Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal includes a base and an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end. A slit formed through the insertion portion and extending from or between the base and between the first end defines a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A substantially central axis extends between opposite ends of the slit so that a segment of the first leg is deformed in one direction away from the axis, while a segment of the second leg is deformed in a direction away from the axis opposite the first leg. The deformed first leg segment and the deformed second leg segment are offset from the center of the slit.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal includes a base and an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end. A slit formed through the insertion portion and extending from or between the base and between the first end defines a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A substantially central axis extends between opposite ends of the slit so that a segment of the first leg is deformed in one direction away from the axis, while a segment of the second leg is deformed in a direction away from the axis opposite the first leg. The deformed first leg segment and the deformed second leg segment are offset from the center of the slit.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal may include a base, an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end, a slit formed through the insertion portion and defining a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A segment of the first leg may be deformed in one direction, while a segment of the second leg may deformed in the opposite direction. Midpoints of each or both legs may be offset from the midpoint of the slit to achieve improved mechanical and electrical performance within a connector. Also provided is an electrical terminal having a tip that facilitates alignment with a panel member aperture and provides tactile feedback to a user, as well as an electrical terminal having a mounting end that is substantially smaller than its mating end, and connectors containing such terminals. Methods of routing electrical traces between adjacent electrical terminals are also provided.

Abstract: An electrical terminal of the type to be inserted into an aperture of an electrical panel member is provided. The electrical terminal includes a base and an insertion portion extending from the base to a first end. A slit formed through the insertion portion and extending from or between the base and between the first end defines a compliant portion having a first leg and a second leg. A substantially central axis extends between opposite ends of the slit so that a segment of the first leg is deformed in one direction away from the axis, while a segment of the second leg is deformed in a direction away from the axis opposite the first leg. The deformed first leg segment and the deformed second leg segment are offset from the center of the slit.

Abstract: A printed circuit board includes a bore having a perimeter and a total depth. An electrically conductive barrel extends around at least a portion of the perimeter of the bore and along a predetermined depth of the bore, the predetermined depth being less than the total depth of the bore. The barrel has an end that terminates at a countersunk portion of the bore. A contact includes a body having first and second ends. The first end includes a compliant section that is positioned in the barrel, thereby forming a separable interface between the contact and the circuit board. The second end extends out of the barrel and interfaces with an electrical component. Protrusion of the first end out of the barrel is minimized. The above relationships are used to decrease capacitive loading.

Abstract: An electrical connector comprises, an insulative housing block (2), electrical contacts (4) held by the housing block (2), spring fingers (11) on each of the contacts (4) for gripping onto a conductive pin, cavities (6) in an insulating housing (5) for receiving the fingers (11), mouths (19) opening into the cavities (6) for receiving conductive pins to be gripped by the spring fingers (11), rails (21) in the cavities (6), each of the rails (6) being in between said spring fingers (11) of one of the contacts (4), and each of the rails (21) being aligned with a mouth (19) of one of the cavities (4) and positioning said spring fingers (11) in alignment laterally with respect to the mouth (19) to assure receipt of a conductive pin between said spring fingers (11).

Abstract: The shielded electrical cable assembly (2') has a forward electrical connector (8') for mating with a header (156A') in a computer cabinet (152'). The connector (8') has terminals (30') crimped to respective leads of a shielded electrical cable (6'). The leads extend through a rear housing (10') to which the forward connector (8') is latched. There project rearwardly from the rear housing (10') strain relief flanges (60') which are moulded to jackets (20') enclosing the leads. A two-part shielding shell (12') is secured about the strain relief flanges (60') and is clinched to the shield (18') of the shielded cable (6'). Latches (80') for latching the cable assembly (2') in an aperture in a shielding plate (150') of the computer cabinet are reversely bent to take up the difference in width between the back shell (12') and the aperture in the shielding plate (150').

Abstract: An electrical connector comprises, an insulative housing block (2), electrical contacts (4) held by the housing block (2), spring fingers (11) on each of the contacts (4) for gripping onto a conductive pin, cavities (6) in an insulating housing (5) for receiving the fingers (11), mouths (19) opening into the cavities (6) for receiving conductive pins to be gripped by the spring fingers (11), and a break way key and latch assembly (30) for connecting together the housing block (2) and the housing (5) .

Abstract: Cable connectors are provided which include an insulating housing block including at least first and second contact-receiving cavities and at least one transverse opening for communicating between these cavities. The connector also includes an electrical cable assembly having at least two insulated signal wires co-axially protected by a conductive shell and disposed in the first contact-receiving cavity. A reference contact is disposed in the second cable-receiving cavity and includes a contact finger frictionally contacting the conductive shell through the transverse opening between the cavities for providing a reference voltage to, for example, a pin field connector, or the like.

Abstract: A power connector for interconnecting power between printed circuit boards (12, 24) includes plug and receptacle contacts (40, 70) linked to signal connector halves (16, 28) alos mounted on the circuit boards such that the plug and receptacle contacts intermate along a given axis as the connector halves are intermated. The receptacle contact (70) includes an array of resilient contact fingers (80-82) spaced apart and staggered to engage the plug contact (40) upon mating along the given axis at given points to reduce insertion forces, preclude undue wear of the plug contact from repeated engagements while carrying sufficient current to effect a power transfer from one board to another board. The contacts further include a plurality of posts (48, 74, 76) spaced apart to distribute current to the thin conductive traces of boards to preclude undue resistance heating of such traces in the circuits defined thereby.

Abstract: A high density, high frequency connector system 10 having first and second mating connector members 12, 70 each member including a multi-row array of signal contact member 52, 102 disposed in columns, each said signal contact member being secured in a respective passageway; a multi-row array of ground contact members 58, 110 disposed between the columns of signal contact members 52, 102 each of the ground contact members 52, 102 having at least a body section secured in a respective profiled slot 42, 94. Each profiled slot 42, 94 has a width selected to be greater than the thickness of the ground body section and means for maintaining the respective ground body sections centered within the respective otherwise wider slot to define air reservoirs of a controlled width on both sides of each ground contact member.

Abstract: A module (22) for use on a cable assembly (10) of coaxial conductors (12) is disclosed. The module (22) includes signal pins (42) in a row of passages and a ground element (60) in a recess (94) on one side surface (92) of the module (22). The ground element (60) includes a plate (76) which has a width at least equal to the row of signal pins (42) to maintain signal integrity when more than one module (22) is placed side by side.

Abstract: A high density, high frequency electrical connector system having ground contacts disposed between adjacent columns of signal carrying contacts to provide signal integrity. More particularly, the system includes two mating connectors with the ground contacts in one being blades and the ground contacts in the other being plates with blade engaging cantilever beams thereon so that when the two connectors are mated, the ground contacts complete a ground circuit and the plates provide a shield between adjacent columns of mated signal carrying contacts.

Abstract: An electrical modular connector (10) for interconnecting electrical wires to another connector is disclosed. The connector (10) includes signal and ground contacts (14,46) having a receptacle (38,50) at one end for engaging posts in a pin header and tabs (36,56) at another end to which the wires may be welded. Further, the ground contacts (46) include shielding plates (56) to maintain signal integrity in high speed applications.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a contact element for use in card edge connectors on which the contact surface is located at the free end of the cantilever beam and includes a sharp spherical radius.

Abstract: The invention is a locking device for locking circuit cards in zero-insertion force card edge connectors of the type having a vertically moving upper housing. More particularly, the locking device includes two pairs of pivotally mounted arms which are cammed inwardly from each side of the card. The upper nose-shaped ends of the arms enter holes in the card so that the card cannot be removed without actuating the camming mechanism.