Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

A P Products Incorporated

Ohio Associated Enterprises, Inc.

Associated Enterprises, Inc.

Chabin Corporation

Roath, Alan L.

Venaleck, John T.

Tengler, John N.

John N Tengler

John T Venaleck

Alan L Roath

James C Pilny

Roy A Gobets

Chris A Shmatovich

John E Hartman

Martin C Ignasiak

Frederick R Ollis

Thomas E Morgan

Kenneth W Braund

Robert J Gabor

Stephen A Mesaros

Ross A Tessien

Dennis J London

A test interface is used to connect an electronic device under test (&ldquo;DUT&rdquo;), such as a computer chip, to a tester. The interface utilizes a combination of spring forces and air pressure forces to extend and retract pogo pins, respectively. The pogo pins when extended contact conductive pads which are electrically connected to the DUT, perhaps via a DUT board. Springs are biased to extend the pins to contact the pads, and air pressure is used to retract the pins. Thus no air pressure or vacuum is required to maintain the pins in contact with the pads. When retracted, the pogo pins are shielded from damage by a shield, such as a board with holes in it for the pogo pins to pass through.

High performance test interface

Shielded cable termination assembly

A coaxial cable termination system, includes a coaxial cable terminator including a coaxial cable having signal and shield conductors and insulation separating the conductors, an electrical contact electrically connected to the signal conductor, the electrical contact having a contacting portion for electrically connecting with an external member inserted to engagement with respect thereto, and a strain relief body molded directly to at least part of the coaxial cable and electrical contact for holding the same in relatively fixed positions with respect to each other; a housing having an opening for receiving therein at one end the terminator to hold the same in position to make electrical connection with an external member inserted into the housing means to engage the electrical contact; and an insulator inserted into the opening from the opposite end to insulate the contact from the housing wall bounding the opening. Novel tube-like insulators and bow type contacts also are included.

Shielded and grounded connector system for coaxial cables

A termination system for coupling to further circuitry one or more miniature coaxial cables terminated with respective impedance matched terminators each including a center signal contact and a concentric tubular sleeve contact having an external contact surface. The termination system includes a receptacle for a single terminator or a carrier block for a plurality of terminators. The receptacle includes a center pin contact extending along an axial extent of the receptacle, an outer tubular shell contact coaxially positioned with respect to the pin contact and having an internal contact surface for electrically connecting with the external contact surface of a terminator sleeve contact, and a spacer for maintaining electrical isolation and spaced relation of the pin and shell contacts for matching the impedance of the receptacle to that of the terminator and cable. The carrier block for a plurality of terminators is a conductive plate-like member having plural openings for receiving and electrically engaging with the external contact surface of respective terminator sleeve contacts thereby to couple the same to a common reference potential, such as ground reference potential, and is mountable and electrically connectable to a printed circuit board by a port member. The port member serves as a socket mount for the carrier block and, in the absence of a carrier block, serves to protect a plurality of pin contacts mounted to the printed circuit board for electrically connecting with the center signal contact of respective terminators held in the carrier block. Also disclosed are a resistance terminator and a shunt terminator.

Coaxial cable termination system

A coaxial cable termination system, includes a coaxial cable terminator including a coaxial cable having signal and shield conductors and insulation separating the conductors, an electrical contact electrically connected to the signal conductor, the electrical contact having a contacting portion for electrically connecting with an external member inserted to engagement with respect thereto, a protective insulator for covering at least part of the contacting portion, and a strain relief body molded directly to at least part of the coaxial cable, electrical contact and protective insulator for holding the same in relatively fixed positions with respect to each other; and a housing for receiving therein the terminator to hold the same in position to make electrical connectioin with an external member inserted into the housing means to engage the electrical contact.

Shielded connector system for coaxial cables

A low profile cable termination assembly comprises a multiconductor cable, a plurality of contacts, a carrier for carrying the contact in a pair of parallel rows, a housing for holding together in snap-fit relation the carrier and contacts, and a strain relief molded to the cable insulation, contacts carriers and housing. The contacts have cable conductor connecting portions terminating at inwardly angled parts coterminus with an end of the carrier, and the cable extends from the strain relief at right angles to the plane of the contact in each row. Also disclosed is a printed circuit termination assembly of similar construction, except that the contacts are connected to a printed circuit board inserted into a slot in the carrier.

Tapered strain relief electrical interconnection system

A cable termination assembly (200) includes a flat ribbon multiconductor cable (204), able to be slit to separate the conductors into respective pairs of adjacent conductor that are able to be rotated or twisted, a strain relief body (210) directly molded to the cable (204) to form an integral structure therewith, plural electrical contacts (212) that are placed in IDC relation to form IDC junctions with respective conductors (208) of the cable, and a separate cover (214) that can be slid over at least part of the contacts and strain relief body for fastening with respect thereto. The conductor pairs are twisted during the molding step, and as a result of the twist the outboard conductors are brought adequately inboard of the ends of the assembly to facilitate the desired IDC connections while maintaining side and end stackability. A method and apparatus for making the cable termination assembly.

IDC connectors with rotated conductor pairs and strain relief base

A cable termination assembly comprises a shielded electrical cable or cables including plural wire conductors and an electrical shield or shields therefor, an electrical bus electrically connected to the cable shield or shields, a housing for supporting therein plural electrical contacts and the bus, a printed circuit board electrically connecting the contacts to the respective wire conductors, an electrical shield attached to and at least partly surrounding the housing, the housing including a wire management comb including plural slots for positioning at least some of the wire conductors in a predetermined arrangement for electrical connection to the printed circuit board and an electrically non-conductive body molded directly to the cable or cables, comb, bus and contacts to form a unified structure therewith, and the bus having a portion thereof extending externally of the molded body and electrically connected to the housing shield.

A cable connector assembly and related method characterized by a flat ribbon insulated coaxial multiconductor cable including multiple conductors and respective coaxial shields therefor, plural contacts electrically connected to respective conductors, a grounding bus for electrically connecting the coaxial shields, and an insulating body for holding together the cable, plural contacts and grounding bus. The contacts are held by the insulating body in a dual-in-line pattern and the contacts in each row are connected to respective conductors alternating with conductors connected to contacts in the other row. The grounding bus includes a plurality of fingers, alternate ones of which engage oppositely disposed sides of respective relatively adjacent coaxial shields. The fingers are arranged along one side of a main portion of the grounding bus which extends widthwise of the cable and is interposed between the end portions of relatively adjacent ones of the conductors and preferably between the two rows of contacts in coextensive relationship to terminal end portions of the contacts.

Flat ribbon coaxial cable connector system

A test clip for a plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) includes a plurality of electrical contacts for electrically connecting with respective leads of the PLCC, an electrically non-conductive body for supporting such contacts in spaced-apart positions, and a retaining mechanism for holding the test clip in operative position with respect to the PLCC. The retaining mechanism includes plural latching arms at respective corners of the test clip and a slide actuator therefor. The slide actuator also is operative to deflect the contacts from a normally open position to a closed position engaging respective leads of the PLCC.

Test clip for PLCC

A modular electrical connector system provides relatively high density pin out capability for high speed signal transmission and coupling while maintaining discrete wire capability. The system includes plural cable terminators, plural connector blocks, each having plural cells to receive and hold respective terminators with the contacts thereof aligned for connection with further contacts inserted to engage the same, and a frame to hold the connector blocks securely in relative position to each other. Each cable terminator includes one or more contacts for electrically connecting with the cable conductor, electrical insulating molded about the junction of the contact and conductor, and a flexible locking mechanism to facilitate locking and removal of the terminator from its connector block cell, preferably from the back thereof, without disturbing other terminators in the connector block. Means are provided to probe the signals carried by respective terminators while positioned in the connector block, and for such probing and for the inserting/removing function special tools are provided. Methods also are disclosed for servicing such electrical connector systems to insert and/or to remove respective terminators without affecting others and for probing electrical signals carried via respective terminators.

Modular electrical connector system

A cable termination assembly, includes a multiconductor electrical cable having plural electrical conductors and insulation, electrical contacts for effecting electrical connection between a respective conductor of said cable and a further member, said electrical contacts having a connecting means for connecting with a respective conductor of said cable and having contacting means for contacting with such further member, a separation between two adjacent parts of said insulation for exposing a portion of plural conductors along the major axial extent thereof, at least one of said conductors including at said separation a knuckle bent out of the major axial extent of the conductor for connecting with the connecting means of a respective electrical contacts, and at least a second of said conductors being generally continuous in the major axial extent thereof at said separation, at least one of said insulation parts having been slid along said second of said conductors to close the axial distance of said separation while also pushing part of said knuckles further away from the major axial extent of said one of said conductors, and a support for supporting said cable and contacts relatively fixed positions with respect to each other. The invention also relates to apparatus for preparing such cable for use in such cable termination assembly and to a method for making a cable termination assembly.

Cable termination assembly, nipping and knuckling machine, and method

A strain relief and a cable termination assembly using the same. The strain relief includes tapered beams for minimizing stress applied to a cable during relative movement, particularly angular movement, namely bending, of the cable and a cable termination; the tapered beams undergo controlled bending according to a prescribed function, a securing mechanism secures the tapered beams to the cable termination, and a holding mechanism holds the beams with respect to the cable to control the bending thereof. A low profile cable termination assembly and a printed circuit termination assembly also are disclosed.

A miniature terminator for a miniature coaxial cable includes a center signal contact extending along an axial extent of the terminator, a second tubular sleeve contact coaxially positioned with respect to the signal contact and having an external contact surface for electrically connecting with an external member for grounding or shielding, a spacer for maintaining electrical isolation and spaced relation of the contacts, and a strain relief for mechanically securing the terminator to the coaxial cable. The terminator impedance substantially matches the impedance of the coaxial cable itself and this characteristic plus miniaturization help make the terminator appear physically and operationally as an extension of the coaxial cable. The invention also relates to a terminator system for coupling a plurality of coaxial cables terminated with respective terminators to further circuitry. The terminator system includes an electrically conductive plate-like member having plural openings therethrough for receiving and electrically engaging with the external contact surface of the second contact of each terminator thereby to couple the same to a common reference potential, such as ground reference potential.

Growing community of inventors

Chico, CA, United States of America

John N Tengler