Abstract: An assembly for both distributing electricity and limiting the flow of current has a housing, input conductors, first output conductors, second output conductors, an insulating spacer block, and limiters. Portions of the input conductors and first output conductors overlay each other with the insulating spacer block therebetween. The limiters electrically connect the input conductors to the output conductors with pairs of limiters connected between a single input conductor and separate output conductors.

Abstract: An electrical connector with a housing and a contact strip. The housing has a receiving area with openings into the receiving area on opposite sides of the housing. The contact strip has a support of resilient conductive material, an insulating layer on the support, and signal conductors on the insulating layer. The contact strip is located in the receiving area with portions of the signal conductors located at the openings at the opposite sides of the housing.

Abstract: A method of connecting a combined daughter printed circuit board and outrigger assembly to a mother board. The assembly has an outrigger with a one piece housing. Contacts of the outrigger are aligned with contact pads on the daughter board by their carry strips prior to soldering the contacts to the contact pads. When the assembly is inserted into a receptacle on the mother board, five different types of contact pads on the card edge connection area are sequentially connected to contacts of the receptacle.

Abstract: A system for connecting printed circuit boards to each other includes electrical connectors and positioners. The positioners fixedly position the boards relative to each other in a general spaced parallel configuration. The electrical connectors can connect the boards to each other in series. The connectors include power contacts, ground contacts, and driver circuits located inside the connector housing. The driver circuit has a transceiver for synchronous two way communications and buffers for repeating and strengthening digital signals.

Abstract: A card edge connector comprising a housing, electrical contacts, and ejectors. The housing has a middle section with a card edge receiving area, two guide projections at opposite ends of the middle section, and a keeper section. The electrical contacts extend from the middle section, through the keeper, to a bottom of the housing. The housing is suitably configured to receive a daughter printed circuit board at an angle of about 30.degree. relative to a mother printed circuit board. The ejectors are adapted to lock the daughter board to the connector and, eject the daughter board from the connector.

Abstract: A card edge connector having a housing, an electromagnetic shield, and a voltage drain contact directly fixedly attached to the shield. The voltage drain contact has a contact area located above the top of a center section of the housing. Electrical contact is made between the voltage drain contact and a voltage drain pad on a daughter board before the daughter board makes electrical contact with signal contacts in the housing. This avoids undesired surges of current.

Abstract: A card edge connector is provided with a housing, electrical contacts, and movable wedge clips. The wedge clips are slidingly mounted to the housing at an angle to a card edge receiving slot in the housing. The, wedge clips are suitably shaped and mounted to the housing to be contacted by and moved with a printed circuit board inserted into the receiving slot. The wedge clips include a spring section for returning the clips to a home position when the board is removed from the receiving slot.

Abstract: A modular communications connection system is provided for connecting a plug connector to a socket connector. The system includes a blocker that blocks the entrance to the socket connector. A key can be used to move the blocker to allow the plug connector to be inserted into the socket connector.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly is provided with a first connector and a mating second connector. The first connector has two rows of signal contacts and ground contacts located between the two rows of signal contacts. The second connector has two rows of mating signal contacts and a row of mating ground contacts between the two rows of mating signal contacts.

Abstract: An electrical connector having a housing, quick release latches, and a hood. The hood allows an electrical cable to exit the hood in three different directions. The quick release latches are located on opposite ends of the housing and allow the connector to be easily snap-lock connected to a second connector and easily released from the second connector by depressing the latches. The use of the hood, the size and shape of the housing, and the simplicity of the latches combine to provide a lightweight connector that can be used in aircrafts for entertainment systems.

Abstract: An electrical connection system is provided with two electrical connectors and a mounting track. The mounting track is adapted to be connected to a frame. The connectors are slidingly mounted onto the mounting track and into electrical connection with each other.

Abstract: An electrical connector is provided with a housing, electrical contacts mounted to the housing, and ejectors pivotally mounted to the housing. The ejectors have pivot posts that extend in the same direction and spaced ejecting fingers. The pivot posts are axially slid into pivot holes at the edge of the housing along a first direction. The ejectors are then rotated in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction with the fingers being received in finger holes in the housing to thereby prevent the ejectors being inadvertently disconnected from the housing. The fingers and finger holes extend, at least partially, between adjacent contact receiving holes in the housing. Detent locating of the ejectors is provided at an open position and a closed position. The housing includes blocking projections to prevent connection of an integrated circuit chip other than in a predetermined position.

Abstract: An electrical connector for removably receiving a daughter card includes a first group of contact springs, which extend in their free, undeflected state into a card-receiving slot, and a second group of contact springs, which are displaced from this slot in their undeflected state. This connector also includes an actuator, which can be moved to engage the second group of contact springs so that they are moved into the card-receiving slot. The actuator can be left in a position in which it is not so engaged when a first type of daughter card is inserted in the connector, with slotted portions of the daughter card passing over surfaces of the actuator. The actuator is moved into this engagement with the insertion of a second type of daughter card as surfaces on the daughter card push on surfaces of the actuator. The actuator also includes means by which it is locked to this second type of daughter card so that it is restored to its unengaged position as the daughter card is withdrawn from the connector.

Abstract: An electrical connector is provided with a housing and a plurality of electrical contacts. The housing has a plurality of contact receiving channels having preload shelves. The contacts each have two opposing cantilever arms and means for biasing a distal end of one of the arms towards the other arm. The distal ends of the arms have preload tabs that contact each other during insertion of the contact into the housing, and are used to preload the arms at their final position in the housing.

Abstract: A daughter card is provided with an insertion portion, including a row of contact pads on each side of an edge prepared for insertion into the slot of card edge connector, and a contact structure extending from one or both sides of the card. Contact terminals of the contact structure extend parallel to the insertion portion of the card, being electrically connected to circuits within the card. On a mother board, a connector is provided with a first slot for removably receiving the insertion portion of the daughter card, and with one or two slots for removably receiving the contact terminals. The mother board and the daughter card include essential circuits, which are connected through the contact pads, and non-essential circuits, which are connected through the contact terminals. The daughter card may be plugged into a standard type of card edge connector, having only a single, central card-receiving slot, with the contact terminals extending outside the outer surfaces of the connector.

Abstract: A packaging container for elongate electrical connectors includes a base and a cover. The base has a plurality of parallel connector receiving channels. Each channel has a width suitably sized and shaped to receive a row of connectors in an adjacent side-by-side orientation and a length suitably sized and shaped to receive a column of rows of connectors in an adjacent end-by-end orientation. A spacing section between each connector receiving channel and at the outsides of exterior connector channels are provided to allow an unloader's thumb and fingers to be inserted at two of the spacing sections to grasp a row of the connectors with one grasping operation to remove the row of connectors.

Abstract: An electrical connector for connecting a second electrical connector to a printed circuit board. The electrical connector has a housing with spring contacts. The spring contacts are adapted to be displaced by and make electrical and mechanical contact with contact pins of the second electrical connector inserted into the housing. The electrical connector further comprises a contact disconnector for moving the spring contacts away from the contact pins for easier disconnection of the second electrical connector from the electrical connector.

Abstract: An assembly for both distributing electricity and limiting the flow of current has a housing, input conductors, first output conductors, second output conductors, an insulating spacer block, and limiters. Portions of the input conductors and first output conductors overlay each other with the insulating spacer block therebetween. The limiters electrically connect the input conductors to the output conductors with pairs of limiters connected between a single input conductor and separate output conductors.

Abstract: Coding modules are connected to an electrical plug and an electrical socket to control whether or not the plug and socket can be connected to each other. Each module has a frame and two keys connected to their frames. The keys are selectively positionable on the frames to provide at least sixteen different key configurations for each module. The modules are snap-lock connected to the electrical plug and socket such that the module key configurations must be arranged in a complementary fashion before the plug and socket can be connected to each other.

Abstract: An outrigger electrical connector includes a housing and electrical contacts. The housing is adapted to be fixedly connected to a side of a daughter printed circuit board between two rows of contact pads at a card edge connection area of the daughter printed circuit board. The housing has a downwardly extending ledge laterally spaced from the first side. The contacts have a top portion at a top of the housing at the housing first side and a bottom contact portion extending down along the housing ledge.