Method of assembling a connector to a circuit card

A method of fabricating an assembly of a housed array of electrical contact terminals of an electrical connector to a surface of a circuit panel means having conductive pads therealong, each contact terminal including a first contact section connected to a respective conductive pad and extending to a body section and a second contact section remote from the first contact section for connection to a corresponding electrical contact means of another electrical article, comprising the steps of:

• stamping and forming at least a first row of contact terminals joined to a first carrier strip at severable sections, said stamping and forming step being performed to result in said first contact section of each said terminal being defined on an end of an elongate cantilever beam portion proximate a severable section at a respective said carrier strip, so that after full assembly said terminals include said first contact sections on portions which are adapted to flex during connector mating and minimize stress on the solder joints thereof to respective said conductive pads upon incremental movement of the resultant connector with respect to the circuit panel means during connector mating;
• securing said body sections of said row of contact terminals within a common dielectric housing means forming a terminal subassembly, said housing means holding said second contact sections of said row of contact terminals in said preselected arrangement and defining a housed terminal array having a row of elongate cantilever beam portions extending therefrom, and said first carrier strip firmly holding said first contact sections spaced apart preselected distances in a common planar array, with said elongate cantilever beam portions permitting the thus-housed body sections incremental movement with respect to said first contact portions;
• joining said first contact sections held spaced apart along said common planar array by said first carrier strip to said respective conductive pads on a common surface of said circuit panel means;
• and
• severing said first carrier strip from said contact terminals at said severable sections after said joining step,
• whereby a method is defined of securing to a circuit panel means a housed terminal array adapted to permit incremental connector movement with respect to the circuit panel means by means of elongate flexible cantilever beam terminal sections without requiring tool means for precisely spacing apart and aligning with corresponding conductive pads the respective first contact sections otherwise susceptible of misalignment during handling and joining.

A method of fabricating an assembly of a housed multi-row array of electrical contact terminals of an electrical connector to a surface of a circuit panel means having conductive pads therealong, each contact terminal including a first contact section connected to a respective conductive pad and extending to a body section and a second contact section remote from the first contact section for connection to a corresponding electrical contact means of another electrical article, comprising the steps of:

• stamping and forming at least first and second rows of contact terminals joined to respective first and second carrier strips at severable sections, said first contact section of each said terminal being defined on an end of an elongate cantilever beam portion proximate a severable section at a respective said carrier strip, said stamping and forming step being performed to result in said first contact section of each said terminal being defined on an end of an elongate cantilever beam portion proximate a severable section at a respective said carrier strip, so that after full assembly said terminals include said first contact on portions which are adapted to flex during connector mating and minimize stress on the solder joints thereof to respective said conductive pads upon incremental movement of the resultant connector with respect to the circuit panel means during connector mating;
• securing together said at least first and second carrier strips, defining a multi-row terminal array wherein said second contact sections define a preselected multi-row arrangement and said elongate cantilever beam portions extend rearwardly from said body portions in at least first and second rows to respective said severable sections at said secured-together carrier strips;
• securing said body sections of said at least first and second rows of contact terminals within a common dielectric housing means forming a terminal subassembly, said housing means holding said second contact sections of said rows of contact terminals in said preselected arrangement and defining a housing multi-row terminal array having more than one row of elongate cantilever beam portions extending therefrom, and said at least first and second carrier strips firmly holding said first contact sections of said at least first and second rows of terminals spaced apart preselected distances in a common planar array;
• joining said first contact sections of said at least first and second rows of terminals held spaced apart along said common planar array by said joined carrier strips, to said respective conductive pads on a common surface of said circuit panel means;
• and
• severing said secured-together carrier strips from said contact terminals simultaneously at said severable sections after said joining step,
• whereby a method is defined of securing to a circuit panel means a housed multi-row terminal array adapted to permit incremental connector movement with respect to the circuit panel means by means of elongate flexible cantilever beam terminal sections without requiring tool means for precisely spacing apart and aligning with corresponding conductive pads the respective first contact sections otherwise susceptible of misalignment during handling and joining.