Contact assembly

A printed circuit board comprising:

• a plurality of apertures;
• a plurality of conductive pads positioned on the printed circuit board such that a pair of conductive pads is associated with each aperture, each pair of conductive pads including a first conductive pad and a second conductive pad positioned on opposing sides of one of the apertures;
• and
• a plurality of contact assemblies, each contact assembly slidably positioned in one of the apertures and including—
• an electrically nonconductive base positioned at least partially in the aperture,
• a first metal contact supported by the base, the first contact being a strip of metal with a first segment rigidly secured to the base, a second segment engaging the first conductive pad and forming an electrical connection with the pad, and a plurality of intermediate segments between the first and second segments, and
• a second metal contact supported by the base, the second contact being a strip of metal with a first segment rigidly secured to the base, a second segment engaging the second conductive pad and forming an electrical connection with the pad, and a plurality of intermediate segments between the first and second segments,
• the first contact and the second contact being configured such that at least one of the intermediate segments in each contact flexes to allow the base to shift relative to the printed circuit board, and at least one of the intermediate segments of the first contact and at least one of the intermediate segments of the second contact converge as the base moves in a first direction relative to the circuit board and diverge as the base moves in a second direction relative to the circuit board.

A method comprising:

• placing a contact assembly in an aperture of a circuit board such that an electrically nonconductive base of the contact assembly is positioned at least partially in the aperture and each of two separate electrical contacts of the contact assembly engages a separate conductive pad on the circuit board;
• connecting a pin-type connector to the contact assembly by inserting a pin of the connector between the two electrical contacts of the receptacle such that the pin engages the base without contacting either of the two electrical contacts;
• moving the connector and the contact assembly in a first direction relative to the circuit board, causing the two electrical contacts to flex such that a portion of each contact converges on the pin and contacts the pin without contacting the other contact and without sliding on the pin;
• and
• after the two electrical contacts initially make contact with the pin, moving the connector further in the first direction, causing the two electrical contacts to flex further without sliding on the pin.