Surface-contact connector

A surface contact connector for effecting sequential connection to conductive pads arranged in a planar array on a mating connector comprising:

• a housing molded in one piece of insulating plastic material having a bottom, circuit board engaging face and a front, mating face adjacent the circuit board engaging face, and front and rear housing walls bridged by a top housing wall forming a series of terminal receiving cavities, contact portion receiving apertures of differing heights and having closed upper ends extending up the front housing wall so that wall ponions defining the upper ends are of different heights above the circuit board engaging face;
• a series of identically stamped and formed metal terminal strips in respective terminal receiving cavities, each terminal strip comprising:
• a circuit board connecting portion adjacent the circuit board engaging face;
• an anchoring portion in anchoring engagement with the housing adjacent the rear wall, anchoring the terminal in a respective housing cavity;
• a U-shaped resilient portion having first and second spring arm portions connected at respective upper ends to a bight adjacent the top wall, the first spring arm portion extending upwardly, adjacent the rear wall, from the anchoring portion, and the second spring arm portion extending downwards from the bight adjacent the front wall;
• and, a mating contact portion extending transversely from a free end of the second spring arm portion and having a mating tip protruding out from the aperture in a mating direction, one of the second spring arm portion and a pan of the mating contact portion located between the tip and the second spring arm portion, being in upwardly pressing engagement with a respective upper end wail portion of a respective aperture so that at least some of said contact portions protrude in a horizontal direction of mating engagement by different amounts and are located at different heights above the circuit board whereby engagement of the mating connector with respective contact portions by movement of the mating connector toward the mating face in both horizontal and downward directions will cause respective contact portions to swing downward and rearward away from respective and wall portions thereby effecting sequential connection to conductive pads of the mating connector.