A terminal locator for holding a terminal in a crimping zone of a terminal crimping device includes a housing configured to be positioned forward of crimp tooling defining the crimping zone. The housing has a terminal cavity extending along a terminal axis configured to receive the terminal such that a crimp barrel of the terminal extends rearward of the housing along the terminal axis into the crimping zone for crimping to a wire. A spacer is held by the housing. The spacer has a spacer blocking surface configured to locate the terminal and block axial rearward movement of the terminal. A latch is held by the housing. The latch is deflectable to allow insertion and removal of the terminal from the terminal cavity, the latch having a latch blocking surface configured to locate the terminal and block axial forward movement of the terminal.

A connector lead has a lead terminal that includes a recessed solder wicking restriction area for ensuring that enough solder remains on or near the lead terminal. The lead terminal has a neck portion and a base portion extending from the neck portion. The neck portion has a width that is narrower than the width of the lead. The narrower neck portion defines a recessed solder wicking restriction area that encourages more solder to accumulate on or near the base portion instead of wicking up the lead. The width of the neck portion may also be narrower than the width of the base portion, causing the lead terminal to resemble an inverted T when viewed from the front. A band of solder resistive material may be applied circumferentially or laterally around the connector lead above the lead terminal to limit wicking in some embodiments.

The invention provides a method for applying an electrical terminal to one or more conductors, possibly provided with an external electrical insulation layer, comprising the following steps: placing the end portions of the conductors in a housing portion of the terminal; applying heat and pressure in such a way as to compact and/or join the end portions of the conductors and the housing portion of the electrical terminal and to remove any respective electrical insulation layers at least at the level of the housing portion of the electrical terminal. The application of pressure and heat causes the opposite walls to close on the end portions of the conductors. Said electrical terminal comprises an electrical connection portion that extends from the housing portion. The invention also concerns a device or piece of equipment for the application of an electrical terminal, a metal element and an electrical terminal.

An apparatus (100) for installing at least one electrical contact (152) into a connector housing (150) comprises a base (110) configured to fixedly support the connector housing (150), an alignment guide (122), extending from the base (110) and having a central axis (164), and a carrier (124), translatably and pivotally coupled with the alignment guide (122). With the connector housing (150) fixedly supported by the base (110), the alignment guide (122) is configured to be parallel to an insertion axis (160) of a socket (154) of the connector housing (150), and the carrier (124) is movable parallel to the insertion axis (160). The apparatus (100) additionally comprises a tool holder (132), coupled to the carrier (124). The tool holder (132) has a working axis (162), only one degree of freedom relative to the carrier (124), and only three degrees of freedom relative to the base (110).

An illustrative cable connector hand tool and associated method are operable to permit cable connection sections to respectively pass through a side opening of hand tool members into a center aperture of the tool members. In one illustrative embodiment, the hand tool members are formed with a recessed portion adapted to receive an end of one of a pair of cable connectors such that mating edges of the cable connectors used to couple the cable connection sections are visible when the cable connectors are in a coupled configuration abutting each other. An illustrative embodiment includes the recessed portion formed with a plurality of keyway indentions or recesses spaced apart in the center aperture that are operable to engage keys, protrusions, or lugs on an outer wall of the cable connectors.

An apparatus for installing at least one electrical contact into a connector housing comprises a base configured to fixedly support the connector housing, an alignment guide, extending from the base and having a central axis, and a carrier, translatably and pivotally coupled with the alignment guide. With the connector housing fixedly supported by the base, the alignment guide is configured to be parallel to an insertion axis of a socket of the connector housing, and the carrier is movable parallel to the insertion axis. The apparatus additionally comprises a tool holder, coupled to the carrier. The tool holder has a working axis, only one degree of freedom relative to the carrier, and only three degrees of freedom relative to the base.

A cable assembly includes a contact ribbon made of a single stamping and including pairs of first and second signal contacts and includes a cable including pairs of first and second center conductors connected to corresponding pairs of first and second signal contacts. The contact ribbon includes a ground plane, a first row of ground contacts extending from the ground plane in a row along a first side of the ground plane such that a first line extending through the first row of ground contacts does not intersect with any signal contacts, and a second row of ground contacts extending from the ground plane in a row along a second side of the ground plane such that a second line extending through the second row of ground contacts does not intersect with any signal contacts.

Methods and systems for providing crosstalk compensation in a jack are disclosed. According to one method, the crosstalk compensation is adapted to compensate for undesired crosstalk generated at a capacitive coupling located at a plug inserted within the jack. The method includes positioning a first capacitive coupling a first time delay away from the capacitive coupling of the plug, the first capacitive coupling having a greater magnitude and an opposite polarity as compared to the capacitive coupling of the plug. The method also includes positioning a second capacitive coupling at a second time delay from the first capacitive coupling, the second time delay corresponding to an average time delay that optimizes near end crosstalk. The second capacitive coupling has generally the same overall magnitude but an opposite polarity as compared to the first capacitive coupling, and includes two capacitive elements spaced at different time delays from the first capacitive coupling.

An illustrative cable connector hand tool and associated method are operable to permit cable connection sections to respectively pass through a side opening of hand tool members into a center aperture of the tool members. In one illustrative embodiment, the hand tool members are formed with a recessed portion adapted to receive an end of one of a pair of cable connectors such that mating edges of the cable connectors used to couple the cable connection sections are visible when the cable connectors are in a coupled configuration abutting each other. An illustrative embodiment includes the recessed portion formed with a plurality of keyway indentions or recesses spaced apart in the center aperture that are operable to engage keys, protrusions, or lugs on an outer wall of the cable connectors.

The present document describes an assembly for connecting a test unit to a wiring harness or equipment to be tested, and a method for testing using the assembly. The assembly may comprise a test box unit, a generic mate-in interface, and at least one specific mate-in interface. The generic mate-in interface is for connection to the test box unit on one end, and to the at least one specific mate-in interfaces at the other end. The mate-in interfaces are for testing different existing wiring harnesses or equipment. Each one of the generic and specific mate-in interfaces has a specific ID comprised in an ID support on the electrical path of the generic mate-in interface and the specific mate-in interface, for example, on any one of the end connectors of the interfaces or on their wiring. Information relating to the IDs of the connectors and the contact configuration of each mate-in interface is stored in a database of the test unit for identifying the appropriate test contacts that should be used for testing.