Electrical connector having protective shutter

An electrical connector (30) for mating with a complementary connecting device (12) having a mating portion (12b), the connector being adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board, comprising:

• a metal shell (34) having an internal cavity (40), a front opening (40a) for receiving the mating portion of the complementary connecting device inserted into the cavity, and a plurality of stopper tabs (48) bent downwardly from a top front edge of a top wall (34a), the shell having a grounding portion (46) for connection to the printed circuit board;
• a housing (32) mounted in at least a rear portion of the shell and having a through hole (66);
• a shutter (36) slidably mounted in the internal cavity of the shell for movement between a forward position substantially closing the front opening of the cavity and a rear position, the shutter including a plurality of stopper notches (62) formed in the top front edge of the shutter for receiving stopper tabs (48) of shell (34) when the shutter is in the forward position;
• and
• a metal spring (38) for biasing the shutter toward its forward position, the metal spring extending through the through hole (66) in the housing and into engagement with the metal shell.