Connector having improved housing to position contacts thereof reliably

An electrical connector with a front mating port for receiving a mating connector, comprising:

• an insulative housing includes a base portion, and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, the base portion defining a rear step portion, a pair of side walls extending forwardly from two lateral sides of the step portion to form a cavity thereamong, the tongue portion defining an upper side face, and a lower side face opposite to the upper side face;
• a set of first contacts retained in the insulative housing, and having first contact portions located on the upper side surface and exposed into the mating port, first tail portions extending rearwardly beyond the insulative housing, and medium portions therebetween in a front-to-back direction and exposed into the cavity;
• a set of second contacts retained in the insulative housing and having second contact portions extending upon the upper side surface and exposed into the mating port to be located behind the first contact portions, and second tail portions extending rearwardly beyond the insulative housing;
• an insulator retained in the cavity and located adjacent to the mating port, the insulator combining with the insulative housing to hold the medium portions of the first contacts therebetween in both the front-to-back direction and a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction;
• and
• a metal shell surrounding the tongue portion to form the mating port therebetween, wherein the first and the second tail portions are arranged in one row along a traverse direction perpendicular to both the front to back direction and the vertical direction, two second tail portions are arranged at two outermost sides of the row.

An electrical connector comprising:

• an insulative housing essentially defining a Z-shaped cross-section in a side view along a front-to-back direction with a front mating face exposed to an exterior in a first vertical direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction, and a rear mounting face exposed to the exterior in a second vertical direction opposite to said first vertical direction;
• a plurality of first contacts disposed in the housing and arranged with one another in a transverse direction perpendicular to both said front-to-back direction and said first vertical direction, each of said first contacts defining a front first contacting section exposed upon the mating face and a rear first tails sections exposed around the mounting face of the housing;
• a plurality of second contacts disposed in the housing and arranged with one another in the transverse direction, each of said second contacts defining a front second contacting section exposed upon the mating face and a rear second tail section exposed around the mounting face under condition that the front first contacting sections and the front second contacting sections are offset from each other in both said front-to-back direction and said first vertical direction;
• wherein
• the mating face and the mounting face are essentially located at a similar level in the first vertical direction, wherein said housing defines a cavity to receive an insulator which corporates with the housing to sandwich the second contacts therebetween in the first vertical direction.