Tektronix, Inc.

James H McGrath, Jr

Jerry L Wrisley

David T Engquist

Steve U Reinhold

Ira G Pollock

David W Simmen

Robert R Kreitzer

Jonathan E Myers

Kuriappan P Alappat

Kevin C Ayers

Jim L Martin

David F Hiltner

Leif X Running

Delmer E Snyder

Tok Doun

Samuel M Romey

John S Lyford

A signal lead structured to be attached to an electrical device that comprises a signal pad, a spring housing, a spring, and a flexible conduit. The spring is carried in the spring housing, and a portion of the spring extends beyond a surface of the spring housing when the spring is unsprung. The spring is structured to touch the electrical device and carry an electrical signal between the electrical device and the signal pad when the signal lead is attached to the electrical device. The flexible conduit is coupled to the signal pad at an end of the flexible electrical conduit and extends away from the spring housing.

High bandwidth differential lead with device connection

Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved cable assembly for connecting an electrical test and measurement probe to a device under test. One end of the probe is connected to a device under test ('DUT'), while the other end is connected to the instrument through one or more cables. To prevent mechanical stresses to the probe-DUT interface caused by the cables' resistance to bending and twisting, embodiments of the improved cable assembly use one or more pliable spines to hold the cable assembly in position after it has been bent or twisted. This provides a more secure connection to the DUT and prevents damage to the probe-DUT interface. Each spine is anchored to the tip of the probe, and may be further secured by an outer housing or additional anchors. A flexible boot may surround the cable assembly and/or outer housing, further protecting the cables from damage. Alternatively, one or more spines may be placed inside the boot.

Cable assembly with spine for instrument probe

A connector for terminating a cable including a compressible fitting and a crimp nut. The compressible fitting has an inner passage to receive a portion of the cable and a threaded outer wall coaxial with and surrounding the inner passage. The outer wall includes a first slot extending radially through the outer wall and axially away from a first end of the outer wall. The crimp nut is configured to thread onto the outer wall of the compressible fitting. The crimp nut is further configured, in a first position, not to constrict the inner passage and, in a second position, to radially compress the outer wall of the compressible fitting to reduce a bore diameter of the inner passage and to electrically connect the outer wall with the portion of the cable received in the inner passage of the compressible fitting. Methods are also disclosed.

Compressible test connector for coaxial cables

A zero insertion force (ZIF) connector can include a connector housing defining an opening and an interior space for receiving a mating member, multiple LIGA springs positioned within the interior space and configured to apply pressure to the mating member while in a first position, and a locking component to cause the LIGA springs to move to a second position responsive to a user pressing the locking component. The LIGA springs do not apply pressure to the mating member while in the second position.

High performance LIGA spring interconnect system for probing application

A high bandwidth solder-less lead may be connected to an electrical device having land patterns so that signals on the device may be more easily measured through the lead. The lead includes an attachment mechanism to mount the lead on the device, a microspring housing and at least one microspring. The microspring connects one of the particular land patterns on the device to the lead where it may be easier to couple to a measurement device than to the electrical device itself. The lead may be coupled to a flexible electrical conduit to make attaching to the testing device even easier. In other versions, a uniform connector may be temporarily attached to the solder-less lead to test the device. Then the connector may be disconnected from the first lead and connected to another lead to test another area of the device.

A multiport zero insertion force (ZIF) connector can include a multiport connector housing defining an opening and an interior space for receiving a multi-path circuit device having multiple types of electrical connection paths therethrough and multiple LIGA springs positioned within the interior space to apply pressure to the multi-path circuit device while in a first position. A locking component can be configured to cause the LIGA springs to move to a second position responsive to a user pressing the locking component, wherein the LIGA springs do not apply pressure to the multi-path circuit device while in the second position.

High performance multiport connector system using LIGA springs

Housing for test and measurement instruments

A rear-mount integrated rotary encoder comprises a mechanical portion and a printed circuit board portion. The mechanical portion of a rear mount integrated rotary encoder comprises a housing including a bushing for receiving one end of a rotatable shaft. The rotatable shaft passes through an open front portion of the housing and is mechanically connected to exposed rotatable circuit contacting members. The printed circuit board portion has an encoder contact pattern formed thereon. The printed circuit board has an area larger than the cross sectional area of the housing. The encoder contact pattern surrounds (or is at least concentric with respect to) an aperture in the circuit board. The rotatable shaft of the rotary encoder is passed through the aperture such that the rotatable circuit contacting members contact the encoder contact pattern on the circuit board. An elastomeric button is mounted on the front surface of the circuit board and surrounds the shaft of the rotary encoder to provide a spring-like action. The rotatable shaft is keyed to allow movement orthogonal to the plane of the circuit board while preventing rotation of the knob with respect to the rotatable shaft. When the knob is pressed, the elastomeric button is compressed and a pair of switch contacts, mounted below the elastomeric button, contact each other. In one embodiment, the housing includes projections, substantially orthogonal to the circuit board, for engaging a feature of the circuit board for securing the integrated encoder in an assembled state. In another embodiment of the invention, the housing is attached to the circuit board by means of an adhesive applied to the front surface of the housing. A further feature of the subject rear-mount integrated rotary encoder including a pushbutton switch is that it is substantially cylindrical in shape to reduce the required spacing between adjacent encoders.

Rear mounted integrated rotary encoder including a pushbutton switch

An incremental bus structure for a modular measurement instrument includes interface connector structural elements interconnecting segments of a system bus. The system bus contains electrically conductive lines with the system bus having at least one subset of N electrically conductive lines. Each interface connector is part of a measurement module and has at least one set of N electrically conductive input and output contacts corresponding with the N electrically conductive lines. The first input contact of the set of N contacts for each connector is coupled to an electronic element associated with its measurement module and the second and subsequent input contacts are connected to the first and subsequent output contacts.

Incremental bus structure for modular electronic equipment

Measurement instrument

A stackable, recessed, locking, insulated thumbscrew for connecting modules together in a stack such that removal of one module from the stack does not loosen other modules in the stack has an insulated knurled cap that fits over the end of a main screw body. The main screw body has an interior threaded end and an exterior threaded end, with the knurled cap slidable over the interior threaded end by means of a bayonet pin on the main screw body and corresponding bayonet slot in the knurled cap. A cap spring is captured between a retainer flange integral with or retainer ring mounted on the interior threaded end adjacent the exterior threaded end and the knurled cap to apply pressure to the knurled cap. In a raised position the knurled cap may be readily grasped for manual screwing and unscrewing of the thumbscrew to add or remove a module from the stack. In a recessed position where the knurled cap is depressed and rotated the knurled cap extends sufficiently so that locking surfaces on the cap engage a locking feature in an upper module so that when the upper module is removed by unscrewing the upper thumbscrew, the lower thumbscrew is restrained from turning, thus keeping the lower module securely fastened in the stack.

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Aloha, OR, United States of America

James H McGrath, Jr