Biased edge card connector

In an edge connector for receiving a printed circuit board having a mating edge and a plurality of contact pads adjacent the edge, said connector including an elongated dielectric housing having a board-receiving slot for receiving the mating edge of the printed circuit board, and a plurality of spring contact elements mounted in the housing along at least one side of the slot, each spring contact element having a first spring contact portion extending into the slot for contacting a contact pad on one side of the printed circuit board, surface means on the housing at said one side of the slot defining a datum plane beyond which the first spring contact portion of the spring contact elements extends into the slot, and biasing means for biasing the printed circuit board against the surface means, thereby deflecting the first spring contact portion of said spring contact elements a predetermined amount, the improvement comprising:

• said biasing means being at least one resilient deflectable member separate from said spring contact elements and fixedly mounted to said housing so that a portion thereof extends into said slot for contacting the printed circuit board on a side opposite said one side of the board in order to bias said one side of the board against said datum plane and said first spring contact portions, and the distance between said portion of said resilient deflectable member adapted to contact said printed circuit board and the datum plane when the connector is in its board receiving condition is less than the thickness of the printed circuit board, whereby insertion of said printed circuit board into said slot directly causes deflection of both the first contact portion and the resilient deflectable member.