Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing, plural signal contacts, and plural impedance control (IC) members. The housing includes a base having a mating face. The base includes an array of openings along the mating face. The signal contacts are arranged in contact pairs, and are held in the openings of the base. The signal contacts include mating segments that extend a height beyond the mating face of the base for electrically connecting to corresponding mating signal contacts of a mating connector. The IC members are on the base and extend a height beyond the mating face of the base that is less than the height of the mating segments of the signal contacts. Each of the IC members is disposed one or more of adjacent to or between the signal contacts of a corresponding contact pair.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing, plural signal contacts, and plural impedance control (IC) members. The housing includes a base having a mating face. The base includes an array of openings along the mating face. The signal contacts are arranged in contact pairs, and are held in the openings of the base. The signal contacts include mating segments that extend a height beyond the mating face of the base for electrically connecting to corresponding mating signal contacts of a mating connector. The IC members are on the base and extend a height beyond the mating face of the base that is less than the height of the mating segments of the signal contacts. Each of the IC members is disposed one or more of adjacent to or between the signal contacts of a corresponding contact pair.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a module stack, a front housing, and a spring member. The module stack includes multiple contact modules disposed side by side. The module stack includes multiple signal contacts that project beyond a front side thereof. The front housing is mechanically coupled to the module stack at the front side and surrounds the signal contacts. The front housing defines cavities that receive mating contacts of a mating connector to engage the signal contacts. The front housing is movable relative to the module stack along a longitudinal axis of the electrical connector assembly between a retracted position and an extended position. The spring member is held between the module stack and the front housing. The spring member engages the module stack and the front housing to bias the front housing towards the extended position.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing and contact modules held by the housing. The contact modules include ground shields having ground contacts. The contact modules have a dielectric carrier that holds signal contacts. The ground contacts are configured for mating with corresponding ground contacts of a complementary mating connector, and are plated with a ground contact plating that includes at least one ground contact plating material. An interface between the ground contacts held and the corresponding ground contacts of the complementary mating connector has a first contact resistance. The signal contacts are configured for mating with corresponding signal contacts of the mating connector, and are plated with a signal contact plating. An interface between the signal contacts held and the signal contacts of the complimentary mating connector has a second contact resistance. The second contact resistance is lower than the first contact resistance.

Abstract: An electrical connector is provided that includes a housing and ground contacts held by the housing for mating with corresponding ground contacts of a complementary mating connector. The ground contacts are plated with a ground contact plating that includes at least one ground contact plating material. Signal contacts are held by the housing for mating with corresponding signal contacts of the mating connector. The signal contacts are plated with a signal contact plating that includes at least one material that is different from the at least one ground contact plating material.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack comprising a front housing and a rear housing coupled to the front housing at a seam. The housing stack defines plural contact cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing between mating and mounting ends. A lossy spacer is disposed at the seam between the front and rear housings. The lossy spacer has plural contact cavities aligned with corresponding contact cavities of the housing stack. Signal and ground contacts are disposed in corresponding contact cavities of the housing stack. The signal contacts extend through the lossy spacer such that the signal contacts do not directly engage the lossy spacer. The ground contacts extend through the contact cavities in the lossy spacer such that the ground contacts are coupled by the lossy spacer.

Abstract: A contact module is provided for an electrical connector. The contact module includes a carrier and a leadframe held by the carrier. The leadframe includes signal contacts that extend outward from the carrier for mating with corresponding mating signal contacts. A ground shield is mounted to the carrier. The ground shield includes a body configured to extend over at least a portion of the leadframe. The ground shield includes ground contacts configured to mate with corresponding mating ground shields. The ground contacts include groups of spring beams. Each group of spring beams includes at least first and second spring beams that extend from the body of the ground shield in respective different directions.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack and plural conductors. The housing stack includes a front housing and a rear housing. The rear housing is disposed rearward of the front housing. The housing stack defines plural cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing. The front housing includes a forward-facing shoulder within at least some of the cavities. The rear housing includes a rear-facing shoulder associated with the cavities that include the forward-facing shoulder. The conductors are disposed in the cavities of the housing stack. At least some of the conductors have a first projecting feature that engages the forward-facing shoulder in the corresponding cavity and a second projecting feature that engages the rear-facing shoulder to secure the front housing to the rear housing.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack comprising a front housing and a rear housing coupled to the front housing at a seam. The housing stack defines plural contact cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing between mating and mounting ends. A lossy spacer is disposed at the seam between the front and rear housings. The lossy spacer has plural contact cavities aligned with corresponding contact cavities of the housing stack. Signal and ground contacts are disposed in corresponding contact cavities of the housing stack. The signal contacts extend through the lossy spacer such that the signal contacts do not directly engage the lossy spacer. The ground contacts extend through the contact cavities in the lossy spacer such that the ground contacts are coupled by the lossy spacer.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack and plural conductors. The housing stack includes a front housing and a rear housing. The rear housing is disposed rearward of the front housing. The housing stack defines plural cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing. The front housing includes a forward-facing shoulder within at least some of the cavities. The rear housing includes a rear-facing shoulder associated with the cavities that include the forward-facing shoulder. The conductors are disposed in the cavities of the housing stack. At least some of the conductors have a first projecting feature that engages the forward-facing shoulder in the corresponding cavity and a second projecting feature that engages the rear-facing shoulder to secure the front housing to the rear housing.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack having a first housing and a second housing stacked together with the first housing. The housing stack defines a mating end and a mounting end opposite the mating end. The housing stack defines signal contact cavities and ground contact cavities that extend continuously through the housings. At least one of the first housing and the second housing has pockets around the ground contact cavities with lossy spacers disposed therein each having a groove aligned with the corresponding ground contact cavity. Signal contacts are disposed in corresponding signal contact cavities. Ground contacts are disposed in corresponding ground contact cavities. The ground contacts are disposed in the grooves of the corresponding lossy spacers such that the ground contacts are coupled to the corresponding lossy spacers.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a housing extending between a mating end and a mounting end. The housing defines plural contact cavities extending through the housing. Signal contacts are disposed in corresponding contact cavities of the housing. The signal contacts are arranged in rows along row axes extending in a longitudinal direction and in columns along column axes extending in a lateral direction. The signal contacts are arranged in pairs. A first set of pairs of signal contacts defining column pairs being arranged in-column along the corresponding column axis and a second set of pairs of signal contacts define cross pairs being arranged across the corresponding column axis. Adjacent pairs of signal contacts along the column axes alternate between column pairs and cross pairs. Adjacent pairs of signal contacts along row axes alternate between column pairs and cross pairs.

Abstract: A contact module is provided for an electrical connector. The contact module includes a carrier and a leadframe held by the carrier. The leadframe includes signal contacts that extend outward from the carrier for mating with corresponding mating signal contacts. A ground shield is mounted to the carrier. The ground shield includes a body configured to extend over at least a portion of the leadframe. The ground shield includes ground contacts configured to mate with corresponding mating ground shields. The ground contacts include groups of spring beams. Each group of spring beams includes at least first and second spring beams that extend from the body of the ground shield in respective different directions.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a front housing and a plurality of contact modules stacked side by side along a rear side of the front housing. Each contact module comprises a housing frame, multiple signal conductors and ground conductors held in the housing frame, and a ground shield coupled to an outer side of the housing frame. The housing frame is formed by a first shell member abutting a second shell member at an interface. At least one of the shell members defines multiple openings that align with the ground conductors held in the housing frame. The ground shield includes ground tabs that extend through the openings and engage the ground conductors to electrically connect the ground shield and the ground conductors. Broad sides of the signal conductors and the ground conductors are oriented orthogonal to the interface between the first and second shell members.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack, signal and ground conductors, and an electrically conductive ground bracket. The housing stack comprises a front housing and a rear housing. The front housing defines a mating end of the housing stack, and the rear housing defines a mounting end of the housing stack. The housing stack defines signal cavities and ground cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing. The signal conductors and ground conductors are held in the signal cavities and ground cavities, respectively, of the housing stack. The signal conductors are arranged in signal pairs, and the ground conductors are interleaved between the signal pairs. The ground bracket is held in the housing stack between the front housing and the rear housing. The ground bracket engages and is electrically connected to each of the ground conductors to electrically common the ground conductors along a ground plane.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a front housing and a plurality of contact modules stacked side by side along a rear side of the front housing. Each contact module comprises a housing frame, multiple signal conductors and ground conductors held in the housing frame, and a ground shield coupled to an outer side of the housing frame. The housing frame is formed by a first shell member abutting a second shell member at an interface. At least one of the shell members defines multiple openings that align with the ground conductors held in the housing frame. The ground shield includes ground tabs that extend through the openings and engage the ground conductors to electrically connect the ground shield and the ground conductors. Broad sides of the signal conductors and the ground conductors are oriented orthogonal to the interface between the first and second shell members.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing stack, signal and ground conductors, and an electrically conductive ground bracket. The housing stack comprises a front housing and a rear housing. The front housing defines a mating end of the housing stack, and the rear housing defines a mounting end of the housing stack. The housing stack defines signal cavities and ground cavities that extend continuously through the front housing and the rear housing. The signal conductors and ground conductors are held in the signal cavities and ground cavities, respectively, of the housing stack. The signal conductors are arranged in signal pairs, and the ground conductors are interleaved between the signal pairs. The ground bracket is held in the housing stack between the front housing and the rear housing. The ground bracket engages and is electrically connected to each of the ground conductors to electrically common the ground conductors along a ground plane.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing, signal contacts, and ground shields. The housing extends between a front end and a rear end and defines a cavity at the front end. The signal contacts are held by the housing and are arranged in pairs carrying differential signals. The signal contacts have mating ends in the cavity for mating with a mating connector. The ground shields are held by the housing and extend along the signal contacts in the cavity. The ground shields have center walls and side walls surrounding associated pairs of the signal contacts on at least two sides thereof. The ground shields each have a commoning feature extending outward from a corresponding side wall. The commoning feature mechanically engages another ground shield in a group of ground shields to electrically join the ground shields of the group within the cavity.

Abstract: A header assembly of a mezzanine connector system may include a main housing defining signal channels extending through the main housing and ground channels extending into a first surface of the main housing, a plurality of signal modules, and a plurality of ground shields. At least a portion of each of the plurality of signal modules is retained within a respective one of the signal channels. At least a portion of each of the plurality of ground shields is retained within at least one of the ground channels.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing, signal contacts, and ground shields. The housing extends between a front end and a rear end and defines a cavity at the front end. The signal contacts are held by the housing and are arranged in pairs carrying differential signals. The signal contacts have mating ends in the cavity for mating with a mating connector. The ground shields are held by the housing and extend along the signal contacts in the cavity. The ground shields have center walls and side walls surrounding associated pairs of the signal contacts on at least two sides thereof. The ground shields each have a commoning feature extending outward from a corresponding side wall. The commoning feature mechanically engages another ground shield in a group of ground shields to electrically join the ground shields of the group within the cavity.