Patent ID: 8469745

Claim:
An electrical connector system comprising: a plurality of wafer assemblies defining a mating end and a mounting end, each of the wafer assemblies comprising: a first overmolded array of electrical contacts, each electrical contact of the first overmolded array of electrical contacts defining an electrical mating connector extending past an edge of an overmold of the first overmolded array of electrical contacts at the mating end of the wafer assembly, the first overmolded array of electrical contacts defining a plurality of apertures; a second overmolded array of electrical contacts configured to be assembled with the first overmolded array of electrical contacts, each electrical contact of the second overmolded array of electrical contacts defining an electrical mating connector extending past an edge of an overmold of the second overmolded array of electrical contacts at the mating end of the wafer assembly, the second overmolded array of electrical contacts defining a plurality of apertures; and a conductive ground bracket positioned in the wafer assembly between a portion of the first overmolded array of electrical contacts and a portion of the second overmolded array of electrical contacts; wherein the conductive ground bracket defines a first array of ridges on a first side of the conductive ground bracket, each ridge of the first array of ridges positioned in an aperture of the plurality of apertures defined by the first overmolded array of electrical contacts; wherein the conductive ground bracket defines a second array of ridges on a second side of the conductive ground bracket that is opposite to the first side of the conductive ground bracket, each ridge of the second array of ridges positioned in an aperture of the plurality of apertures defined by the second overmolded array of electrical contacts; and wherein for each wafer assembly of the plurality of wafer assemblies, each electrical contact of the first overmolded array of electrical contacts is positioned in the wafer assembly adjacent to an electrical contact of the second overmolded array of electrical contacts to form a plurality of electrical contact pairs, and wherein for each electrical contact pair, the electrical mating connector of the electrical contact of the first overmolded array of electrical contacts is horizontally aligned with the electrical mating connector of the electrical contact of the second overmolded array of electrical contacts.