A connector assembly includes an insulative housing, first and second conductive ground wafers (see e.g., 661 and 663) and a plurality of grounding links. The insulative housing has a plurality of conductive signal terminals disposed therein (see e.g., 662). The insulative housing has opposite side surfaces and a plurality of openings therein extending between the side surfaces. The second ground wafer is spaced from and parallel to the first ground wafer. The grounding links are electrically connected to one of the ground wafers and extend towards another of the ground wafers and extend through the openings in the housing.

A direct mate orthogonal connector for a high density of high speed signals. The connector may include right angle leadframe assemblies with signal conductive elements and ground shields held by a leadframe housing. High frequency performance may be achieved with members on the leadframe that transfer force between a connector housing, holding the leadframe assemblies, and a portion of the leadframe housing holding the signal conductive elements and the shields near their mounting ends. Core members may be inserted into the housing and mating ends of the conductive elements of ground shields may be adjacent the core members, enabling electrical and mechanical performance of the mating interface to be defined by the core members. The core members may incorporate insulative and lossy features that may be complex to form as part of the connector housing but may be readily formed as part of a separate core member.

An electrical connector includes a body and multiple conductive terminals. The body has an insertion slot. Each conductive terminal has a contact portion entering the insertion slot and a conductive portion passing downward beyond a bottom surface of the body. Each side of the insertion slot has first terminal groups and second terminal groups. The conductive portions of each first terminal group are located away from the insertion slot relative to the conductive portions of each second terminal group. The conductive portions are provided in four rows in a lateral direction. The conductive terminals include signal terminals and ground terminals. The circuit board has an adjusting hole and four rows of connecting points corresponding to the conductive portions. Each row of the connecting points include multiple signal connecting points and multiple ground connecting points. The adjusting hole is located between two signal connecting points in two adjacent rows.

An electrical connector includes a body and multiple conductive terminals. The body has an insertion slot. Each conductive terminal has a contact portion entering the insertion slot and a conductive portion passing downward beyond a bottom surface of the body. Each side of the insertion slot has first terminal groups and second terminal groups. The conductive portions of each first terminal group are located away from the insertion slot relative to the conductive portions of each second terminal group. The conductive portions are provided in four rows in a lateral direction. The conductive terminals include signal terminals and ground terminals. The circuit board has an adjusting hole and four rows of connecting points corresponding to the conductive portions. Each row of the connecting points include multiple signal connecting points and multiple ground connecting points. The adjusting hole is located between two signal connecting points in two adjacent rows.

A contact assembly includes signal contact modules and ground contact modules arranged in a contact module stack. Each ground contact module includes a ground leadframe having a ground plate and a dielectric body holding the ground plate. The ground plate includes skewer pockets and spring fingers extending into the corresponding skewer pocket. The contact assembly includes ground skewers extending across the contact module stack. The ground skewers are received in corresponding skewer pockets. The spring fingers engage the ground skewers to electrically connect the ground plate to the ground skewers. Each ground plate is coupled to each of the ground skewers. The ground skewers electrically common each of the ground plates together.

A contact assembly includes signal contact modules and ground contact modules arranged in a contact module stack. Each ground contact module includes a ground leadframe having a ground plate and a dielectric body holding the ground plate. The ground plate includes skewer pockets and spring fingers extending into the corresponding skewer pocket. The contact assembly includes ground skewers extending across the contact module stack. The ground skewers are received in corresponding skewer pockets. The spring fingers engage the ground skewers to electrically connect the ground plate to the ground skewers. Each ground plate is coupled to each of the ground skewers. The ground skewers electrically common each of the ground plates together.

An electrical connector assembly can include a plug connector mountable to a planar substrate and a receptacle connector configured to receive a plurality of cables and that can mate with the plug connector. The plug connector may include a first inline terminal row and a second inline terminal row exposed on a mounting face to conductively contact the planar substrate. The receptacle connector can include a plurality of terminals having termination ends aligned in common wafer plane that can be conductively terminated with the plurality of cables. The plug connector and the electrical connector are configured to establish electrical channels from the termination ends coplanar with the common wafer plan to the first and second inline terminal rows.

An electrical connector assembly can include a plug connector mountable to a planar substrate and a receptacle connector configured to receive a plurality of cables and that can mate with the plug connector. The plug connector may include a first inline terminal row and a second inline terminal row exposed on a mounting face to conductively contact the planar substrate. The receptacle connector can include a plurality of terminals having termination ends aligned in common wafer plane that can be conductively terminated with the plurality of cables. The plug connector and the electrical connector are configured to establish electrical channels from the termination ends coplanar with the common wafer plan to the first and second inline terminal rows.

A connector to be connected to a circuit board includes a signal terminal, a tubular shield portion for covering an outer periphery of an intermediate part of the signal terminal, a housing for holding the signal terminal, and an alignment plate to be joined to the housing. The signal terminal includes a first end part fixed to the housing and a second end part extending from the first end part toward the circuit board. The second end part includes a connecting portion projecting from an end surface of the shield portion. The alignment plate includes a plate body to be arranged between the housing and the circuit board. The plate body has a first region formed with a positioning hole into which the connecting portion is inserted. The conductive portion is formed of conductive rubber or conductive resin.

A connector to be connected to a circuit board includes a signal terminal, a tubular shield portion for covering an outer periphery of an intermediate part of the signal terminal, a housing for holding the signal terminal, and an alignment plate to be joined to the housing. The signal terminal includes a first end part fixed to the housing and a second end part extending from the first end part toward the circuit board. The second end part includes a connecting portion projecting from an end surface of the shield portion. The alignment plate includes a plate body to be arranged between the housing and the circuit board. The plate body has a first region formed with a positioning hole into which the connecting portion is inserted. The conductive portion is formed of conductive rubber or conductive resin.