Two-part electrical connector

An electrical connector comprising a first part mateable with a second part along a mating axis, the first part including a housing having opposed side walls and opposed end walls, each side wall having an upper wall and a lower wall defining opposed slide surfaces extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mating axis, first and second spaced apertures in the upper wall of each side wall, a pair of spaced apertures in the lower wall of each side wall, and a longitudinally extending slot in the upper wall of each side wall;

• a slider positioned adjacent each side wall, each slider having an upper edge and a lower edge making a sliding engagement with the slide surfaces of the upper wall and the lower wall, respectively, of the side walls, a pair of inclined cam surfaces having openings in the lower edge alignable with the apertures in the lower wall of the side walls, and a resilient tab in the upper edge for making a snap fit in the first aperture or the second aperture in the upper wall of the side wall;
• a substantially U-shaped lever having a pair of arms, each arm extending through the slot in the side wall to be positioned between the side wall and the adjacent slider;
• pivot means on each arm and each side wall to allow the lever to pivot relative to the housing of the first part;
• and drive means on each arm and each slider to slide each slider relative to the adjacent side wall on pivoting of the lever relative to the housing of the first part;
• the second part including a housing having side walls and end walls positionable inside the side wall and end walls of the housing of the first part, each side wall of the housing of the second part having a pair of spaced cam followers which can pass through the apertures in the lower walls and the openings in the inclined cam surfaces for sliding movement along the cam surfaces;
• pivoting movement of the lever moving the second part relative to the first part along the mating axis between a fully unmated position in which the tabs on each slider make a snap fit in the first aperture in the upper walls and a fully mated position in which the tabs make a snap fit in the second aperture in the upper walls.