Shielded electrical connector

Abstract

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.