Abstract: An electrical connector can receive a substrate having conductive tracks. The connector includes a housing with a port and at least one alignment feature that together define a direction of insertion. At least three function pins mounted to the housing each include contacts that electrically connect to one of the conductive tracks of a substrate inserted in the connector. A sense pin mounted to the housing has a contact that electrically connects to at least one of the conductive tracks of an inserted substrate. The sense pin can include a plurality of electrically-connected segments, each segment extending substantially parallel or substantially perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the substrate. Systems and methods for detecting an analyte in a bodily-fluid sample are also described.

Abstract: An electrical connector can receive a substrate having conductive tracks. The connector includes a housing with a port and at least one alignment feature that together define a direction of insertion. At least three function pins mounted to the housing each include contacts that electrically connect to one of the conductive tracks of a substrate inserted in the connector. A sense pin mounted to the housing has a contact that electrically connects to at least one of the conductive tracks of an inserted substrate. The sense pin can include a plurality of electrically-connected segments, each segment extending substantially parallel or substantially perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the substrate. Systems and methods for detecting an analyte in a bodily-fluid sample are also described.

Abstract: A hand-held test meter for use with an analytical test strip in the determination of an analyte in a bodily fluid sample (e.g., a whole blood sample) includes a housing, with an outer surface, and an analytical test strip ejection mechanism (“ATSEM”). The ATSEM has an actuation button disposed in the outer surface of the housing, a motion amplification and rotation assembly (“MA&RA”) operatively connected to the actuation button and a test strip slider (“TSS”) operatively connected to the MA&RA. The actuation button is configured for movement by a user's digit in a first direction and the MA&RA and TSS are configured to convert the movement in the first direction into amplified movement of the TSS in a second direction with the second direction being rotated with respect to the first direction. Moving the TSS in the second direction from the engaged state to an ejected state ejects the strip.