Abstract:
A communication connector capable of sustaining Category 6 performance when subjected to physical stress in an operating environment. The connector includes a connector housing, and a wire board with contact wires extending over a top surface of the board to establish points of electrical contact with terminals of a mating connector when the latter is inserted in the connector housing. A terminal housing is fixed on the top surface of the wire board, for supporting a number of connector terminals which are mounted on the board. The terminal housing and the connector housing are constructed and arranged to engage one another when the wire board is inserted with its contact wires in the connector housing, so that displacement of the points of contact between the contact wires and the terminals of the mating connector, is restrained during use of the communication connector.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/664,814 filed Sep. 19, 2000, entitled “Low Crosstalk Communication Connector”. The &#39;814 application is assigned to the assignee of the present application and invention. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates to a high frequency communication connector that is constructed so as to minimize variation in electrical performance when in use.  
           [0004]    2. Discussion of the Known Art  
           [0005]    Many factors contribute to variations in electrical performance of a high frequency communication connector. For example, dimensional tolerances specified for various parts of the connector, and for the assembly of the parts to one another during production, can combine to produce such performance variations. It is therefore desirable to reduce as much as possible the effects of such manufacturing tolerances, so that operation of the connector is enhanced and a high level of performance is sustained.  
           [0006]    There is also a need for a durable, high-frequency communication connector that compensates for (i.e., cancels or reduces) crosstalk among different signal paths through the connector. As defined herein, crosstalk occurs when signals conducted over a first path, e.g., a pair of terminal contact wires associated with a communication connector, are partly transferred by inductive or capacitive coupling into a second path, e.g., another pair of terminal contact wires in the same connector. The transferred signals produce “crosstalk” in the second path, and such crosstalk degrades existing signals routed over the second path.  
           [0007]    Applicable industry standards for rating the degree to which communication connectors exhibit crosstalk, do so in terms of near-end crosstalk or “NEXT”. These ratings are typically specified for mated plug and jack combinations, wherein input terminals on the plug connector are used as a reference plane. Communication links using unshielded twisted pairs (UTP) of copper wire are now expected to support data rates up to not only 100 MHZ or industry standard “Category 5” performance, but to meet or exceed “Category 6” performance levels which call for at least 46 dB crosstalk loss at 250 MHZ.  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,896 (Jul. 20, 1999), which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and application, discloses a high frequency communication jack connector including a printed wire board from which a number of spring contact wires or “jackwires” extend to connect with corresponding terminals of a mating plug connector. Specifically, a rear portion of the wire board is sandwiched between a terminal housing that surrounds and supports two rows of insulation displacement connector (IDC) terminals that are mounted on the top surface of the board, and a lower cover which protects the bottom surface of the board. The cover is joined to a post that extends from beneath the terminal housing and through a corresponding hole in the wire board.  
           [0009]    The sub-assembly comprising the joined terminal housing, wire board and lower cover are then fastened as a unit to a jack frame of the connector. Specifically, a front portion of the wire board is inserted in a rear cavity in the jack frame. A latch, which protrudes from the jack frame below the rear cavity, engages a shoulder that is formed at a front edge of the cover below the wire board, thus tending to restrain separation between the jack frame and the sub-assembly in a direction parallel to the wire board.  
           [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,964 (Sep. 12, 2000), which is also assigned to the assignee of the present invention and application, discloses a communication jack connector having co-planar contact wires that are spaced a certain distance above a wire board. Base portions of the wires are mounted on the board, and certain pairs of the wires have opposed cross-over sections formed near a line of contact between the wires and a mating connector. A coupling region along the wires beyond the cross-over sections compensates for crosstalk introduced by the mating connector. In an arrangement similar to that in the &#39;896 patent, a sub-assembly is produced wherein a rear portion of the wire board is captured between a terminal housing that surrounds IDC terminals mounted on top of the board, and a lower cover on the bottom surface of the board which is joined to a post extending from the terminal housing. The front of the wire board is inserted in a rear passage in the jack frame, and a latch on the jack frame engages a flange on the lower cover, thus attaching the jack frame and the sub-assembly to one another.  
           [0011]    Under certain operating conditions, for example, when outside wire leads are terminated at the IDC terminals within the rear terminal housing, and the leads are dressed inside a wall box or a rack on which the jack frame is mounted, forces may be applied to the connector such as to cause the terminal housing and the wire board to pivot away from the jack frame. Such movement can cause the point of contact between the contact wires of the wire board and the terminals of the plug connector to be displaced from a specified design point, and the electrical performance of the mated connectors will vary accordingly.  
           [0012]    A communication connector which can sustain crosstalk compensation meeting Category 6 performance while being subjected to various physical stresses during operation, is therefore very desirable in modern telecommunications environments.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0013]    According to the invention, a communication connector includes a connector housing having a front face with a connector opening for receiving a mating connector, and a rear wall. A wire board has a number of contact wires extending above a top surface of the board to establish points of electrical contact with corresponding contact terminals of the mating connector, when the mating connector is received in the opening in the connector housing. A terminal housing is fixed on the top surface of the wire board for supporting associated connector terminals mounted on the wire board, and the terminal housing and the connector housing are constructed and arranged to engage one another when a portion of the wire board and associated contact wires are inserted in the connector housing, thus restraining displacement of the points of electrical contact between the contact wires of the wire board and the contact terminals of the mating connector.  
           [0014]    For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and the appended claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0015]    In the drawing:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is an assembly view of a communication connector according to the invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is an enlarged, side view of a wire board in the connector of FIG. 1, and contact wires on the board at a first position out of engagement with compensation coupling contacts at a front edge region of the board;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of two compensation coupling contacts in the form of pads at the front edge region of the wire board in FIG. 2;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a side view as in FIG. 2, showing the contact wires at a second position in engagement with the compensation coupling contacts at the front of the wire board;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a side view of a second embodiment of a communication connector according to the invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a front edge region of a wire board in the embodiment of FIG. 5, showing compensation coupling contacts in the form of stiff wires mounted on the board;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a front edge region of a wire board in a third embodiment of communication connector according to the invention, showing compensation coupling contacts in the form of metal plates mounted on the wire board;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 shows an alternate arrangement of the metal plate contacts on the wire board in FIG. 7;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 is a plan view of the front edge region of the wire board in the embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 4 ;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 10 a  and  10   b  show a typical communication jack connector wherein a force is applied to a terminal housing by outside wire leads at the rear of the jack connector;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 11 is a graph showing near-end crosstalk (NEXT) performance of the mated connectors in FIG. 10; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 12 is a top view, partly in section, of the present connector and a mating plug connector. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1 is an assembly view of a communication connector  10  according to the invention. The connector  10  includes a jack housing  12  having a front face in which a plug opening  13  is formed, and a rear wall  16 . The plug opening  13  has an axis P along the direction of which a mating plug connector  11  (see FIGS. 5 and 12) is insertable into the jack housing.  
         [0029]    The communication connector  10  also includes a generally rectangular printed wire board  14 . For example, the board  14  may comprise a single or a multi-layer dielectric substrate. A number of elongated terminal contact wires  18   a - 18   h  extend in a generally horizontal direction with respect to a top surface of the wire board  14 , and substantially parallel to one another. Connecting portions  17  of the contact wires are spaced a certain distance (e.g., 0.090 inches) from the top surface of the wire board  14 .  
         [0030]    As seen in FIG. 2, free ends  15  of the connecting portions  17  curve downward toward a front edge region  19  of the wire board  14 . The free ends  15  are formed to deflect resiliently in the direction of the front edge region  19  of the board when blade contact terminals  21  (shown in FIG. 5) of the plug connector  11  wipe over the connecting portions  17  of the contact wires  18   a - 18   h  in a direction parallel to the top surface of the board (i.e., along the axis P). See FIG. 3. The terminal contact wires  18   a - 18   h  may be formed of a copper alloy such as spring-tempered phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, or the like. A typical cross-section of the contact wires is 0.015 inch wide by 0.010 inch thick.  
         [0031]    Terminal contact wires  18   a - 18   h  have associated base portions  20  opposite the free ends  15 . Each base portion  20  is formed to connect a contact wire to one or more conductors (not shown) on or within the wire board  14 . For example, the base portions  20  may be soldered or press-fit in plated terminal openings formed in the board, to connect with corresponding conductive paths on or within the board. As shown in the drawing, the base portions  20  project in a generally normal direction with respect to the top surface of the wire board  14 .  
         [0032]    In the disclosed embodiment, the base portions  20  are shown as entering the wire board  14  with a “duo-diagonal” footprint pattern. Alternatively, the base portions may enter the wire board with other footprints, e.g., a “saw tooth” pattern, as long as there is sufficient spacing between the plated openings that receive the base portions to avoid electrical arcing, per industry requirements.  
         [0033]    The wire board  14  may incorporate electrical circuit components or devices arranged on or within portions of the board, to compensate for connector-induced crosstalk. Such devices include but are not limited to wire traces printed on or within layers of the board 14, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,358 (Dec. 7, 1999) all relevant portions of which are incorporated by reference.  
         [0034]    An electrically insulative, dielectric terminal housing  50  (FIG. 1) covers a rear portion of the top surface of wire board  14 . Outside insulated wire leads may be connected to insulation displacement connector (IDC) terminals  56   a  to  56   h  that are mounted on the board, which terminals are partly surrounded and supported by housing terminal guards. The housing  50  is formed of a plastics or other insulative material that meets all applicable standards with respect to electrical insulation and flammability. Such materials include but are not limited to polycarbonate, ABS, and blends thereof. The housing  50  has, for example, at least one fastening or mounting post (not shown) that projects from a bottom surface of the housing to pass through one or more openings  58  formed along the long axis of the board  14 .  
         [0035]    Terminals  56   a - 56   h  are mounted along both sides of the rear portion of the wire board  14 , as seen in FIG. 1. Each of the terminals  56   a - 56   h  has a mounting portion that is soldered or press fit in a corresponding terminal mounting hole in the board, to connect via a conductive path (not shown) with a corresponding one of the terminal contact wires  18   a - 18   h.  When the terminal housing  50  is aligned above the IDC terminals  56   a - 56   h,  and then lowered to receive the terminals in corresponding slots in the terminal guards, a fastening post of the housing  50  aligns with and passes through an opening  58  in the board  14 .  
         [0036]    A cover  60  is formed of the same or a similar material as the terminal housing  50 . The cover  60  is arranged to protect the rear portion of the wire board  14  on the bottom surface of the board. Cover  60  has at least one opening  62  which aligns with a tip of a fastening post of the housing  50  extending through the opening  58  in the wire board. The rear portion of the board is thus captured and secured between the terminal housing  50  and the cover  60 , and the tip of the fastening post is joined to the body of the cover  60  by, e.g., ultrasonic welding, so that the rear portion of the wire board is protectively enclosed. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,896 (Jul. 20, 1999), all relevant portions of which are incorporated by reference.  
         [0037]    The connecting portions  17  of the terminal contact wires, between the base portions  20  and the free ends  15  of the wires, are formed to make electrical contact with corresponding blade contact terminals  21  of the plug connector  11  (see, e.g., FIG. 5). A line of contact  72  (see FIGS. 4 &amp; 5) is defined transversely of the contact wires, along which points of electrical contact are established between the connector  10  and the blade contact terminals  21  of the plug connector  11 . As mentioned, when the plug connector  11  is inserted in the opening  13  of the jack housing  12 , the free ends  15  of contact wires  18   a - 18   h  are deflected in unison toward the front edge region  19  of the wire board  14 .  
         [0038]    Certain pairs of the terminal contact wires have cross-over sections  74  at which one contact wire of a pair is stepped toward and crosses over the other contact wire of the pair, with a generally “S”-shaped side-wise step  76 . As seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the terminal contact wires curve arcuately above and below their common plane at each cross-over section  74 . Opposing faces of the steps  76  in the contact wires are typically spaced by about 0.040 inches to prevent shorting when the terminal wires are engaged by the mating connector  11 .  
         [0039]    The cross-over sections  74  are relatively close to the line of contact  72 , and serve to allow inductive crosstalk compensation coupling to be induced among parallel portions of the terminal contact wires in a region between the cross-over sections  74  and the base portions  20  of the contact wires.  
         [0040]    A terminal wire guide block  78  is mounted on the front edge region  19  of the wire board  14 , as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and  4 . The guide block  78  has equi-spaced vertical guide ways  86 . The free ends  15  of the terminal contact wires extend within corresponding ones of the guide ways, and are guided individually for vertical movement when deflected by the blade contact terminals  21  of the plug connector  11 , as in FIG. 4. Each guide way  86  is, e.g., 0.020 inch wide, and 0.020 inch thick walls separate adjacent ones of the guide ways. The guide block  78  may also have, e.g., ribbed mounting posts  79  that project downward to register with corresponding mounting holes in the wire board  14  to establish a press-fit.  
         [0041]    When in the undeflected position of FIG. 2, the free ends  15  of the terminal contact wires abut an upper inside surface of each guideway  86 . A determined pre-load force is thus established, to be applied by the blade contact terminals  21  of the plug connector  11  as the former wipe against and urge the free ends  15  of the contact wires downward to the position of FIG. 4.  
         [0042]    As they deflect downward, the free ends  15  of the contact wires themselves establish a wiping contact against corresponding compensation coupling contacts in the form of conductive contact pads  98 . See FIGS. 2 &amp; 3. The pads  98  are arrayed in a row parallel to and near the front edge of the wire board, and are spaced apart from one another by a distance corresponding to a spacing between the free ends  15  of the terminal contact wires. The guideways  86  of the block  78  serve to keep the free ends  15  aligned and centered with corresponding ones of the contact pads  98  on the wire board.  
         [0043]    The contact pads  98  are connected by conductive paths to, e.g., capacitive crosstalk compensation elements on or within the wire board  14 . Accordingly, when the terminal contact wires are engaged by a mating connector, certain pairs of contact wires will be capacitively coupled to one another by compensation elements connected to the corresponding contact pads  98 . Note that the free ends  15  are ahead of and near the line of contact  72  with the mating connector. Crosstalk compensation coupling is thus introduced onto non-current carrying portions of the contact wires, and operates at the connector interface (i.e., the line of contact  72 ) where such coupling can be most effective.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of two adjacent contact pads  98 . Each pad is typically, e.g., 0.018 inches wide, and side edges of the pads are typically spaced apart from one another by, e.g., 0.022 inches to meet a specified 1000 volt breakdown requirement. Corners of the contact pads  98  are preferably rounded with a radius of, e.g., 0.004 inches.  
         [0045]    Crosstalk compensation elements or devices that are coupled to the contact pads  98  are provided in a region  100  on or within the wire board  14 , in the vicinity of the pads  98  at the front edge region  19  of the wire board  14 . See FIG. 9. Compensation elements within the region  100  preferably are not part of any other capacitive or inductive compensation circuitry that may be incorporated at other portions (e.g., toward the rear) of the board  14 . Placing the compensation elements close to the associated contact pads  98  enhances the effect of such elements at the connector interface.  
         [0046]    The wire board  14  including the front edge region  19  with the array of contact pads  98 , may be supported within space available in existing jack frames such as, e.g., jack frames provided with the type “MGS 300” series of modular connectors available from Avaya Inc.  
         [0047]    The wire board  14  with the guide block  78  mounted at front edge region  19 , is inserted in a passage  89  that opens in the rear wall  16  of the jack housing  12 . See FIGS. 1 &amp; 2. Side edges of the board  14  are guided for entry into the housing  12  by, e.g., flanges that project from inside walls of the jack housing  12 . The jack housing has a slotted catch bar  90  (FIG. 1) protruding rearwardly from a bottom wall  91  of the housing. The bar  90  is arranged to capture a lip  92  that projects downward beneath the wire board cover  60 . When the wire board  14  is inserted in the jack housing  12 , the top surface of the board is parallel to the plug opening axis P along the direction of which the plug connector  11  may engage and disengage the free ends  15  of the contact wires  18   a - 18   h.    
         [0048]    Further, in the present embodiment, two side catches  102  project forward from both sides of the terminal housing  50 , and the catches  102  have hooked ends  104  that snap into and lock within recesses  106  formed in both side walls of the jack housing  12 . Thus, all adjoining parts of the connector  10  are positively attached to one another to reduce movement between them, and to maintain rated connector performance by reducing variation in relative positions of the connector parts when finally assembled.  
         [0049]    [0049]FIGS. 5 and 6 show a front edge region  119  of a wire board  114  in a second embodiment of a connector assembly according to the invention. In the second embodiment, free ends  115  of the terminal contact wires project forward beyond the front edge region  119  of the board  114 . A number of arcuate, stiff wire contacts  198  are mounted at the front edge region  119 , and are aligned beneath corresponding free ends  115  of the contact wires.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 5 shows, in dotted lines, the position of the free ends  115  of the terminal contact wires in a pre-loaded state, resting against upper ledges in the guide ways of a guide block  178  mounted on the wire board  114 . FIG. 5 also shows an initial position of the contacts  198  in dotted lines. When the mating plug connector  11  is received in the jack frame, the free ends  115  of the terminal contact wires deflect resiliently downward. The wire contacts  198  mounted on the board are then engaged by the free ends of those terminal contact wires aligned above them, as shown in solid lines in FIG. 5. Like the first embodiment, this arrangement introduces crosstalk compensation coupling via associated compensation elements disposed near the wire contacts  198 , on or within the wire board  114 .  
         [0051]    [0051]FIGS. 7 and 8 show a third embodiment wherein compensation coupling contacts  298  are in the form of non-compliant conductive members, e.g., stamped metal plates. The metal plates may have, for example, compliant “needle-eye” mounting bases (not shown) dimensioned and formed to be press-fit into corresponding plated terminal openings in an associated wire board  214 . As the free ends of the terminal contact wires deflect downward, they make contact with corresponding ones of the metal plates along a contact line  300 . FIG. 8 shows an arrangement wherein the mounting bases of adjacent metal plates  298  enter the wire board  214  from opposite sides of the board, thus reducing potential offending crosstalk that might otherwise be induced among the plates  298 .  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 9 is a view of the front edge region  19  of the wire board  14  in the embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 4 , showing eight contact pads  98 . Each of the pads is disposed on the board  14  in operative relation beneath a free end of an associated terminal contact wire. Capacitive compensation coupling was introduced between pairs of the pads by way of wire traces or elements embedded within the region  100  on the board  14 , as detailed later below. The rightmost pad  98  in FIG. 9 is associated with contact wire  18   a  in FIG. 1, and the leftmost pad in the figure is associated with contact wire  18   h.  Four pairs of the eight contact wires define four different signal paths in the connector  10 , and the signal-carrying pairs of contact wires are identified by number as follows with reference to FIG. 9.  
                                                   PAIR NO.   CONTACT WIRES                           1   18d and 18e           2   18a and 18b           3   18c and 18f           4   18g and 18h                      
 
         [0053]    Values of capacitive compensation coupling introduced via the pads  98  associated with the contact wires, were as follows.  
                                                   Pads 98 associated   Capacitance (picofarads)           with contact wires   between pads 98                           18a and 18c   0.04           18a and 18d   0.04           18b and 18e   0.09           18b and 18f   0.42           18c and 18e   1.25           18d and 18f   1.25                      
 
         [0054]    NEXT measurements were performed with the above values of capacitive coupling introduced via the pads  98  between the free ends of the contact wires. Some crosstalk compensation was also provided in a region of the wire board  14  outside the region  100 . Category 6 performance was met or exceeded among all four signal-carrying pairs of the contact wires in the connector  10 .  
         [0055]    [0055]FIGS. 10 a  and  10   b  show a typical communication jack connector  400 , and a mating plug connector  402  which is received and engaged in a jack frame  412  of the connector  400 . A rear portion of a wire board  414  is sandwiched as part of a sub-assembly between a terminal housing  450 , and a lower cover  460  to which the terminal housing is joined. A part of the lower cover  460  is engaged by a lower latch or catch bar  490  that protrudes from the rear of the jack frame  412 . A number of terminal contact wires  418  mounted on the wire board extend into the jack frame  412 , so as to establish points of electrical contact with corresponding contact terminals  421  of the plug connector  402 . Outside leads  452  are terminated in IDC terminals supported by the terminal housing  450 , at the rear of the connector  400 .  
         [0056]    If the connector  400  lacks connection means equivalent to the catches  102  and corresponding recesses  106  associated with the terminal housing  50  and the connector or jack housing  12  of the present connector  10 , the jack frame  412  of the connector  400  will tend to pivot apart from the terminal housing  450  when a pull force F is applied to the outside leads  452 , as shown in FIG. 10 b.  Specifically, a gap G will develop between upper regions of the jack frame  412  and the terminal housing  450 . When the jack frame  412  is made to separate from the terminal housing  450  as shown in FIG. 10 b,  the point of contact between the contact wires  418  of the jack connector  400  and the contact terminals  421  of the plug connector  402 , will deviate from a specified design point of contact  472  shown in FIG. 10 a,  to a displaced point of contact  473  in FIG. 10 b.  As shown in FIGS. 10 a  and  10   b,  the distance between compensation cross-over sections  474  on the contact wires and the displaced point of contact  473  may increase from a design specification of 0.1510 inch, to 0.1644 inch. This represents an increase of 0.0134 inch or nine percent, and the electrical performance of the mated connectors  400 ,  402  will change accordingly.  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 11 is a plot of test data demonstrating the effectiveness of the catches  102  in the present connector  10  toward reducing electrical performance variation. Assume that without the catches  102  (1.e., the condition in FIGS. 10 a  and  10   b ), the gap G may vary between zero and 30 mils (0.000 inch to 0.030 inch) in typical operating environments. Curve 1 shows that the degradation in near end cross talk (NEXT) performance as gap G varies from zero to 30 mils, is from 61.3 dB to 56.0 dB if the plug  402  remains inserted in the jack housing  412  while the outside leads  452  are pulled to vary the gap G. Curve 2 in FIG. 11 shows that the degradation in NEXT performance as the gap G varies from zero to 30 mils, is from 62.0 dB to 57.8 dB if the plug  402  is removed and re-inserted prior to the performance measurement for each gap setting.  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 11 also shows that if the gap G is limited to not more than about 7 mils (0.007 inch), such as by the provision of the two catches  102  and corresponding recesses  106  in the present connector  10 , a minimum NEXT loss of 60 dB among the pair 1 and the pair 3 contact wires is obtained which is well within Category 6 performance limits. As seen in FIG. 11, by limiting the maximum gap G to 0.007 inch, further degradation in the electrical performance of the mated connectors  400 ,  402  by as much as 4.4 dB at 100 MHZ, is avoided. See Curve 1 for a separation gap G of 30 mils.  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 12 shows an example of dimensional tolerances for the jack housing  12  and the catches  102  on the terminal housing  50  of the present connector  10 . These tolerances will limit the gap G to between zero and 7 mils. Specifically, the length of each of the catch surfaces between the rear wall  16  of the jack housing  12  and the recesses  106  into which the hooked ends  104  of the catches  102  snap, is specified at, e.g., 0.117 to 0.120 inch. The length of each catch  102  between the front end of the terminal housing  50  and the hooked end  104  of the catch, is then set at 0.122, ±0.002 inch. Thus, for a greatest catch surface of 0.120 inch and a least catch length of 0.120 inch, gap G will be zero. At the opposite extreme, for a least catch surface of 0.117 inch and a greatest catch length of 0.124 inch, gap G becomes 0.007 inch maximum.  
         [0060]    Accordingly, the two catches  102  on the terminal housing  50 , together with the latch  90  on the connector housing  12 , act to secure the connector housing  12  to the sub-assembled terminal housing, wire board and lower cover so that the plug contact terminals  21  are held at a desired point of contact with the connector contact wires  18   a  to  18   h,  and the axis P of the connector housing is kept parallel to the wire board  14  during use.  
         [0061]    While the foregoing description represents preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention pointed out by the following claims.