along the inside thereof and having infrared emitters along the top and one side of the frame with infrared detectors along the sides opposite the emitters. The optical power used with emitter-detector pairs adjacent the corners of the bezel is reduced with respect to emitter-detector pairs approaching the center of the bezel. In this manner, light which is reflected after striking the side of the bezel adjacent the emitter-detector pair and which is received by the emitter is of low intensity or is ignored.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing high performance cable having a low profile configuration is disclosed. The method includes the steps of drawing, through an extrusion press, conductor subassemblies each including spaced, parallel, insulated wire pairs surrounded by an intermediate insulator. Prior to extrusion, conductive EMI shields are formed in-line around the subassemblies. The method also includes the step of extruding an insulating body around spaced, parallel pairs of shielded subassemblies with the wires in a common plane.

Abstract: An electrical distribution system for use in selectively establishing interconnection between incoming circuits in a multiconductor cable and outgoing circuits employs a miniature ribbon connector and a single position outlet plug. The outlet plug employs round wire contacts to make interconnection to the flat resilient portions of miniature ribbon terminals. The outlet plugs are received within an adaptor housing mounted on the female mating face of a miniature ribbon connector. The round wire contacts in the outlet plug are crimped to terminals. Line assignment modules and cross connect assemblies can thus be constructed.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a stamped and formed terminal for establishing electrical contact with a terminal post having a rectilinear cross section. The terminal has at least one resilient beam which has a contact area having an arcuate cross section. The concave surface of the arcuate cross section engages the edge of the terminal posts to provide a good electrical connection even if excess solder is deposited on the exterior of the terminal post in the vicinity of the contact region.

Abstract: Modular connector comprises a die cast zinc housing with die cast zinc terminals surrounded by nylon sleeves passing therethrough. Terminals may have right angles therein for connecting circuit boards at right angles such as daughter boards being connected to mother boards. Connectors are modular in form so that individual connectors may be assembled to a circuit board one at a time to form an assembly having varying impedance characteristics throughout its length. Modules providing solely for grounding or power transmission between boards may be provided.