Miniature electrical ball and tube socket with self-capturing multiple-contact-point coupling

A microelectronic socket connector for making electrical connection to a bulbous metal conductive terminal of a mating plug, said socket connector comprising:

• a plurality of elements disposed in an array, each said element being formed of a hollow right circular cylindrical tube of an inner diameter less than the diameter of said bulbous terminal and forming at a first end a plurality of resilient prongs parallel to one another and separated by slots cut in said tube to form sharp prong edges, said slots being made by helical cuts around the longitudinal axis of said tube and being of a variable width along the length of the cuts to form variable width voids between said prongs, such that said slots have a first width adjacent said first end and a second width at a displacement position from said first end, said first width being markedly less than said second width, such that upon insertion of said bulbous terminal into said first end of said element said prongs grip the bulbous terminal with said sharp edges at a specified displacement position in said voids in such a manner that low insertion force is required for insertion of the bulbous terminal from a position adjacent said first end and such that substantially higher extraction force is required to withdraw said bulbous terminal from said displacement position and out of said first end.