Abstract: A contact assembly includes a contact positioner holding a contact array having contacts and a ground shield including a ground plate along forward sections of the contacts and a ground panel along rearward sections of the contacts. The contact array includes a forward contact holder coupled to the ground plate and the forward sections to locate the forward sections relative to the upper ground plate. The forward contact holder includes forward slots to separate the forward contact holder into discrete sections. The contact array includes a rearward contact holder coupled to the ground panel and the rearward sections to locate the rearward sections relative to the ground panel. The rearward contact holder includes rearward slots to separate the rearward contact holder into discrete sections.

Abstract: A connector assembly includes a plurality of receptacle modules configured to be received in corresponding module channels in a receptacle cage. Each receptacle module has a housing holding a contact assembly. The housing has a card slot at a front of the housing. The contact assembly has contacts terminated to ends of cables. The contacts have mating ends at the card slot to mate with a pluggable module received in the receptacle cage. The connector assembly includes an integrator having integrator walls forming a plurality of chambers. Each chamber receives the corresponding receptacle module. The connector assembly includes a latch coupled to the integrator. The latch configured to be latchably coupled to the receptacle cage.

Abstract: A receptacle cage includes shielding walls forming a module channel configured to receive a pluggable module. The shielding walls include a top wall, a first side wall extending from the top wall to a bottom of the module channel, and a second side wall extending from the top wall opposite the first side wall to the bottom of the module channel. The top wall, the first side wall and the second side wall form the module channel. The receptacle cage includes a first polarization tab extending into the module channel from the first side wall. The first polarization tab is configured to interface with the pluggable module for keyed loading of the pluggable module in the receptacle cage.

Abstract: A receptacle assembly includes a receptacle cage surrounding an intermediate connector configured to be coupled to the host circuit board. The receptacle cage receives a plug module and a receptacle module mated with the plug module. The receptacle module includes a receptacle housing having a card slot and holding a receptacle contact assembly. The receptacle contacts include cable contacts terminated to cables and intermediate contacts terminated to the intermediate connector. The intermediate connector electrically connects the intermediate contacts with the host circuit board.

Abstract: A contact assembly includes a contact positioner having a front slot configured to receive a card edge of a module circuit board of a pluggable module. An upper contact array is coupled to the contact positioner and includes upper contacts and an upper ground shield. The upper ground shield includes an upper ground panel extending along a first side of the upper contacts and an upper ground plate extending along a second side of the upper contacts parallel to and spaced apart from the upper ground panel with the upper contacts therebetween. The contact assembly includes a lower contact array coupled to the contact positioner having lower contacts and a lower ground shield with lower ground panel and a lower ground plate parallel to and spaced apart from the lower ground panel with the lower contacts therebetween.

Abstract: A board-to-board connector assembly includes first and second connector assemblies and a connector interconnect between the first and second connector assemblies. Each connector assembly includes an outer shell and a connector received in a cavity of the outer shell. The connector has a connector body holding contacts in a card slot, which receives a circuit card edge of an add-in card. The outer shell has an outer board guide configured to engage the add-in card and guide mating of the outer shell with the add-in card. The outer shell has a latch configured to latchably engage the add-in card to secure the connector to the add-in card. The connector interposer electrically interconnects the contacts of the connector assemblies to electrically connect the add-in cards.

Abstract: A stacked card edge connector for mating with stacked pluggable modules includes a housing configured to be mounted to a host circuit board and including inner and outer contact channels and inner and outer card slots configured to receive card edges of module circuit boards of the stacked pluggable modules. The stacked card edge connector includes an inner contact assembly received in the inner card slot and an outer contact assembly received in the outer card slot.

Abstract: A contact assembly for an electrical connector signal contacts arranged in pairs and ground contacts are interspersed with the pairs of the signal contacts. Each signal contact includes a signal contact body having first and second sides extending between a signal mating end and a signal terminating end. Each ground contact includes a ground contact body having first and second sides extending between a ground mating end and a ground terminating end. The contact assembly includes a ground shield assembly including a ground shield spanning across the contacts and ground connective elements electrically connected to the ground shield and the corresponding ground contacts. The ground connective elements are compressible.

Abstract: A card edge connector includes a housing configured to be mounted to a host circuit board and having a card slot at the front configured to receive a card edge of a module circuit card of the pluggable module. A contact assembly is received in a cavity of the housing having cable contacts arranged in an upper contact set and lower contact set. An upper ground bus bar is electrically connected to terminating ends of the ground contacts of the upper contact set and a lower ground bus bar is electrically connected to the ground contacts of the lower contact set. A ground element is coupled to the upper ground bus bar or the lower ground bus bar and includes a board termination component configured to be terminated to the host circuit board to electrically connect the corresponding ground bus bar to the host circuit board.

Abstract: A communication system having a circuit board with an airflow opening includes a receptacle cage configured to be mounted to the circuit board adjacent a communication connector. The receptacle cage has walls including a front wall, a rear wall and side walls defining a cavity. A module channel is defined in the cavity configured to receive a pluggable module. The module channel has a module port at the front wall that receives the pluggable module. An airflow channel is defined by at least one of the walls of the receptacle cage located between the module channel and the circuit board. The airflow channel is configured to be in flow communication with the airflow opening in the circuit board for cooling the pluggable module in the module channel. The airflow channel has an airflow port at the front wall.

Abstract: A contact assembly for an electrical connector signal contacts arranged in pairs and ground contacts are interspersed with the pairs of the signal contacts. Each signal contact includes a signal contact body having first and second sides extending between a signal mating end and a signal terminating end. Each ground contact includes a ground contact body having first and second sides extending between a ground mating end and a ground terminating end. The contact assembly includes a ground shield assembly including a ground shield spanning across the contacts and ground connective elements electrically connected to the ground shield and the corresponding ground contacts. The ground connective elements are compressible.

Abstract: A board-to-board connector assembly includes first and second connector assemblies and a connector interconnect between the first and second connector assemblies. Each connector assembly includes an outer shell and a connector received in a cavity of the outer shell. The connector has a connector body holding contacts in a card slot, which receives a circuit card edge of an add-in card. The outer shell has an outer board guide configured to engage the add-in card and guide mating of the outer shell with the add-in card. The outer shell has a latch configured to latchably engage the add-in card to secure the connector to the add-in card. The connector interposer electrically interconnects the contacts of the connector assemblies to electrically connect the add-in cards.

Abstract: A stacked card edge connector for mating with stacked pluggable modules includes a housing configured to be mounted to a host circuit board and including inner and outer contact channels and inner and outer card slots configured to receive card edges of module circuit boards of the stacked pluggable modules. The stacked card edge connector includes an inner contact assembly received in the inner card slot and an outer contact assembly received in the outer card slot.

Abstract: A communication system having a circuit board with an airflow opening includes a receptacle cage configured to be mounted to the circuit board adjacent a communication connector. The receptacle cage has walls including a front wall, a rear wall and side walls defining a cavity. A module channel is defined in the cavity configured to receive a pluggable module. The module channel has a module port at the front wall that receives the pluggable module. An airflow channel is defined by at least one of the walls of the receptacle cage located between the module channel and the circuit board. The airflow channel is configured to be in flow communication with the airflow opening in the circuit board for cooling the pluggable module in the module channel. The airflow channel has an airflow port at the front wall.

Abstract: A communication system includes a plug module and a receptacle module received in a receptacle cage. The receptacle module includes a receptacle housing having a cavity that receives a contact assembly. The receptacle module includes a receptacle latch coupled to the receptacle housing having latching features at sidewalls of the receptacle housing and receptacle release tabs operably coupled to a receptacle release actuator.

Abstract: A plug connector includes a housing holding plug contacts at a mating end for mating with a mating connector. The plug connector includes a latch received in a latch pocket and movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. The latch has a main body and a latch beam extending from the main body. The latch beam includes a latch hook configured to be received in a latch opening of the mating connector in the latched position to secure the plug connector to the mating connector. The plug connector includes a retention assist member engaging the latch having a main body and a ram extending therefrom with a latch retention support positioned rearward of the latch beam. A biasing member drives the retention assist member in a biasing direction into the latch to hold the latch hook in the latching position.

Abstract: A receptacle connector includes a housing having a mating end for mating with a plug connector and a mounting end for mounting to a circuit board. The housing has side walls and end walls with contacts in contacts arrays along both side walls. The contacts have mating ends and terminating ends. The housing has a card slot open at the mating end for receiving plug connector defined by interior surfaces of the side walls. The mating ends of the contacts are exposed in the card slot for mating electrical connection with the plug connector. The housing has alignment tabs extending inward into the card slot from the interior surface for aligning the plug connector within the card slot.

Abstract: A plug connector assembly includes first and second plug connectors each including a plug housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall forming a cavity. The side walls include a housing securing feature. The plug connector assembly includes a flex jumper assembly coupled between the plug connectors having a flex circuit extending between first and second paddle cards. The paddle cards each include a rigid substrate having a mating end and side edges extending to a flex circuit end. The rigid substrate includes a plug connector securing feature at the side edge engaging the housing securing feature to retain the paddle card in the corresponding plug housing. The flex circuit is flexible between the first and second paddle cards.

Abstract: A pluggable module includes a pluggable body having an upper shell at the top and a lower shell at the bottom that define an interior chamber. The upper shell includes side walls extending to the top and an upper wall extending between the side walls. The upper shell includes an airflow channel and EMI prevention fins having EMI channels therebetween in flow communication with the airflow channel. The upper wall along the airflow channel is at a first depth from the top and the upper wall along the EMI channels is at a second depth deeper than the first depth.

Abstract: A communication system includes a plug module and a receptacle module received in a receptacle cage. The receptacle module includes a receptacle housing having a cavity that receives a contact assembly. The receptacle module includes a receptacle latch coupled to the receptacle housing having latching features at sidewalls of the receptacle housing and receptacle release tabs operably coupled to a receptacle release actuator.