Patent ID: 8613622

Claim:
Apparatus for conducting electrical signals to and from an electronic component having a plurality of contact pads, comprising: a support plate containing a plurality of holes formed in alignment to register with the plurality of contact pads, each of the holes having a sidewall containing a sidewall conductor which conducts the electrical signals; a plurality of twist pins, each twist pin residing in a separate hole, each twist pin formed by a plurality of helically coiled strands, each twist pin further including a bulge formed by an expansion of the strands at a location between opposite ends of the twist pin, the bulge of each twist pin contacting the sidewall conductor and contacting the sidewall with force caused by compression of the bulge against the sidewall; and wherein: one end of each twist pin extends beyond the support plate at the hole in which the twist pin resides and physically contacts the aligned contact pad of the electronic component with contact force created by frictional compressive contact of the bulge against the sidewall; each twist pin is movable along a portion of the sidewall to accommodate relative differences in height position of the contact pads of the electronic component; and each twist pin creates contact force between the end and the contact pad which is independent of the amount of movement of the bulge along the sidewall.