Electrical connector assembly

An electrical connector assembly, comprising:

• a header including an insulated housing member having first and second side portions, the housing member further having a plurality of through passageways formed therein communicating the first and second side portions of the housing member;
• the housing member further having a corresponding plurality of recesses formed therein, each recess being laterally offset from a respective through passageway in the housing member;
• a plurality of compliant pin terminals carried in the respective through passageways in the housing member, each compliant pin terminal having first and second end portions thereof;
• a corresponding plurality of contact portions, each of which is secured to a respective compliant pin terminal intermediately of the first and second end portions of the compliant pin terminal;
• the contact portions being disposed in the respective laterally-offset recesses in the housing member, such that the respective second end portions of the compliant pin terminals are accessible from externally of the second side portion of the housing member;
• whereby a tool comprising a plurality of respective fingers may be used to push against the respective second end portions of the compliant pin terminals without interference from the respective contact portions, thereby inserting the compliant pin terminals, and the contact portions secured thereto, within the housing member.

A method of mounting an electrical connector assembly to a circuit board, said assembly comprising an insulated connector housing member having a plurality of compliant pin terminal and contact portion subassemblies disposed therein, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of subassemblies having the contact portion of each subassembly laterally offset from the compliant pin terminal, thereby providing access to an end portion of the compliant pin terminal;
• providing said housing member with a plurality of subassembly receiving passageways, each passageway having a laterally offset recess associated therewith;
• said subassemblies being disposed in said passageways of said housing member such that respective compliant pin terminals lie in said passageways and said contact portions lie within said corresponding associated offset recesses;
• applying mounting force directly against the end portion of the compliant pin terminal without interference from the contact portion to insert the compliant pin terminals into respective through-holes of the circuit board, whereby the connector assembly is mounted to the circuit board and individual subassemblies may be removed from the board and the connector assembly without removing said assembly from said board.

A method of making a connector that is adapted to be mounted to a circuit board, comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of terminal members, each terminal member having a compliant pin portion adapted to be force fit into a hole of a circuit board and for self retention therein, each said terminal members also including a contact portion laterally offset from the compliant pin portion thereby defining a push surface;
• providing a housing member having a plurality of passageways formed therein and extending from a first face to a second face thereof, the housing member further having a plurality of recesses formed therein, each said recess extending inwardly from said first face and in communication with and laterally offset from an associated one of said passageways;
• inserting said compliant pin portions into corresponding ones of said passageways from the first housing face with said offset contact portions aligned with said corresponding recesses;
• and
• pushing directly against said push surfaces of said compliant pin portions without interference from the corresponding contact portions thereby pushing said compliant pin portions through respective ones of said passageways and beyond said second housing face and locating said contact portions along corresponding ones of said recesses without the housing member;
• whereby the compliant pin portions extend beyond the second housing face to be inserted into corresponding holes in said circuit board, said push surfaces of said terminal members being exposed to be engaged by pushing means of a tool when said terminal members in said housing member are simultaneously pushed into corresponding holes of said circuit board when the connector is mounted thereto.