Connector assembly for armored cable

A cable coupling having an integral ground connection formed thereacross wherein the ground connection comprises:

• a set screw threadedly received within a sleeve received over a first cable, the set screw forming an electrical connection between a conductive sheath of a first cable and the sleeve within which the set screw is threadedly received;
• a slip ring received and retained around the sleeve;
• and,
• a coupling nut retained around the sleeve by a retaining ridge formed within the coupling nut that is received within a groove formed around the slip ring, and wherein the conduction path extends from the conductive sheath of the cable, through the set screw to the sleeve received over the cable, from the sleeve to the slip ring received therearound, and from the slip ring to the coupling nut received over the sleeve and slip ring, the coupling nut being constructed and arranged to mate with a complimentary coupling portion that is electrically connected to ground.

An armored coupling having an integral ground connection formed therethrough comprising:

• an armored cable comprising a plurality of conductors disposed within a conductive sheath;
• a substantially rigid sleeve sized to receive therein the cable having at least one set screw threaded through the wall of the sleeve and into the conductive sheath of the cable so as form a conduction path from the conductive sheath of the cable through the set screw into the sleeve;
• a contact holder constructed and arranged to be received within a distal end of the sleeve, the contact holder being further constructed and arranged to receive therein the conductors of the cable;
• a substantially rigid jacket formed over the sleeve and at least a portion of the cable extending from the sleeve;
• a slip ring received over the sleeve and longitudinally thereon between an outwardly extending flange formed in the distal end of the sleeve and a shoulder of the jacket, the slip ring being fashioned of an electrically conductive material;
• a coupling nut constructed and arranged to be received over the contact holder, sleeve, and jacket, the coupling nut having an inner bore with a groove formed there around, the coupling nut being retained over the contact holder, sleeve, and jacket, by forcing a retaining ridge that extends from the slip ring into the groove of the coupling;
• and,
• a conduction path being formed from the conductive sheath of the cable to the set screw of the sleeve, from the set screw of the sleeve to the sleeve, from the sleeve to the slip ring, and from the slip ring to the coupling nut.

A method of forming an armored cable connector comprising the steps of:

• providing a conductor cable having a conductive sheath and at least one conductor housed within the conductive sheath;
• exposing a predetermined length of the at least on conductor;
• sliding a substantially rigid conductive sleeve over the conductor cable;
• forming an electrically conductive pathway between the conductive sleeve and the conductive sheath of the conductor cable by driving at least one set screw through the conductive sleeve into the conductive sheath;
• attaching a contact holder to the at least one conductor of the conductor cable;
• inserting a plug end of the contact holder into a distal end of the conductive sleeve;
• over-molding a rigid jacket over at least a portion of the rigid sleeve and the conductor cable;
• emplacing a slip ring over the rigid sleeve between the rigid jacket and a flange of the rigid sleeve;
• and,
• joining a coupling nut to the slip ring such that the coupling nut can mechanically fix the cable connector to another cable connector while providing a reliable electrical connection from the conductive sheath of the conductor cable, through the at least one set screw to the rigid sleeve, and from the rigid sleeve through the slip ring and to the coupling nut joined to the slip ring.