Abstract: The subject shunt connector has an integral housing of rigid insulative material and a single terminal mounted therein. The housing defines a pair of parallel, spaced male or pin terminal receiving passages extending between front and rear faces, and a slot interconnecting portions of the passages. The terminal has a pair of parallel contact arms interconnected at opposite ends by cross bars and a tine intermediate the arms. The terminal is so mounted in the housing that it can engage a pin terminal inserted from either face of the connector without being damaged or dislodged.

Abstract: A low insertion force, handfed card reader is disclosed comprising a housing having a profiled passageway therein opening to a frontal side. The passageway is defined by a top wall having an array of contacts mounted therein, and a bottom wall slanted downwardly from a backward end of the passageway toward the frontal opening. A tray is provided within the passageway having a like-slanted bottom surface which is positioned against the bottom wall of the passageway. An encoded card can be freely inserted into the passageway a distance onto the tray, and as the tray is slid backward along the bottom wall, the encoded card is thereby moved upwardly against the contacts. A profiled retention spring system is further provided and pressures the encoded card against the top surface of the passageway to maintain the card reader in its read-mode until subsequently released by the user.