Connector apparatus

A removable protective cap for use with a header connector including a header body having a front wall and a back wall and formed to include a plurality of first openings therethrough configured for receiving a plurality of signal pins therein, each signal pin having a first end extending from the front wall of the header body and a second end spaced apart from the first end and extending from the back wall of the header body and configured for insertion into an opening in a printed circuit board, the removable protective cap including a front wall formed to include a plurality of blind holes configured to receive the first ends of the signal pins when the protective cap is inserted into the header body to protect the signal pins during shipping and handling of the header connector, the protective cap including a surface configured to engage a portion of the header body surrounding the signal pins, and the blind holes including a surface configured to engage a portion of the signal pins to permit the protective cap to be used as a termination toll to install the header connector on the printed circuit board, the protective cap being configured to be separated from the header connector upon installation of the header connector on the printed circuit board.

An electrical header connector comprising:

• a header body formed to include a front wall, a back wall, and a plurality of first and second openings extending through the header body to provide a passageway through the front and back walls,
• a plurality of signal pins configured for insertion into the plurality of first openings, each signal pin including a first end extending from the front wall of the header body to form an array of pin contacts, and a second end spaced apart from the first end and extending from the back wall of the header body, and
• a plurality of shield blades configured for insertion into the plurality of second openings, each of the plurality of shield blades having a first end extending from the front wall of the header body adjacent to the first end of a signal pin, a second end extending from the back wall of the header body adjacent to the second end of said signal pin and a generally right angle shielding portion configured to be disposed adjacent to an intermediate portion of said signal pin, wherein the first and second openings are arranged in the header body such that the generally right angle shielding portions of shield blades substantially surround the signal pins to form a coaxial shield around each of the plurality of signal pins.