Backplane connector

A daughter printed circuit board and backplane assembly comprising

• a backplane,
• a plurality of daughter printed circuit boards mounted perpendicular to said backplane,
• a plurality of first connector elements connected to either said backplane or said daughter boards, each said first connector element including a base of insulating material, a pair of first elongated flat sidewalls of insulating material extending from said base perpendicular to said base and parallel to the daughter boards and to each other and spaced from each other to define a contact region between their inwardly directed faces, said contact region being free of insulating material of said first connector element, and a plurality of rows of free standing first contacts extending from said base parallel to said sidewalls along first axes between and parallel to said first sidewalls and said base, said first contacts being male contacts,
• a plurality of second connector elements connected to the other of said backplane or daughter boards, each said second connector element including a housing of insulating material having outwardly directed second sidewalls facing and fitted between said first sidewalls and a plurality of second contacts therein arranged in rows parallel to said first and second sidewalls along second axes between and parallel to said first and second sidewalls and aligned with and contacting said first contacts of a respective first connector element, said second contacts each being female contacts having two opposing contact portions for receiving one of said male contacts between said portions,
• a plurality of third contacts being carried by a said first sidewall and having inwardly directed third contact portions,
• a plurality of fourth contacts carried by a said second sidewall and having outwardly directed fourth contact portions contacting said third contact portions,
• a plurality of fifth contacts, said fifth contacts being integral with said second contacts, said second and fifth contacts being opposite extremities of a single contact member, and
• a plurality of sixth contacts, each of said sixth contacts being integral with at least one of said fourth contacts, said fourth and sixth contacts being toward opposite extremities of a single contact member.