Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing and contact assemblies. The housing includes shroud walls and a base having a front side and a rear side. The front side of the base and the shroud walls define a cavity configured to receive a mating connector. The base is electrically conductive and has chambers extending therethrough that are defined by chamber walls. The contact assemblies are received in the chambers. Each contact assembly has a signal pod surrounded on at least two sides by a ground shield. The signal pod includes a dielectric body holding a pair of signal contacts. The dielectric body engages interior sides of the ground shield to electrically insulate the signal contacts from the ground shield. Exterior sides of the ground shield engage the chamber walls of the base to electrically connect the ground shield to the base.

Abstract: Electrical connector includes a connector body having a front side configured to engage a first electrical component and a mounting side configured to engage a second electrical component. The electrical connector also includes a plurality of signal conductors extending through the connector body. The signal conductors include mating interfaces and mounting interfaces that are positioned for engaging the first and second electrical components, respectively. The electrical connector also includes a ground structure extending generally parallel to and between two of the signal conductors. The connector body has a resonance-control surface that faces the ground structure. The resonance-control surface is shaped to include alternating distal and proximal areas. The proximal areas are closer to the ground structure than the distal areas.

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: A contact module includes a dielectric body holding signal contacts and a shield coupled to the dielectric body having grounding portions providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts. Each grounding portion includes a base edge generally coplanar with the base edges of the signal contacts and a compliant pin extending below the base edge. Each grounding portion includes a surface tab extending below the base edge to at least partially fill a space between the base edge of the grounding portion and a mounting surface of the circuit board such that the surface tab provides electrical shielding for the compliant pins of the signal contacts in the space between the base edge of the signal contact and the mounting surface of the circuit board.

Abstract: A contact module includes a dielectric body holding signal contacts and a shield coupled to the dielectric body having grounding portions providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts. Each grounding portion includes a base edge generally coplanar with the base edges of the signal contacts and a compliant pin extending below the base edge. Each grounding portion includes a surface tab extending below the base edge to at least partially fill a space between the base edge of the grounding portion and a mounting surface of the circuit board such that the surface tab provides electrical shielding for the compliant pins of the signal contacts in the space between the base edge of the signal contact and the mounting surface of the circuit board.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing and contact assemblies. The housing includes shroud walls and a base having a front side and a rear side. The front side of the base and the shroud walls define a cavity configured to receive a mating connector. The base is electrically conductive and has chambers extending therethrough that are defined by chamber walls. The contact assemblies are received in the chambers. Each contact assembly has a signal pod surrounded on at least two sides by a ground shield. The signal pod includes a dielectric body holding a pair of signal contacts. The dielectric body engages interior sides of the ground shield to electrically insulate the signal contacts from the ground shield. Exterior sides of the ground shield engage the chamber walls of the base to electrically connect the ground shield to the base.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing and plural contact modules stacked adjacent to each other and held by the housing. Each contact module includes a contact array, a dielectric holder, and lossy blocks. The contact array includes signal contacts and ground contacts arranged in alternating pairs along a length of a column. The dielectric holder surrounds and engages the signal and ground contacts along intermediate segments thereof to secure the signal and ground contacts in place. The lossy blocks are mounted to the intermediate segments of the ground contacts within the dielectric holder. Each lossy block is associated with a corresponding pair of ground contacts and engages at least one of the ground contacts in the pair. The lossy blocks are composed of a lossy material that has a greater loss tangent than a low loss material that forms the dielectric holder.

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: Electrical connector includes a connector housing. The electrical connector also includes a plurality of signal conductors coupled to the connector housing. Each of the signal conductors has a first terminal, a second terminal, and an elongated conductor body extending between the first and second terminals. The first terminals are configured to engage corresponding conductive elements of an electrical component. The electrical connector also includes a ground structure coupled to the connector housing. The ground structure is positioned between adjacent signal conductors and has an exterior surface. At least a portion the exterior surface has a textured area that is configured to dampen reflected energy that propagates there along.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes a housing, signal pods, and ground shields. The housing has a base that is electrically conductive. The base has chambers and ground slots extending therethrough. The chambers are defined by chamber walls that separate the chambers from the ground slots. The signal pods, which each include a dielectric body holding a pair of signal contacts, are received in the chambers. The dielectric body engages the chamber walls and electrically insulates the signal contacts from the base. The ground shields are received in the ground slots. Each ground shield surrounds an associated signal pod on at least two sides to provide electrical shielding for the signal contacts in the signal pod from other signal contacts.

Abstract: Electrical contact or electrical connector having the electrical contact. The electrical contact has a mating segment that is configured to engage another contact and has a contact end and a contact surface. The contact surface includes a mating zone that is located a distance from the contact end. The mating zone is configured to intimately engage the other contact for electrical communication between the electrical contact and the other contact. The mating segment has a stub portion that extends between the contact end and the mating zone. At least a portion of the contact surface along the stub portion has a textured area that is more textured than the contact surface at the mating zone. The textured area is configured to dampen reflected energy that propagates between the mating zone and the contact end.

Abstract: Electrical connector including a connector housing having a front side that faces along a mating axis and contact passages that open to the front side. The contact passages are configured to receive corresponding ground shields of a system connector during a mating operation. The electrical connector also includes signal contacts that are coupled to the connector housing and configured to engage corresponding contacts of the system connector. The electrical connector also includes a grounding lattice that is held by the connector housing. The grounding lattice includes a support frame and lattice springs that are interconnected by the support frame. The support frame extends generally transverse to the mating axis. The lattice springs are positioned to engage the ground shields of the system connector as the ground shields are inserted into the corresponding contact passages of the connector housing.

Abstract: Electrical connector including a connector housing having a front side that faces along a mating axis and contact passages that open to the front side. The contact passages are configured to receive corresponding ground shields of a system connector during a mating operation. The electrical connector also includes signal contacts that are coupled to the connector housing and configured to engage corresponding contacts of the system connector. The electrical connector also includes a grounding lattice that is held by the connector housing. The grounding lattice includes a support frame and lattice springs that are interconnected by the support frame. The support frame extends generally transverse to the mating axis. The lattice springs are positioned to engage the ground shields of the system connector as the ground shields are inserted into the corresponding contact passages of the connector housing.

Abstract: Electrical connector assembly including an electrical connector having signal contacts and ground contacts that are coupled to a connector housing and disposed along a mounting side of the connector housing. The electrical connector assembly also includes a contact organizer that is positioned along the mounting side of the connector housing. The contact organizer has signal windows and ground passages extending therethrough that are defined by respective inner surfaces of the contact organizer. The ground contacts engage the inner surfaces of the ground passages when the contact organizer is held in a pre-loaded position away from the mounting side. The contact organizer moves to a seated position against the mounting side when the electrical connector is mounted to the circuit board. Each of the signal contacts is surrounded by an air gap that exists between the signal contact and the inner surface of the corresponding signal window.

Abstract: A receptacle assembly includes a contact module having a conductive holder and a frame assembly received in the conductive holder and electrically shielded by the conductive holder. The frame assembly has a plurality of receptacle signal contacts having mating portions extending from the conductive holder. The receptacle signal contacts are arranged in differential pairs carrying differential signals. Ground shields are received in the conductive holder between the frame assembly and the conductive holder. The ground shields have grounding beams extending along the mating portions of the receptacle signal contacts. The grounding beams are arranged on four sides of each differential pair of the receptacle signal contacts.

Abstract: A receptacle assembly includes a contact module having a conductive holder and a frame assembly held by the conductive holder. The conductive holder has a first holder member and second holder member coupled to the first holder member. The conductive holder has a chamber between the first and second holder members divided into a plurality of channels by first tabs of the first holder member and second tabs of the second holder member. The first tabs have posts extending therefrom and the second tabs have holes receiving the posts of the first tabs. Each post has a plurality of termination points with the corresponding tab. The first and second holder members are electrically connected to one another at the termination points. The first and second tabs pass between contacts of the frame assembly to provide electrical shielding therebetween.

Abstract: A receptacle assembly includes a contact module having a conductive holder and a frame assembly received in the conductive holder and electrically shielded by the conductive holder. The frame assembly has a plurality of receptacle signal contacts having mating portions extending from the conductive holder. The receptacle signal contacts are arranged in differential pairs carrying differential signals. Ground shields are received in the conductive holder between the frame assembly and the conductive holder. The ground shields have grounding beams extending along the mating portions of the receptacle signal contacts. The grounding beams are arranged on four sides of each differential pair of the receptacle signal contacts.

Abstract: A cable header connector includes a cable assembly having a contact sub-assembly and a ground shield coupled to and providing electrical shielding for the contact sub-assembly. The contact sub-assembly has a mounting block with contact channels therein. The contact sub-assembly has signal contacts received in the contact channels and extending between mating and terminating ends. The signal contacts are terminated to corresponding signal wires. The ground shield has walls extending along the signal contacts and has mating and terminating ends. The mating end is positioned either at or beyond the mating ends of the signal contacts. The terminating end is positioned either at or beyond the terminating ends of the signal contacts such that the ground shield provides shielding along the entire length of the signal contacts.

Abstract: A receptacle assembly includes a front housing configured for mating with a header assembly and a contact module coupled to the front housing. The contact module includes a conductive holder having a first side wall and an opposite second side wall. The conductive holder has a chamber between the first and second side walls. The conductive holder has a front coupled to the front housing. The contact module includes a frame assembly that is received in the chamber. The frame assembly includes a plurality of contacts and a dielectric frame that supports the contacts. The contacts extend from the conductive holder for electrical termination. A plurality of ground clips are received in the chamber and extend from the front of the conductive holder. The ground clips are mechanically and electrically connected to the conductive holder.

Abstract: A cable header connector includes a contact module having a support body and a plurality of cable assemblies held by the support body and arranged in a column. The cable assemblies include a contact sub-assembly configured to be terminated to a cable, and a ground shield coupled to and providing electrical shielding for the contact sub-assembly. The contact sub-assembly has a pair of signal contacts extending between mating ends and terminating ends. The signal contacts are terminated to corresponding signal wires of the cable at the terminating ends. A ground bridge is coupled to the support body and is electrically conductive. The ground bridge includes intercolumn bridges arranged between corresponding cable assemblies. The intercolumn bridges engage and are electrically connected to the ground shields of corresponding cable assemblies on both sides of the intercolumn bridges. The ground bridge electrically connects corresponding cable assemblies engaged by the intercolumn bridges.