Patent ID: 6108902
Filing Date: 2000-08-29
Classification: H01R,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for repairing a contact pin header connector having a contact wall with a plurality of pin mounting holes for carrying a plurality of contact pins extending through the wall and connected at a compliant contact section with an associated plurality of interlayered pin receptor connectors of a backplane to which the header connector is mounted, comprising the steps of:removing a contact pin from a selected one of the plurality of pin mounting holes in the contact wall of the header connector;fabricating a replacement pin by reducing the diameter of the compliant contact section by passing the complaint contact section through a sizing hole in a pin sizing fixture in which the sizing holes hasan inner section with a diameter less than that of the compliant contact portion of the replacement pin, andan outer, relatively enlarged section extending between and joining a relatively enlarged pin receiving opening having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of an annular insulator and the relatively reduced inner section;positioning the annular insulator around the replacement pin with the compliant contact section at a preselected location between opposed ends of the replacement pin which includes the steps ofsupporting an end of the insulator in the outer, relatively enlarged section in an upright orientation with its central axis substantially aligned with the elongate central axis of the inner section of the sizing hole, andpushing the replacement pin through the annular insulator and into the inner section of the sizing hole while the insulator is being supported in the outer, relatively enlarged section;enlarging the selected pin mounting hole sufficiently to enable the replacement pin and the annular insulator carried by the replacement pin to pass through the selected pin mounting hole; andafter enlarging the selected pin mounting hole, inserting a leading edge portion of the replacement pin through the selected pin mounting hole and the associated backplane interlayed pin receptor connector until the annular insulator is received within the associated backplane interlayed pin receptor connector.