Electrical connector having commoned ground shields

An electrical connector comprising:

• a housing having a base extending between a front side and a rear side, the base being electrically conductive, the base having chambers extending therethrough, the chambers defined by chamber walls that extend from the front side to the rear side of the base;
• and
• contact assemblies disposed in the chambers of the base, each contact assembly having a signal pod surrounded on at least two sides by a ground shield having interior sides and exterior sides, the signal pod including a dielectric body holding a pair of signal contacts along respective intermediate segments thereof, the dielectric body having a front end and a rear end that is opposite the front end, the signal contacts including mating segments that protrude beyond the front end of the dielectric body and the front side of the base, the mating segments comprising pins configured to be received in a socket of a mating connector, the dielectric body engaging the interior sides of the ground shield to electrically insulate the signal contacts from the ground shield, the exterior sides of the ground shield engaging the chamber walls of the base to electrically connect the ground shield to the base, the exterior sides of the ground shield engaging the chamber walls at multiple contact locations along a height of the base between the front side and the rear side to electrically connect the ground shield to the base at the multiple contact locations.

An electrical connector comprising:

• a housing having a base extending between a front side and a rear side, the base being electrically conductive, the base having chambers extending therethrough, the chambers defined by chamber walls that extend from the front side to the rear side of the base;
• and
• contact assemblies disposed in the chambers of the base, each contact assembly having a signal pod surrounded on at least two sides by a ground shield having interior sides and exterior sides, the signal pod including a dielectric body holding a pair of signal contacts, the dielectric body being overmolded around the pair of signal contacts along respective intermediate segments of the signal contacts, the dielectric body engaging the interior sides of the ground shield to electrically insulate the signal contacts from the ground shield, the exterior sides of the ground shield engaging the chamber walls of the base to electrically connect the ground shield to the base, the exterior sides of the ground shield engaging the chamber walls at multiple contact locations along a height of the base between the front side and the rear side to electrically connect the ground shield to the base at the multiple contact locations,
• wherein the dielectric bodies of the contact assemblies include crush ribs protruding from sides of the dielectric bodies, the crush ribs of the dielectric body of the contact assembly in a corresponding chamber engaging the interior sides of the ground shield of the contact assembly and forcing the ground shield outward against the chamber walls of the chamber to secure the contact assembly in the chamber via an interference fit.