Connectivity sensing assembly

A receptacle assembly comprising:

• a housing having a front mating face, the housing having receptacles configured to receive corresponding plugs therein through the front mating face;
• ground contacts being electrically grounded, the ground contacts being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the receptacles;
• and
• sense contacts forming part of a connectivity management system, the sense contacts being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the receptacles;
• wherein the ground contacts and the sense contacts are arranged in pairs as part of a sense circuit, the ground contact and the sense contact of a particular sense circuit being configured to be engaged by different connectivity pins of one of the plugs when the particular plug is loaded into the corresponding receptacle so that upon mating of the plug and receptacle the sense circuit is created to transfer connectivity information through the connectivity management system.

A receptacle assembly comprising:

• a housing having a front mating face, the housing having receptacles configured to receive plugs therein through the front mating face;
• a ground contact strip being electrically grounded, the ground contact strip extending across the front mating face adjacent the receptacles;
• and
• sense contacts being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the receptacles, the sense contacts having sense pads, the sense pads extending over the ground contact strip such that the ground contact strip is positioned between the front mating face of the housing and the sense pads;
• and
• an insulator positioned between each of the sense contacts and the ground contact strip, the insulator insulating the sense contacts from direct contact with the ground contact strip.