Abstract: A cable assembly includes a plurality of coaxial cables and a pair of conductive material ribbons or strips that are placed on opposite sides of the cables, and that are soldered to conductive shields of the cables. The ribbons may mechanically couple a plurality of cables together in a desired configuration, for example with all the cables being substantially evenly spatially separated from one another. In addition, the conductive ribbon electrically links the shields of all the cables together. Thus the use of the conductive ribbons facilitates making electrical connection to the braided or served shields of the cables. The conductive ribbons may be made of a suitable electrically conductive material, such as copper.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a cable end connector which mates with a board mount connector. The cable end connector includes a plurality of header modules that each include pivotal contact-bearing headers. The headers are coupled to ribbon conductors in a parallel planar array. One end of each of the headers has conductors prepared to accept the welding of ribbonized coaxial cables. The other end of the conductors form compliant contacts for engagement with other compliant contacts or with pads arranged on the edge of a circuit board. Headers of each module have posts that emanate from lateral sides of a header body, distal from the compliant contact ends, that function as cam sliders. The cam sliders are located in slots, and engage ramps, which may be moved to urge the contacts of the headers together or apart.

Abstract: A press-fit pin for making electrical contact with a via is a self-supporting pin having a serpentine shape. The pin may have at least two bends therein, so as to make contact with the via at multiple pairs of contact points separated longitudinally along the length of the pin. This use of a single-member contact with the via may allow use of smaller vias. In a direction longitudinally down the pin, successive pairs of contact points may be on opposite sides of the pin, so as to provide normal forces on opposite sides of the via and the pin, thus tending to provide some degree of balance in forces between the pin and the via. The pin may have rounded, coined corners and a tapered tip, in order to facilitate insertion of the pin into the via, without undue force, and without damage to either the pin or the via.

Abstract: A connector assembly includes a female dual row connector, and a male dual row connector configured to be inserted into the female dual row connector. The female connector is configured to be compression mounted onto a circuit card, and has conductive tails for being brought into contact with traces on the card or circuit board. The female connector may have a stiffener to help it maintain its shape. The rows of contacts of the male connector may be selectively brought together (collapsed) or moved apart (expanded). The rows of contacts are collapsed during insertion or removal of the male connector from the female connector, thus allowing zero force insertion of the male connector into the female connector. The collapsing and expanding of the rows for the male connector may be accomplished through any of a variety of mechanisms.

Abstract: A male connector, which may be configured to mate with standard interfaces such as 4X or 12X interfaces, includes multiple modules stacked together. The modules each include a shield, signal contacts, and may include an equalization device. The equalization device may be directly connected to the signal contacts, overlapped by the shields of the module and an adjacent module. The equalization device may be a passive device, for example being a resistor and a capacitor in parallel. A nosepiece may be coupled to an insertion end of the connector to maintain desired spacing of the signal contacts and shields. The connector may include an accessibility tab to release latches. The male connector may be part of a cable assembly, with a cable that has a strain relief that includes a ridged collar and a shrink tube.