Abstract: A circuit board connector comprising an insulating housing and contact elements accommodated therein and each having a securing portion for securing on a circuit board, a contact portion for establishing pluggable contact with a complementary pluggable contact element of a complementary connector, as well as a mounting portion provided therebetween for mounting in said insulating housing. Through-passages located on the side of the circuit board and through which the securing portion of one contact element each can project through the housing floor are of a length and width, respectively, in connector mating direction and transversely thereof, which is at lest as large as the overall dimension of the associated contact element as seen in connector mating direction and transversely thereof, respectively, such that the insulating housing is adapted to be pluggably placed onto contact elements which are already mounted on the circuit board.

Abstract: A folded sheet metal shielding shell (4) for a surface mounted electrical connector (6) has a side wall (14) with parts (16, 18) defining a seam (20) extending longitudinally of the shielding shell (4) so that electro-magnetic induction radiated by the mating portions (120) of the terminals (116 118) of the connector (6) is not directed towards the circuit board PCB upon which the shell (4) and the connector (6) are mounted, so as to interfere with circuitry on the board PCB. The seam (2) may be held closed by means of a counting flange (208), for securing the shell (4') to a counting panel (P).

Abstract: An electrical connector 1 comprising: a conductive contact 6 connected to a circuit board mounting terminal 17, an insulative body 3 surrounding the contact 6, a conductive shell 2 surrounding the insulative body 3, a base 11 surrounding the shell 2, conductive circuit board mounting posts 13 on the base 11, the shell 2 being insulated from the base 11, electrical capacitor elements 26 between the base 11 and a conductive platform 31, and circuit board engaging terminals 34 extending from the platform 31.

Abstract: A face plate for blind mounting a switch or other device to either a bracket or a wall including an anchor carried by the face plate operable upon rotation in one direction to pull the face plate against the edges of the hole defined in the wall or bracket, whereby to clamp such face plate to the wall or bracket, and operable upon rotation in an opposite direction to release the clamping of the face plate and permit removal of the face plate and device from the wall.

Abstract: A tool for removal or insertion of modules within a electrical connector assembly comprises a drive means engaging a plurality of engaging means to simultaneously rotate shafts having a plurality of fastening heads. The use of the tool provides for the precise removal and insertion of such modules without damaging the electrical contacts and terminal therein.

Abstract: In a shielded electrical connector assembly (2) for mating with a mating electrical connector (206) and including a connector receiving shell, a metal back shell (12 or 14) and an insulating cover (8 or 10) therefor, a coding key (18) has a keying part (184) projecting forwardly from the assembly and a keying abutment (190) which is of regular polygonal cross section. The abutment (190) is connected to the keying part (184) by means of a neck (189) to define a rib (106) which receives a flange (114) on the back shell (14) and a flange (42) on the connector receiving shell (6), the key (18) being thereby held against axial movement. The key (18) defines a through passage (194) for receiving a jack screw (16) with a mating end (202) thereof in the keying part (184). The shaft (199) of the jack screw is accommodated in recesses (164) in the back shell cover (19).

Abstract: A machine for cutting pin headers of a desired length from a standard length of pin header stock is disclosed. A vertically disposed track is provided for receiving the standard lengths of pin header stock. The stock is allowed to fall by gravity to a cutting station where a single cutting blade cuts individual pin headers from the end of the stock. The cut pin headers are deposited into a bin for convenient unloading. Leftover, or residual pieces of stock are directed into another bin for discarding or salvage.

Abstract: An initially integral terminal useful for terminating to flat conductor cable includes upper and lower plate sections coextending from a hinge to define a cable-receiving region therebetween, with first and second portions of both plate sections defining opposed cooperative arrays of termination means for terminating to said flat cable upon said upper and lower plate sections being pressed toward each other and into the flat cable. Upstanding opposed side wall sections join the first and second portions which are otherwise separated by an aperture proximate the center of the flat cable, enabling easy severing of the side walls at the aperture to define separate electrical terminations after application of the assembly to the flat cable. One or two contact sections can extend from a free edge of one of the upper and lower plate sections for connection to another article, defining a mid-cable tap for either single- or dual-connector cable respectively.

Abstract: An enclosure for terminal blocks for interconnecting conductors of multiconductor cables includes provision for two or more terminal block modules. Each terminal block module includes two terminal blocks defined by a tubular housing section extending from a common base section of a dielectric housing and has an annular cavity extending to an open end, and a tubular one-piece terminal is secured therewithin around a center post of the housing section and is rotatable therewithin by a generally tubular actuator also within said annular cavity and adapted to be rotated during splicing of wires. Each terminal block includes a pair of wire-receiving apertures into which wire ends are inserted to extend through insulation piercing slots of said terminal, and upon actuating rotation said slots pierce the insulation and engage the conductor of each wire thus interconnecting them.

Abstract: A high density electrical connector includes an insulating housing having contacts arranged in rows to engage the contacts of a mating connector, or first printed circuit board, with the contacts having ends extending in freestanding relationship relative to the housing and including a guide member having beveled surfaces to guide the free ends of the contacts into alignment with holes of a second printed circuit board to facilitate mounting of the connector housing and contacts on the second printed circuit board. Embodiments include a guide member which divide at least one row of contacts into two rows and a guide member which guide four rows of contacts into rows of holes in the printed circuit board. The invention contemplates particularly right angle connectors having contacts wherein the freestanding ends are on slightly different centers.

Abstract: Mating plug and receptacle connectors each include electrically insulating housings and plural rows of electrical terminals. The plug connector includes two terminal supporting walls or platforms extending outwardly from the housing with terminal contact portions positioned in channels on the terminal support platforms. Each platform includes at an end thereof a groove which receives a grounding strip in the form of a drain wire, commoned to an outer shielding shell. The receptacle connector has an insulating housing having two elongate slots thereacross, adapted for receiving the terminal support walls of the plug connector, and receptacle contacts for mating engagement with the plug connector terminals. The receptacle housing includes a groove in the front face carrying a grounding strip commoned to an outer shielding shell. The plug and receptacle are mateable with their respective shielding shells in mating contact with each other.

Abstract: Light beam detection is taught in method and apparatus where a light source of coherent light is directed toward a reflecting hologram made to simulate a parabolic mirror to generate light beams detected by photoreceptors along one side of an opto-frame, such receptors being scanned in a manner to preclude false detection of an object within the field of light. An an alternative, multiple light sources are used with a single receptor and an appropriate hologram.

Abstract: A modular connector assembly comprises a main shell assembly having an aperture therethrough defining a inside surface. An electrical circuit assembly is disposed in the main shell aperture and includes a filter module and a transient suppression module each in electrical engagement with a plurality of electrical terminals. The filter and transient suppression module each define a conductive subassembly shell and each include grounding means disposed to engage the inside surface of the aperture in the main shell assembly in electrical grounding contact. Both the filter and transient suppression modules each define a first and second guide means disposed to engage first and second aligning means of the main shell member permitting facile precision assembly.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a housing (20) having a mating face (22) and an opposed rear face (24), the housing being formed with a plurality of contact receiving passageways (26) extending between the mating face and the rear face. Each of the passageways contains a contact (40) which includes a generally linear central body portion (42), a terminal portion (46) at a first end of the central body portion which includes a slotted insulation displacing plate (48) adapted to mechanically and electrically engage an individual cable wire, a generally linear pin receiving beam portion (50) at the second end of the central body portion (42) which is offset from the line (52) defined by the linear central body portion, and retention means (44) on the central body portion for engaging the housing (20) to retain the contact in its passageway (26).

Abstract: A coaxial connector assembly (10) includes a plug (40) and jack (140) having respective inner and outer conductors matable at a mating interface. The mating interface (MI) includes a plurality of regions A,B,C of mismatched impedance having varying axial lengths defined by diameter changes of said inner and outer conductors of the plug (40) and jack (140) between respective dielectric bodies (50,162) thereof upon mating. A reduced diameter portion of the plug's outer conductor (52) inwardly from its leading end corresponds with an increased diameter of the plug's inner conductor (46) and is engaged by leading ends (176) of spring arms (170) of a reduced diameter leading end of the jack's outer conductor (160). The leading ends (176) of the spring arms (170) engage the inward surface of the reduced diameter portion of the plug's outer conductor (52) within a range of axial locations accommodating variations in the locations of the plug (40) and jack (140) upon full mating.

Abstract: A high density mold (8), for molding performs having a high density of very small openings, having: a core pin sub-assembly (10) made from a number of plates (16) having core pins (18) extending outwardly from an edge of each plate; and, a stripper assembly (40) that is composed of a stripper sub-assembly (14), formed by bonding thin sheets (34) with apertures (36) corresponding to the core pins (18), and a support sub-assembly (12), formed by a number of plates (24) with spacers to define spaces (26) for the core pins (18), the stripper sub-assembly (40) slides along the core pins (18) to strip the molded preforms from the core pin sub-assembly (10).

Abstract: An electrical connector, such as a miniature UHF connector, and a method of manufacturing features the provision of a relatively heavy metallic shell (12) containing a dielectric insert (30) holding a signal contact (44) coaxially therewithin and having an opening (22) with a separate insert (52) and grounding element (60) fitted in the said opening to enclose the interior of said shell, the said grounding element including a plurality of fine posts (64) adapted to fit in holes in a circuit board to ground the said connector with the said shell elements fitted together in a ready assembly to provide an enclosure shielding the signal path through the said connector from radiation external to the said shell and shielding the exterior of the said shell from radiation from within the said shell, the method including forming and processing the shell and said grounding element separately with variations in the positioning and size and shape of the said posts to fit the fingerprint of a variety of assemblies.

Abstract: A fiber optic connector has a low cost ferrule assembly that protectively supports, positions and aligns an optical fiber The ferrule has an outer ferrule body terminating in an alignment passage and which seats an inner support member within which the fiber extends. This ferrule is particularly advantageous for use with unbuffered optical fibers and adhesiveless connectors.

Abstract: The present invention is a hand operated tool for flattening a portion of a ribbon cable preparatory to installing a cable tap. The tool includes a set of rollers which are closeable upon the cable. The rollers are then rotated, first in one direction and then the other while varying the pressure on the rollers to effect removal of kinks and to generally flatten a portion of the cable.

Abstract: A bulkhead connector includes an array of bus bars extending from a first face to a second face for interconnecting associated power cables on opposing sides of the bulkhead, and is also suited for bulkhead openings of the type having a cylindrical sleeve extending therearound outwardly from the bulkhead. Contained between a pair of metal plates and within a cylindrical sleeve is an elastomeric member through which the bus bars extend, the elastomeric member being compressed within the sleeve upon said first and second metal plates being tightly drawn toward each other by a stud assembly. The metal plates and elastomeric member provide fire resistant material extending transversely completely across the bulkhead opening, with apertures through which extend the bus bars. Exposed contact sections of the bus bars permit terminals to be fastened thereto, and the connector is adapted to prevent rotation of the fastened terminals during in-service use.