High-speed network connector with integrated magnetics

An electrical connector, comprising:

• a housing shell having an interior receiving area and an open bottom;
• a core body received in the interior receiving area of the housing shell, the core body having a front end and a rear end each extending along a first direction to define a width, and having a longitudinal middle portion extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction between the front end and the rear end along a longitudinal axis to define a length that is greater than the width, the middle portion having a planar top, a planar bottom, and a planar dividing panel having at least one side surface;
• a first set of contacts supported by the core body, each of the contacts of the first set of contacts has an exposed portion that extends outside of the core body;
• a second set of contacts supported by the core body, each of the contacts of the second set of contacts has an exposed portion that extends outside of the core body and extends through the open bottom of the housing shell;
• an internal printed circuit board supported on the planar top of the core body, the internal printed circuit board being coupled to the exposed portion of the first set of contacts;
• a mating interface piece coupled to and extending from the front end of the core body, the mating interface piece including mating contacts extending in a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal axis of the core body and through the internal printed circuit board such that the mating interface piece is coupled to the internal printed circuit board;
• a magnetic isolation component mounted on the at least one side surface between the first set of contacts and the second set of contacts;
• and
• a shield, the shield at least partially surrounding the housing shell,
• wherein the magnetic isolation component includes at least one pair of magnetic cores, the at least one pair of magnetic cores including an isolation transformer and a common mode choke, and wherein the isolation transformer includes a rear surface that is mounted against the at least one side surface and the common mode choke includes a rear surface that is mounted against the at least one side surface and is next to the isolation transformer along the length of the core body.

A method of manufacturing a network connector, comprising the steps of:

• loading a plurality of contacts onto a core body of the network connector, the core body having a front end and a rear end each extending along a first direction to define a width, and having a longitudinal middle portion extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction between the front end and the rear end along a longitudinal axis to define a length that is greater than the width, the middle portion having a planar top, a planar bottom, and a planar dividing panel having at least one side surface;
• coupling a mating interface piece with a front end of the core body and coupling the internal printed circuit board to mating contacts of the mating interface piece that extend in a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal axis of the core body and through the internal printed circuit board;
• wrapping one or more wires around a magnetic isolation component, the one or more wires being coupled to the plurality of contacts, and the magnetic isolation component including at least one pair of magnetic cores, the at least one pair of magnetic cores including an isolation transformer and a common mode choke;
• mounting the magnetic isolation component against the at least one side surface of the middle portion such that a rear surface of the isolation transformer is mounted against the at least one side surface and a rear surface of the common mode choke is mounted against the at least one side surface and next to the isolation transformer along the length of the core body;
• coupling an internal printed circuit board to the plurality of contacts of the core body;
• assembling a shield over a subassembly of the core body, the plurality of contacts, the magnetic isolation component, and the internal printed circuit board, such that the shield at least partially surrounds the subassembly.