Abstract: A low voltage drop, high current electrical connector which can be releasably mated with associated contacts is disclosed. The connector makes use of elongate contact arms cantilevered in a housing. Each contact arm is made up of at least two beams one of which has relatively high electrical conductivity but relatively poor mechanical spring characteristics. The other has relatively low electrical conductivity but relatively good mechanical spring characteristics. In this way the mechanical and electrical characteristics such as contact force and conductivity may be controlled, balanced and optimized. As one possibility there could be a single spring steel beam backing a stack of sheets of high conductivity copper. As another possibility, there could be sheets of high conductivity copper alternating in a stack with sheets of copper spring which is about half as conductive as pure copper. Instead of a cantilevered spring a coil spring located at the contact surface could be used.

Abstract: An edge connector for electrically connecting and mechanically securing a daughter board to a mother board. The edge connector includes an insulator body with a pair of stalks spaced apart so as to accomodate a daughter board therebetween. The insulator body is provided with a number of contacts, each of which is housed inside a contact slot inside the insulator body. Each contact has a surface pressure contact area for electrically connecting to the mother board to which the edge connector is attached. Each contact also has a contact area that extends into the daughter board slot. The contacts are arranged so that in each pair of adjacent contacts one contact has an upper contact area and the other a lower contact area. The upper contact areas are located above the lower contact areas. This makes it possible to use a daughter board with two rows of offset contact pads with this edge connector.