Abstract: A compressible sealing gasket for supporting a cable in a wall opening contained in a housing wall includes a pair of gasket sections each having a planar surface that contains a recess, and at least one integral compressible sealing projection extending from the planar surface adjacent the recess. When the gasket sections are placed in an assembled condition with their planar surfaces in contiguous engagement, the recesses cooperate to define a cable opening for receiving a cable, and the projection is compressed between the gasket sections to seal the space between the gasket sections adjacent the cable opening. Preferably two laterally spaced integral sealing ribs are provided in each recess, which sealing ribs extend transversely completely across the recess and terminate at each end in a sealing projection that extends upwardly from the associated planar surface.

Abstract: A printed circuit board arrangement and method includes a planar generally-rectangular vertically-arranged printed circuit board having front and rear surfaces terminating in a peripheral edge, at least one of the front and rear surfaces having a conductive printed circuit thereon. The printed circuit board has a vertical side edge portion containing a recess, and arranged adjacent the recess is a fixed contact connected with a conductor portion of the printed circuit. A relatively narrow conductor housing arranged outside the peripheral edge of the printed circuit board is mounted in the recess with a movable contact carried by the housing in electrical engagement with the fixed contact. The connector housing is supported by a rear wall mounted on the rear surface of the printed circuit board, and by a resilient clip on the connector housing that engages the printed circuit board adjacent the recess.

Abstract: An electrical connector for electrically connecting a hollow bus bar member with an insulated multi-wire or braided conductor inserted axially therein, including a conductive contact screw that is threadably connected within a first opening contained in the bus bar member wall for axial displacement from a retracted position toward a fully penetrating position, thereby to cause a pointed end of the contact screw to successively pierce the adjacent insulation layer, extend diametrically through the multi-wire conductor, pierce the adjacent layer of insulation, and extend into a second opening contained in the adjacent bus bar member wall. The bus bar member may be soldered to a printed circuit board, thereby to connect the multi-wire conductor with conductors on the printed circuit board. Alternatively, plurality of bus bar members may be formed by stamping and bending from a common conductive metal sheet, with the bus bar members being interconnected by integral straps.

Abstract: A connector arrangement connects the contacts of a stack of terminal blocks, including a first conductive bridge extending longitudinally of a given terminal block for selectively connecting together the contacts thereof, and a second laterally-extending conductive bridge for connecting together corresponding contacts of various selected terminal blocks of the stack. The terminal blocks are mounted in parallel vertical orientation on an orthogonally arranged horizontal mounting rail. Vertical branch lines extend upwardly from a plurality of horizontal vertically-spaced bus bar members contained in each of the terminal blocks, and intermediate branch lines connected with the upper ends of the vertical branch lines contain offset tiered first and second contact areas. Resilient fingers on the longitudinal and lateral conductive bridges extend into and electrically engage openings contained in the first and second contact areas, respectively.

Abstract: A connector arrangement connects the flat conductors that extend upwardly from a horizontal photovoltaic cell panel with the insulated conductors of a cable via the circuits of a printed circuit board, respectively. A flat conductor support member is adhesively secured to the upper surface of the horizontal photovoltaic cell panel and includes upwardly extending bridge portions having flat upper edges about which are reversely bent the upper free ends of the flat conductors. A hollow sectional connector housing includes a lower body section containing a bottom opening that receives the flat conductor support member when the lower body section is seated on the panel upper surface. Bifurcated resilient contacts mounted on the lower section have first portions that engage the bent flat conductor ends, respectively, and second portions that engage the circuits on a replaceable printed circuit board carried by the removable upper cover section of the housing.

Abstract: A fiber optic connector arrangement includes a locking device for fastening together a pair of male plug and female socket components, which locking device consists of locking elements mounted solely on a pair of telescopic adapter housings that support the plug and socket components when in the engaged condition. In order to increase the operational life of the connector components, one of the plug and socket components contains a recess for receiving an auxiliary second locking device that extends longitudinally in a normally non-stressed unlocked inoperative condition from the other component.

Abstract: A connector assembly for a planar vertical printed circuit board includes a housing having a pair of parallel space planar vertical side walls defining an open-topped vertical chamber in which the printed circuit board is mounted. First electrical connectors mounted on the vertical end edges of the printed circuit board include body portions that extend outward beyond the vertical edges of the side walls, which extending body portions contain access openings affording communication with first connector contacts in electrical engagement with the printed circuit board. Protective side cover members are fastened to the housing side walls to partially enclose the extending connector body portions, which cover members contain openings opposite the connector body access openings. The cover members contain ventilation openings for cooling the printed circuit board, and the housing includes a mounting foot arrangement for mounting the printed circuit board assembly on a support rail.

Abstract: A cable includes a cable sheath in which are embedded a plurality of insulated conductors at least two of which are helically twisted, the cable being provided with visible markings that indicate where one can electrically engage a selected one of the conductors by an insulation-piercing contact. The cable is formed by arranging a plurality of insulated conductors in a light-transmitting synthetic plastic sheath layer, two or more of the insulated conductors being helically twisted about a longitudinal axis, which cable is optically scanned to determine locations at which contiguous portions of the twisted insulated conductors are superposed orthogonally relative to a reference plane, whereupon markings are formed on the cable sheath layer at locations laterally spaced from the contiguous conductor portions, whereby a selected one of the twisted conductors may be engaged by an insulation-piercing contact.

Abstract: A connector arrangement includes a universal terminal block having a body containing a chamber in which is removably mounted one of a plurality of function control modules as used in commercial, industrial and residential installations, wherein a pair of module contacts on the module are brought into electrical engagement with a pair of stationary contacts mounted in the chamber, thereby to connect the module to a pair of external insulated conductors via bus bars and terminals contained in the terminal block body. Various types of function control modules may be used with a single universal terminal block. The modules may include locking devices for locking the module to the universal terminal block. The terminal block includes mounting feet on the side thereof remote from the chamber, whereby selective modules may be substituted for one another when the terminal block is mounted on a support rail.

Abstract: A connector fastening arrangement locks a connector housing to a printed circuit board, thereby to effect engagement between a resilient contact on the housing and a corresponding electrical element on the adjacent top surface of the printed circuit board. A rotary locking member carried by the connector housing extends within a locking bore contained in the adjacent surface of the printed circuit board, the locking member being rotatable between locked and unlocked positions relative to the connector housing. In a preferred embodiment, the locking bore is a through bore, and the locking member extends completely through the locking bore. When the locking member is rotated toward the locked position, an eccentric locking device carried by the extremity of the locking member extends in locking engagement beneath the bottom surface of the printed circuit board. In a second embodiment, the locking device comprises a bayonet fitting arrangement.

Abstract: Connector apparatus electrically connects together a plurality of shielded cables, including a housing containing a chamber including a first opening for receiving one end of a first shielded cable, and at least two second openings receiving the one ends of at least two second shielded cables, respectively. A conductive shield associated with the housing connects together the shielding layers of all of the cables, and a printed circuit board arranged in the housing connects at least one conductor of at least two of the second cables with a corresponding conductor of the first cable.

Abstract: A connector arrangement serves to connect a plurality of the circuits of a printed circuit board with a plurality of electrical conductors, respectively, including a locking member for locking together a first connector member having terminals connected with the electrical conductors, respectively, and a second connector member having a plurality of conductive pins connected with the printed circuit board circuits, respectively. In a first embodiment, the locking pin is connected with the first connector member for longitudinal sliding displacement between unlocked and locked positions relative to a second connector member electrically connected with the first conductor member. Pairs of auxiliary contacts may be provided that are operable when the locking member is in the locked position. In a second embodiment, the locking member is pivotally connected with the first connector member for pivotal displacement between the unlocked and locked positions relative to the other connector member.

Abstract: A shielding device for an electrical connector for joining a contact with an electrical line or cable includes a cylindrical shield member formed of brass arranged within the connector. The shield member contains an opening in a central region which defines cylindrical sleeves at each end of the member and a transitional portion joining the cylindrical sleeves. One of the sleeves receives the contact and the other of the sleeves receives an end of the electrical line. The shield member transitional portion defines a fold line about which the cylindrical sleeves are bent toward each other at a desired obtuse angle. Portions of the cylindrical sleeves overlap when the sleeves are bent toward each other to at least partially close the opening and shield the connection between the contact and the electrical line.

Abstract: An electrical connecting arrangement includes a locator device mounted on a photovoltaic panel for relatively positioning a connector housing such that a resilient contact on the connector housing is arranged for electrical connection with a stationary rigid contact on the photovoltaic panel that extends in space relation within a chamber contained in the locator device, connection being made via an access opening contained in the locator device. Preferably, the stationary contact is a knife contact having a rectangular configuration defining a pair of parallel end edges that are supported by a pair of support slots defined in the opposed walls of the access opening, thereby to support the stationary contact during the engagement thereof by the resilient contact.

Abstract: A plug and socket connector arrangement for electrical or fiber optic cables includes a pair of tubular locking sleeves mounted for axial and rotational displacement on the plug and connector bodies, which locking sleeves have adjacent ends provided with internal and external screw threads, respectively. The adjacent sleeve ends each contain a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinal slits that define a plurality of resilient threaded sectors. After the plug and socket connectors are brought into connected engagement, the locking sleeves are successively displaced from retracted separated positions axially together toward an adjacent locked position, whereby the resilient inner sleeve sectors are initially radially expanded, and the resilient outer sleeve sectors are subsequently radially contracted. The inner and outer screw threads are thus brought into threaded engagement, whereupon the locking sleeves are slightly relatively rotated to lock the sleeves together.

Abstract: A plug-in connector arrangement includes a terminal block containing a chamber in which are mounted a horizontal bus bar having a transverse wall, and a resilient contact having a fixed horizontal leg portion, an intermediate portion bent upwardly from the first leg portion, and an outwardly biased second leg portion reversely bent back above the first leg portion. The second leg portion contains a clamping end portion that extends through a conductor opening contained in the first leg portion. The clamping portion includes at least two discrete clamping surfaces so arranged that when a bare conductor is inserted into the conductor opening, the conductor circumferential surface is selectively engaged by one or more of the clamping surfaces in accordance with the diametrical size of the conductor. The conductor is biased by the clamping portion toward electrical engagement with the bus bar transverse wall.

Abstract: A connector block arrangement includes a first connector block housing having a row of first contacts, a second connector block housing having a row of second contacts in engagement with the first contacts when the connector block housings are in a connected condition, a conductive jumper device having a base portion and a plurality of resilient fingers normally connecting together a group of the second contacts, and an electrically-insulated code device carried by one of the housings for selectively disengaging from the jumper device at least one of the contacts of the second contact group. The code device has a planar generally comb-like configuration including a base portion arranged in an opening contained in either one of the connector block housings, and at least one code bar portion operable to separate a resilient finger of the jumper device from the corresponding contact to be disengaged.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a quick-fastening locking arrangement for locking together a plug member and a socket member, including a locking peg connected with one of the plug and socket members, and a cylindrical locking cam connected with the other member, which locking cam is pivotable through a relatively small angle between locked and unlocked positions relative to the locking peg. The cylindrical locking cam is mounted at one end of the plug member adjacent the socket member for rotation about a transverse axis relative to the collinear axis of the plug and socket members. In one embodiment, the socket member is mounted in an opening contained in a mounting wall to which the locking peg is fastened. In a second embodiment, the locking peg is fastened directly to the socket member.

Abstract: A terminal block connecting apparatus includes first and second support members displaceable from a disengaged condition toward an engaged condition in which corresponding main terminal blocks are brought into electrical engagement, characterized by the provision of first and second test terminal blocks connected with the support members for electrical engagement when the first and second support members are in an intermediate condition between the disengaged and engaged conditions. One of the test terminal blocks is supported by a carrier member for movement relative to the associated support member, whereby the test terminal blocks will remain in electrical engagement during displacement of the support members between the test and connected conditions. A friction retaining arrangement serves to resist displacement of the carrier member relative to its associated support member.

Abstract: An improved electrical connector is formed by stamping and bending a sheet of conductive metal, wherein as a preliminary step, a series of longitudinally-spaced openings are formed in the sheet to define a plurality of transversely extending strips from the side edges of which a pair of parallel spaced integral side walls extend, which sheet is coiled on a storage spool, and is subsequently unwound and fed toward a stamping station at which the transverse strips are severed at spaced separation points, thereby to define a connector body wall integral with the side walls. The side walls have portions that are simultaneously bent to form top, bottom and/or end walls which cooperate to define a chamber in which a spring contact is mounted. The connector is then connected an electrical component, such as a printed circuit board, in the manner of a surface mounted device (SMD).