Abstract: Electro-mechanical connections for flat conductor cables and similar articles are produced with flanged hollow rivets which puncture the cable or cables to be connected and then are compressed into an eyelet configuration which clamps and is secured to the cable. Apparatus and procedures for achieving this result are disclosed.

Abstract: Method for installing rivet-type electrical connectors onto flat conductor cables wherein the connectors are fed to the machine from a magazine, transferred to a press and then pressed onto and through the cable over an anvil which holds the rivet-type connector to form a secure connection with the cable. The resulting profile of the connector is such that it extends through the conductor of the cable and is held thereon by a flange on one side of the cable and an eyelet-type crimp on the opposite side of the cable.

Abstract: Electrical connector assemblies comprising a housing and a plurality of contact pins engaged therein, the pins having spaced flexible contact arms adapted to receive and be flexed apart by an electrical component such as a printed circuit card during the pivot attachment thereof. The contact pins have a spaced pair of lower contact legs and a spaced pair of upper contact arms, one of which is generally C-shaped and flexible in directions towards and away from the other to provide a flexible gap therebetween which, at rest, is greater than the thickness of the printed circuit card.

Abstract: A modular adjustable clamp is provided for use in a multi-clamp assembly. The clamp comprises a frame, a clamp interconnection for connecting the frame to a second clamp, and a portion for engaging a cable. The modular clamp can be connected to the second clamp in an adjustable manner such that various sizes of cable can be clamped with various distances between the cables. A system may also be provided for stabily connecting at least two multi-clamp assemblies for use in attaching a connector to the cables.

Abstract: Electro-mechanical connections for flat conductor cables and similar articles are produced with flanged hollow rivets which puncture the cable or cables to be connected and then are compressed into an eyelet configuration which clamps and is secured to the cable. Apparatus and procedures for achieving this result are disclosed.

Abstract: An electrical component having an elongated contact element provided with a premeasured bead of solder thereon such that, in reflow operation, it can be joined to a contact on another component. In one embodiment, the solder bead can be formed on the pins of a component adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board. In another embodiment, the solder bead is formed on a finger contact of a plug connector adapted to engage a surface contact on an associated daughter board. For both embodiments, the bead is formed by using a mold which assures that each bead contains a uniform amount of solder. The construction enables mixed technology to be mounted on a printed circuit board with both pin mounted components and surface mounted components to be mounted simultaneously in a reflow operation. The entire process resulting in the novel electrical component and in a device incorporating the novel electrical component is also disclosed.

Abstract: The machine is equipped with a programmable X-Y table (10), an intermittently rotatable distribution head (20) mounted on top of this table, equipped with a mechanism for gripping a contact pin (14) and inserting this pin into a plate, a feeding device (30) which is laterally movable with respect to this distribution head (20) for automatic and selective feeding of at least two different kinds of pins and an anvil mechanism (80) mounted under the X-Y table (10) for stopping the pin on the bottom side of the printed circuit plate (12).

Abstract: Apparatus for installing connectors onto flat conductor cables. An improved installation station including the apparatus includes magazines for supporting a plurality of connector portions and a transport station to sequentially move the includes magazines for supporting a plurality of connector portions and a transport station to sequentially move the connectors from the magazines to the installation station. The installation station includes a surface for retaining cables in a horizontal plane and a press having an avil and ram for coupling connector portions to the cable and to each other. The installation station also includes means to retain connector portions on the ram during the coupling.

Abstract: A connector assembly in which a housing has a plurality of side-by-side mutually isolated bores which extend between an entry aperture in a front wall and an aft end. Each bore contains an elongated contact which has a hollow pin receiving end adjacent the aperture in the front wall and a wire receiving barrel at its opposite end subject to a crimping action for engagement with an associated wire lead. A resilient grommet seal mounted at the aft end of the housing has a plurality of side-by-side openings therein aligned with the bores in the housing for sealingly engaging the wire ends. A dielectric spacer within each bore serves to assure high surface resistivity between contacts positioned in adjacent bores.

Abstract: The combination of a plurality of like connectors and a pair of clips coupling together the connectors in a stack. Each of the connectors comprises a housing fabricated of an electrically insulating material and is shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces and with spaced front and rear faces and with spaced edges. Each housing has resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges with each edge latch having an extent movable toward the housing upon the application of pressure and resiliently movable away from said housing upon the removal of the pressure. Each of the clips comprises sections formed in a U-shaped configuration.

Abstract: Apparatus for installing connectors to flat conductor cables comprising an installation station having a platen means for supporting cables in a generally horizontal plane and also having press means for coupling connectors to the cables supported thereat. The apparatus also includes magazines for supporting a plurality of connector portions in a generally vertical orientation and a transport station to sequentially move connector portions from the magazines to the installation station while reorienting them from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation. Also disclosed is the method for carrying out the installation with the above described apparatus.

Abstract: A preformed electrical insulation displacement connector enabling electrical continuity between telecommunications equipment whose multiple electrical leads are commonly on a 0.085 inch pitch (center line distance between conductors) and other types of electronic equipment whose multiple electrical leads are commonly on a 0.050 inch pitch. A pair of 25 conductor arrays are preformed for rapid and facile assembly assuming upper and lower rows in an insulative housing. Contacts are mounted at the forward end of the housing so they assume the 0.085 inch pitch and can be engaged by a conventional multiple contact plug and bifurcated tails are mounted at the aft end of the housing to engagingly receive successive leads of a conventional ribbon cable which has a 0.050 inch pitch. If desired, the housing can accommodate a plural contact capacitor filter array adapted to be electrically engaged by the conductor arrays.

Abstract: An electrical connector of the IDC type having three or more rows of contact members while still enabling sideways installation of mating conductors. The connector is comprised of at least two separate housings, a first housing comprising two rows of cavities disposed longitudinally and adjacent to each other. Each of the cavities is fitted with an electrical contact lug, one extremity of which is shaped for the fastening of a wire conductor, the other extremity being shaped as a contact member. At least one second housing contains at least one row of cavities fitted with contact lugs similar to those in the first housing. The first housing has a shelf member which extends transversely away from a front end. Each of the housings is provided with guiding and locking means to aid in joining, then locking, the housings together. Openings are provided in the shelf member and in the front end of the first housing to enable communication with the contact lugs from locations external of the connector.

Abstract: A tool for extracting a microelectronic chip carrier from a receptacle to which it is connected. It includes left and right arms, each having coextensive members in the form of a substantially rigid tong and a flexible leg. Both arms are pivotally mounted at a common axis for relative movement. A distant end of each tong terminates at a chip carrier engaging hook and is slidably received in a channel formed in a tong support at a far end of the leg. Each leg has a bearing surface at its extreme end and a hinge member intermediate its ends and is bowed outwardly of its associated tong. With the bearing surface engaged on the receptacle, the arms are opened sufficiently wide that the hooks which are extended from the bearing surface when the tool assumes its relaxed condition, straddle the chip carrier.

Abstract: An electrical connector system which includes electrically conductive wires terminating in tab receptacles, electrically conductive blade contacts and an electrically insulative terminal block assembly to facilitate the joining and supporting of the wires to the blade contacts. The terminal block assembly is comprised of two portions. The first portion is a fixed block with apertures, each for receiving and supporting a blade contact in a predetermined orientation. The second portion of the terminal block is a movable block with barrels or pockets, each for receiving an electrically conductive wire, each of which wire terminates with a tab receptacle. Because of the design and construction of the portions of the terminal block assembly, the tab receptacles and their electrically conductive wires may be conveniently and reliably mounted onto the blade contacts in the fixed portion of the terminal block assembly and securely retained there.

Abstract: An automatic process and apparatus for producing terminated coaxial cable jumpers. A control system utilizing a microprocessor accepts push button entry of variables such as job identification number, quantity to be produced, jumper length, and jumper configuration. In addition to the control system, the apparatus includes a feed-measure-cut system for introducing raw lengths of jumpers into the process and a conveyor system for transporting the jumpers, in stepped sequence, to a series of work stations which operate on at least one end of each jumper and finally result in completed jumpers. Tests are performed at some of the work stations and those jumpers which fail any of the tests are removed from the process.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically making harnesses such as those used for electrically interconnecting a plurality of spaced-apart, separate connection points. Insulated wire is fed through a press position where terminals are attached to the wire conductor. The insulation is displaced from a portion of the wire where a terminal is to be attached, thereby baring the conductor. A terminal is brought adjacent the bared conductor from a supply of terminals and crimped to the conductor. A wire feeding mechanism advances the wire so that the section having a terminal crimped thereto is removed from the press position and a new portion is brought into the press position for the attachment of another terminal. The automatic process is repeated until a pre-determined number of terminals are attached to the conductor at which time the wire can be severed to complete the manufacture of the harness.

Abstract: Apparatus for installing rivet-type electrical connectors onto flat conductor cables wherein the connectors are fed to the machine from a magazine, transferred to a press and then pressed onto and through the cable over an anvil which holds the rivet-type connector to form a secure connection with the cable. The resulting profile of the connector is such that it extends through the conductor of the cable and is held thereon by a flange on one side of the cable and an eyelet-type crimp on the opposite side of the cable.

Abstract: An electrical conductor contact having opposed cantilever fingers configured to mate with a mating contact at a low mating force is provided. Each finger has a contact portion at its free end. The contact portions are offset axially from each other in the longitudinal direction of insertion of a mating contact thereby permitting the surface of the contact portion of the upper finger to be located below the surface of the contact portion of the lower finger. The contact portions are also preferably offset axially from each other along the other spatial axes. The contact configuration reduces the maximum mating force and permits plating of the contacts with a minimum amount of precious metals. The invention further provides a receptacle connector for low force mating with a pin header in printed circuit board applications which is comprised of a plurality of electrical contacts so configured, and a specially configured housing for housing and preloading the plurality of electrical conductor contacts.

Abstract: Apparatus to automatically attach a terminal to electrical wire and thereafter to install insulating pods on the terminal. The apparatus includes a press which attaches the terminal to form a terminated wire and a transfer block which moves the terminated wire to an insulation pod installation station. The pods are delivered to the pod installation station in an interconnected fashion so as to form a strip of pods. The first pod on the strip is separated from the rest of the strip and placed on the terminated wire.