Abstract: An electrical receptacle connector (10) including a one-piece shell (12) affixed to a housing (14) and adapted to be mounted at an input/output port of an apparatus and on a circuit board within a panel. Shell (12) includes a front wall (66) that provides shielding of the mating interface adjacent the panel cutout(s), and an upper wall (62) and a lower wall (64) extending rearwardly from the front wall (66). Retention spring arms (70,94) extend from the upper and lower walls through recesses (34,56) into plug-receiving cavities (32) to engage and retain the mating connector in a mated condition, and ground legs (96) secure the connector to a circuit board. The connector may have a pair of plug-receiving cavities (32) divided by a vertical housing wall (112), and the lower shell wall (64) may comprise two portions (84) each receivable along a slot (60) above a bottom housing wall (54) to be insulated from a circuit board beneath the connector.

Abstract: A shielded cable connector (10) including a housing (12) rearward insertable into an enclosing body section (22) of a first shell (20). The first shell (20) includes a tab section (32) extending rearwardly to a cable strain relief site, and a second shell (34) is affixable to the first shell rearwardly of the body section (22) to cooperate with the tab section (32) to form a strain relief clamped to a jacketed cable portion. The first shell (20) is free of upstanding arms and thereby provides a clearance to align the housing (12) with the body section (22) to enable insertion thereinto, while the second shell (34) includes coextending arms (72) for confining the crimped cross-section to form a rectangular shape, and the end portions (76) of the arms (72) are formed around the tab section's side edges (54) and against its outer surface thereof upon crimping.

Abstract: Holder (60) formed by a pair of holder members 70,72 defining connector-receiving cavities (76) into inner surfaces (74) thereof, for connectors (12,14) to be held therein for manipulation as a unit. Cavities (76) include along bottom and side walls (90,86) relief or clearance apertures (88,92) to receive projections from outer surfaces of connectors (12,14). Holder members (70,72) self-secure to each other around portions of the connectors using fastening posts (80) and post-receiving holes (82) and may be hermaphroditic.

Abstract: An electrical connector header assembly adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board so as to allow multi-directional mating contact with a complementary connector receptacle assembly includes a box-like insulated housing with contact receiving cavities therein. Each of the cavities is generally planar and is open to the front, rear and bottom surfaces of the housing, with the main portions of the cavities being parallel to each other and to the lateral surfaces of the housing. Each cavity also has a second, subsidiary, portion extending laterally from the main portion and open to the rear surface. The assembly further includes electrical contacts received in respective ones of the cavities. Each of the contacts is generally planar so as to fit within the planar cavity except for the laterally bent tab which extends into the cavity second portion. Each contact has a forward blade portion which extends beyond the front surface of the housing and which also extends beyond the bottom surface of the housing.

Abstract: An electrical connector (10) having contacts (16,18) extending from a mating face to a rear face, and including a switch contact (70) mounted along the rear face with a spring arm (76) adjacent the mating face. The spring arm (76) includes a contact-engaging section (80) proximate a deflectable leading end (78) that is engaged with a selected contact (18) when the connector is unmated. The leading end (78) is abutted by the mating connector upon full mating, disengaging the switch contact (70) from the selected contact (18) and indicating full mating.