Electrical connector wafer assembly

An electrical connector, comprising:

• a conductive connector shell having a receiving area, a mating interface end, and a board engagement end;
• and
• a contact subassembly received in the receiving area of the connector shell such that the contact subassembly is generally enclosed by the connector shell, the contact subassembly comprising,
• first and second signal wafers and a ground wafer separate from the first and second signal wafers, the ground wafer being sandwiched between the first and second signal wafers,
• each of the first and second signal wafers including one or more signal contacts that has a tail end and an opposite mating end, and a dielectric wafer body formed around the one or more signal contacts such that the tail and mating ends of the one or more signal contacts extend beyond the wafer body with the tail end of the one or more signal contacts extending through and beyond the board engagement end of the connector shell and the mating end of the one more signal contacts extending toward the mating interface end of the connector shell,
• both signal wafer dielectric wafer bodies substantially mirror each other in that they have a definitively non-planar outer surface and a substantially planar inner surface which faces the ground wafer, and
• the ground wafer including one or more ground contacts and a dielectric wafer body formed around the one or more ground contacts such that a tail end of the one or more ground contacts extends beyond the wafer body of the ground wafer and the board engagement end of the connector shell.

An electrical connector, comprising:

• a conductive connector shell having a mating interface end and an opposite board engagement end;
• and
• a contact subassembly received in a receiving area of the connector shell, such that the contact subassembly is generally enclosed by connector shell, the contact subassembly comprising,
• first and second signal wafers and a ground wafer separate from the first and second signal wafers, the ground wafer being sandwiched between the first and second wafers,
• each of the first and second signal wafers including a plurality signal contacts that each have a tail end and an opposite mating end, and a dielectric wafer body overmolded around the signal contacts such that the signal contacts are integral with the wafer body, the signal contacts are laterally spaced from one another, and the tail and mating ends of the signal contacts extend beyond the wafer body, with the tail ends extending through and beyond the board engagement end of the connector shell and the mating ends extending toward the mating interface end of the connector shell,
• both signal wafer dielectric wafer bodies substantially mirror each other in that they have a definitively non-planar outer surface and a substantially planar inner surface which faces the ground wafer, and
• the ground wafer including a plurality of ground contacts and a dielectric wafer body overmolded around the ground contacts such that the ground contacts are integral with the wafer body of the ground wafer, the ground contacts are laterally spaced from one another, and a tail end of each of the ground contacts extends beyond the wafer body of the ground wafer and the board engagement end of the connector shell wherein the ground contacts are in electrical continuity with the connector shell.

A method of assembling an electrical connector, comprising the steps of

• engaging first and second signal wafers together, each of the first and second signal wafers engaging a ground wafer and sandwiching the ground wafer therebetween, thereby creating a contact subassembly, wherein each of the first and second signal wafers includes one or more signal contacts and a dielectric wafer body formed around the signal contacts and the ground wafer includes one or more ground contacts and a dielectric wafer body formed around the ground contacts, and wherein both signal wafer dielectric wafer bodies substantially mirror each other in that they have a definitively non-planar outer surface and a substantially planar inner surface which faces the ground wafer;
• inserting the contact subassembly into a receiving area of a conductive connector shell, such that the connector shell generally encloses the contact subassembly and tail ends of the signal contacts and tail ends of the ground contacts extend through and beyond a board engagement end of the connector shell and mating ends of the signal contacts extend toward a mating end of the connector shell;
• and
• attaching the contact subassembly to the connector shell.