High density cable connector assembly

In an electrical connector adapted for supporting a plurality of elongate conductive contact assemblies in a geometric array, each contact assembly comprising at least a conductive contact portion, a conductor connection portion rearward of said contact portion and a retention portion intermediate said contact portion and said connection portion, said contact portions of said plurality of assemblies being adapted to be disposed in side by side positions along n rows across said connector, where n is an integer, an insulative housing comprising:

• at least a rear wall, a forward wall and a plurality of contact assembly support cavities extending between said rear and forward walls, each said support cavity having a contact retention rib disposed intermediate said rear and forward walls and adapted to engage said retention portion of an associated contact assembly;
• each said support cavity having an elongate contact entry opening with a predetermined height in said rear wall, each said contact entry opening including a relatively wide portion and a relatively narrow portion for receiving, respectively, a relatively wide connector connection portion and a relatively narrow contact portion of the associated contact assembly, said entry openings being disposed along n pairs of rows in a staggered array, with adjacent cavities in each pair of rows being alternately upright and inverted, the entry openings for upright cavities in each pair of rows lying along a first center line and the entry openings for inverted cavities in the same pair of rows lying along a second center line offset from said first center line by a distance less than the height of said contact entry openings such that said inverted and upright cavities in a pair of rows are interleaved.