Connector assembly with side-by-side terminal arrays

A method of manufacturing a microelectronic connector, comprising:

• providing a housing with a front face having at least two cavities in a vertical dimension, said cavities being adapted to receive modular plugs, a rear face having at least one pair of vertical partitions defining an aperture for receiving a plurality of electrical components, and a dividing wall separating said front from said back, said dividing wall having openings for allowing leads to pass between said back and said front, wherein each of the vertical partitions of said pair of vertical partitions has a single alignment groove facing the aperture;
• inserting a first electrical component having first guide sections at substantially opposite lateral ends thereof into said aperture such that a first face of said electrical component is positioned adjecent said dividing wall and such that a first set of leads passes through said openings into one of said cavities in said front face of said housings, and said first guide sections are reeived into the alignment grooves of the vertical partitions;
• and
• inserting a second electrical component having second guide sections at substantially opposite lateral ends thereof into said aperture such that said second electrical component is positioned behind said first electrical component and said second guide sections are received into the alignment grooves of the vertical partitions, and
• wherein said act of inserting includes passing a set of leads through said openings into one of said cavities in said front face of housing.

A microelectronic connector assembly, comprising:

• a housing comprising a front face, a rear face, a vertical transverse wall, and at least one pair of vertical partitions, wherein the front face defines at least a first cavity and a second cavity adapted to receive modular plugs therein, and said at least one pair of vertical partitions defining a carrier receiving area in the rear face, wherein each of the vertical partitions of said pair of vertical partitions has a single alignment groove facing the carrier receiving area;
• a first dielectric carrier received within the carrier receiving area, the first dielectric carrier having a row of terminal arrays which are configured to extend through the vertical transverse wall and into the first cavity, and wherein said first dielectric carrier has guide sections at substantially opposite lateral ends thereof;
• and
• a second dielectric carrier received within the carrier receiving area and positioned behind the first dielectric carrier, said second dielectric carrier having a row of terminal arrays, wherein the row of terminal arrays are configured to extend through the vertical transverse wall and into the second cavity, and wherein said second dielectric carrier comprises guide sections at opposite lateral ends thereof that are received within the same alignment grooves in the pair of vertical partitions as the guide sections of the frist dielectric carrier.