Thomas & Betts Corporation

Joseph P Slachetka

Peter Noorily

A cable termination sub-assembly is provided for electrically terminating insulated conductors of an electrical cable exteriorly of the housing of a shielded electrical connector, the sub-assembly being adapted for attachment to the housing subsequent to electrical termination of the cable conductors. The sub-assembly includes an insulative contact holder and an insulative conductor holding block that are adapted to be joined together in terminating insulated conductors of an electrical cable. A contact holder supports a plurality of electrical contacts each having an insulation displacement portion and a deflectable terminal portion. The conductor holding block includes means for frictionally retaining insulated conductors individually therein. The block further supports insulatively a pair of electrically conductive shorting elements, each element including a pair of spaced, exposed terminals. When the contact holder and the holding block are joined, the individual conductors are electrically engaged to the contacts through the insulation displacement portions and each terminal of each shorting element contacts a deflectable terminal portion of a unique different electrical contact for providing closed-loop circuit conditions for two selective pairs of cable conductors.

Electrical connector and cable termination apparatus therefor

A shielded electrical connector is provided for electrical attachment to a shielded electrical cable of the type including a plurality of electrical conductors and a shielding braid surrounding the conductors. The connector includes an electrically insulative housing including a base and a separable cover attached thereto, the housing defining a mating end for electrical connection to an electrical component and a cable receiving end for receipt of the electrical cable. The housing base defines first and second open compartments divided by a partition extending therebetween. The first compartment is disposed adjacent the connector mating end and supports a plurality of electrical contacts therein. In the preferred arrangement, only the first compartment of the connector is electrically shielded. Shielding is provided by a conductive member including at least one conductive wall between the first and second compartments, the wall including an open slot for receipt of and engagement with the shielding braid of the electrical cable. Engagement with the conductive wall provides not only electrical connection to the cable shielding braid, but also provides cooperative strain relief thereto. The second compartment includes walls define a plurality of accessible ports for receipt of the cable in selectively different directions. These accessible ports are preferably in the form of slidably removable gates mounted on the base walls. The second compartment is of sufficient size to accommodate bending of the cable therein from the strain relief to any one of the accessible ports.

Shielded electrical connector

Apparatus for terminating an elongate, insulatively jacketed, shielded cable of type having a signal conductor and a drain wire, includes a member for receiving said cable therein and compressible onto the received cable to resist mutual longitudinal movement therebetween, the member providing longitudinal shielding for the cable, permitting passage of the signal conductor therethrough and defining exterior surface for disposition of the drain wire. A connector housing defines a channel for retentively receiving the compressible member with the cable therein, the housing including a deformable wall bounding the channel and responsive to deforming force applied thereto both for compressing the compressible member onto the cable and for electrically interconnecting the drain wire and the housing.

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Ringoes, NJ, United States of America

Joseph P Slachetka