Direct plug hermaphroditic electrical connector assemblies

An electrical connector assembly comprising:

• a housing having a mating interface configured to be mated with a hermaphroditic mating electrical connector assembly, the housing having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the housing including a commoning member having contact openings arranged in rows and columns, each opening having a first half toward the first side and a second half toward the second side, the commoning member being electrically conductive;
• and
• wafer assemblies coupled to the housing and arranged in a wafer stack, each wafer assembly including a leadframe, a wafer body holding the leadframe, and a ground frame coupled to the wafer body to provide electrical shielding for the leadframe;
• each leadframe having signal contacts extending between mating ends and terminating ends, the signal contacts having main bodies between the mating ends and the terminating ends, the main bodies extending through the wafer bodies, the terminating ends extending from the wafer body for termination to a cable, the mating ends extending from the wafer body into the corresponding opening in the commoning member, the mating ends presented at the mating interface of the housing for mating with mating signal contacts of the hermaphroditic mating electrical connector assembly;
• and
• each ground frame having a ground plate coupled to the wafer body and ground shields extending forward from the ground plate, the ground shields extending along the mating ends of the corresponding signal contacts to provide shielding for the mating ends along the mating interfaces, the ground shields extending into the corresponding openings in the commoning member to engage and electrically connect to the commoning member;
• wherein the mating ends of the signal contacts and the ground shields form a hermaphroditic mating interface for mating with the hermaphroditic mating electrical connector assembly having a hermaphroditic mating interface identical to the hermaphroditic mating interface defined by the signal contacts and the ground shields;
• and
• wherein the mating ends of the signal contacts and the ground shields in each column are alternatingly contained within the first and second halves of the corresponding openings in the commoning member.

A communication system comprising:

• a first electrical connector assembly having a first electrical connector and first cables terminated to the first electrical connector, the first electrical connector including a first housing having a first commoning member including first contact openings arranged in rows and columns, the first commoning member being electrically conductive, the first electrical connector having first signal contacts and first ground shields providing electrical shielding for the first signal contacts at mating ends of the first signal contacts, the first signal contacts and the first ground shields extending into the corresponding first openings in the first commoning member;
• and
• a second electrical connector assembly having a second electrical connector and second cables terminated to the second electrical connector, the second electrical connector including a second housing having a second commoning member including second contact openings arranged in rows and columns, the second commoning member being electrically conductive, the second electrical connector having second signal contacts and second ground shields providing electrical shielding for the second signal contacts at mating ends of the second signal contacts, the second signal contacts and the second ground shields extending into the corresponding second openings in the second commoning member;
• wherein the first and second electrical connectors are identical to each other each having a hermaphroditic mating interface defined by the first and second signal contacts and the first and second ground shields;
• wherein the first signal contacts and the first ground shields are contained within first halves of the corresponding first and second openings, and wherein the second signal contacts and the second ground shields are contained within second halves of the corresponding first and second openings.