Patent ID: 7744420

Claim:
A method of reducing the cost of alternatively providing actively equalized cable assemblies and non-actively equalized cable assemblies comprising: providing a connector having a plurality of signal contacts and non-signal contacts in a predetermined arrangement, the connector including structure for mounting the connector on an electrical cable; and providing a circuit element to be disposed within the connector, the circuit element having signal conductors and non-signal conductors associated with the signal and non-signal contacts, the circuit element having a ground structure, the circuit element having at least two of the non-signal conductors, a first one of the non-signal conductors being electrically connected to the ground structure by a connection within the circuit element and a second one of the non-signal conductors being connectable to the ground structure through a separate electrical component, whereby the second non-signal conductor is configured to serve to power an active signal conditioning element within the connector, and wherein the second non-signal conductor is configured to alternatively be connected to the ground structure through the separate electrical component when the connector is free of the active signal conditioning element.