Electrical connector assembly

An electrical connector assembly, comprising:

• a housing comprising opposing top and bottom walls and opposing first and second sidewalls connecting the top and bottom walls, the top and the bottom walls and the opposing first and second sidewalls defining a housing cavity therebetween;
• a circuit board at least partially disposed in the housing cavity and comprising:
• an upper surface and an opposing lower surface;
• a front end and a cable end opposite the front end and disposed inside the housing cavity;
• a plurality of conductive front pads disposed on the upper and lower surfaces near the front end;
• and
• a plurality of conductive rear pads disposed on the upper and lower surfaces between the front pads and the cable end and electrically connected to the front pads, a separation between the rear pads disposed on the upper surface and the top wall of the housing being S1, a separation between the rear pads disposed on the lower surface and the bottom wall of the housing being S2, S1≥1.5 S2;
• stacked first, second and third flat cables terminated at the conductive rear pads disposed on the top surface of the circuit board;
• a fourth flat cable terminated at the conductive rear pads disposed on the lower surface of the circuit board;
• and
• opposing first and second sidewall extensions extending upwardly from the opposing respective first and second sidewalls of the housing and defining an open top channel therebetween that extends uninterrupted between the opposing first and second sidewall extensions.