ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME

摘要

A connector assembly (10) includes a stacked linear array of an alternating sequence of terminals (12) and resiliently compressible insulator portions (14). The array is linearly compressed in an accordian-like fashion and is inserted in a housing (24) having a cavity of length less than the uncompressed length of the array. The array is inserted in the housing and allowed to expand against opposing walls (26) of the housing thereby maintaining the terminals in a self-compensating floating arrangement. A method for forming the connector assembly includes the steps of arranging resiliently compressible dielectric material (14) between terminals (12) to form a stacked linear array, linearly compressing the stacked linear array in an accordian-like fashion, inserting the compressed array in a housing (24), and thereafter maintaining the array in linear compression within the housing.