Switching midplane and interconnection system for interconnecting large numbers of signals

A printed-circuit board interconnect system for making electrical interconnections between a plurality of first printed-circuit boards and a plurality of second printed-circuit boards, said interconnect system comprising:

• a midplane printed-circuit board including a first face and a second face, said second face parallel to said first face, and having a plurality of conductive traces disposed therein;
• a plurality of first printed-circuit board connectors mounted parallel to one another on said first face of said midplane printed-circuit board;
• a plurality of second printed-circuit board connectors mounted parallel to one another on said second face of said midplane printed-circuit board in a direction perpendicular to said plurality of first printed-circuit board connectors, each of said plurality of second printed-circuit board connectors crossing each of said plurality of first printed-circuit board connectors at a plurality of intersection regions;
• a plurality of double-ended pins, each of said plurality of double-ended pins extending from said first printed-circuit board connectors, through said intersection regions of said midplane printed-circuit board, and into one of said second printed-circuit board connectors;
• a plurality of first single-ended pins, each of said first single-ended pins extending from said first face of said midplane printed-circuit board and into one of said first printed-circuit board connectors, each of said plurality of first single-ended pins in electrical contact with at least one of said plurality of conductive traces, said first single-ended pins and said plurality of double-ended pins forming a plurality of rows and columns of equidistantly spaced pins within said first printed-circuit board connectors;
• and
• a plurality of second single-ended pins, each of said plurality of second single-ended pins extending from said second face of said midplane printed-circuit board and into one of said second printed-circuit board connectors, each of said plurality of second single-ended pins in contact with at least one of said plurality of conductive traces such that said second single-ended pins are respectively in electric contact with said first single-ended pins, said second single-ended pins and said double-ended pins forming a plurality of columns of equidistantly spaced pins within each of said second printed-circuit board connectors.