Tektronix, Inc.

Michael L Kyle

J Steven Lyford

Mark W Nightingale

William Q Law

Jonathan E Myers

William R Pooley

Daniel J Ayres

M David Swafford

Jerry R Shane

An electronic interconnect assembly has a high speed coaxial interconnect for a coaxial transmission line having a central signal conductor and a surrounding shield conductor. The coaxial interconnect has a male side and a female side, with the female side including a shield sleeve having a chamber that receives a male shield contact on the male side. The shield sleeve has a contact with a compliant portion that flexibly grips the male shield contact. A mechanical alignment facility includes a closely mating pocket and body, each attached to a respective male or female side of the interconnect. Additional data and power connectors may be included with the pocket and body.

Electronic interconnect device for high speed signal and data transmission

An attenuator assembly (38) employs circuitry formed on an attenuator substrate (44) having short voltage divider path lengths that allow the use of low-cost divider selecting relays (58, 60, and 62) while maintaining low VSWR and aberration levels through the attenuator. An interconnect circuit board (80) provides electrical power, control signals, a ground plane shield (108), and probe coding contacts (32) for connection to the attenuator substrate. The circuits on the attenuator substrate are laser-trimmed to obtain predetermined electrical characteristics prior to assembly in a completed attenuator assembly. The attenuator substrate rests on a recess (128) formed in top margin (127) of a cavity (120) formed within a housing (42). A conductive elastomer (102) compressed between the attenuator substrate and the interconnect board electrically connects the interconnect board circuits with the attenuator circuit and forms a conductive shield path (110) between the housing and the ground plane shield of the interconnect board. Multiple attenuator circuits, each in a separate cavity of the housing, share a single interconnect board and conductive elastomer material, thereby resulting in a simple, well shielded, low-cost, attenuator assembly.

Active electrical circuitry interconnected and shielded by elastomer

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Michael L Kyle