Connector element for high-speed data communications

• US 6,464,529 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2000
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cekan/CDT A/S (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cekan/CDT A/S (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Ulrik, Jensen, Morten Petri
• Primary Examiner(s): TA, THO DAC
• Application Number:
  US09/553,728
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 439/941, 439/676, 439/405
• US Class Current: 439/405
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/675 with contacts having at least a slotted plate for penetration of cable insulation, e.g. insulation displacement contacts for round conductor flat cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6464 by adding capacitive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6467 by cross-over of signal conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6474 by variation of conductive properties, e.g. by dimension variations
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6625 with capacitive component
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2462 the contact members being in a slotted bent configuration, e.g. slotted bight
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/941 Crosstalk suppression

Abstract

A connector element for making a connection between electrical conductors in a network. The connector element has a front, a rear and a length between the front and the rear. The connector element includes a plurality of contact terminals arranged in at least one plane at the front of the connector element. The plurality of contact terminals are configured for connection with corresponding contact terminals of a mating connector element. The connector element includes a plurality of wire connector terminals arranged in first and second rows at substantially the rear of the connector element. The connector element also includes a plurality of leads, wherein each lead connects a corresponding wire connector terminal with a corresponding contact terminal. The plurality of leads include a plurality of layers of leads. The shape and arrangement of the plurality of layers of leads make up a compensation structure that optimizes the electrical performance of the connector including the connector element and the mating connector element.

Claims

1. A connector element for making a connection between electrical conductors in a communications network, the connector element having a front, a rear and a length between the front and the rear, the connector element comprising:

a plurality of contact terminals arranged at the front of the connector element, the plurality of contact terminals being configured for connection with corresponding terminals of a mating connector element;

a plurality of wire connector terminals arranged at substantially the rear of the connector element; and

a plurality of leads, each lead connecting a corresponding wire connector terminal with a corresponding contact terminal, the plurality of leads including three layers of leads that in combination provide a compensation structure that reduces noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

2. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the mating connector element, and wherein the connector element and the mating connector element together comprise a connector having a transfer function of substantially 1.0.

3. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of leads are shaped and arranged to optimize the electrical performance of the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element to operate at frequencies up to and including 300 MHz.

4. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the three layers of leads is disposed on a printed circuit board.

5. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, wherein some of the plurality of leads are disposed substantially in a first plane and connect the corresponding wire connector terminals in the first row with the corresponding contact terminals in the first plane, and wherein a remainder of the plurality of leads include a first portion that extends substantially orthogonal to the first plane and a second portion that extends substantially in parallel to the first plane, each of the remainder of the plurality of leads connecting the corresponding wire connector terminal in the second row with the corresponding contact terminal in the first plane.

6. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of leads include means for sequentially compensating for noise or crosstalk introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

7. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of wire connector terminals include means for providing a capacitance between the at least two wire connector terminals.

8. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least two of the wire connector terminals include enlarged portions of the wire connector terminals, that narrow a space between the at least two wire connector terminals and that provide a parallel plate capacitance between adjacent edges of the at least two wire connector terminals.

9. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of leads are held in a fixed relationship by an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, so as to fix the electrical performance of the connector element.

10. The connector element as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plurality of leads include means for aligning the at least three layers of leads, and for holding the at least three layers of leads in the fixed relationship, during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

11. The connector element as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least three layers of leads includes an alignment tab that aligns the at least three layers of leads, the alignment tab including a fixing tab that can be bent over to hold the at least three layers of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

12. The connector element as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lead of a pair of leads of the plurality of leads includes in series, a first capacitive plate and a second capacitive plate, wherein the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate in combination with corresponding capacitive plates of another pair of leads, form first and second capacitors, wherein the lead in combination with a lead of the other pair of leads form an inductive loop and wherein the first capacitor, the inductive loop, and the second capacitor in combination compensate for noise or crosstalk introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

13. The connector element as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the capacitive plates has a small protrusion that permits holding of each of the capacitive plates and the corresponding leads in a fixed relationship, so that the plurality of leads can be in situ molded within an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship.

14. The connector element as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first capacitor is disposed substantially adjacent the plurality of contact terminals so as to immediately compensate for capacitance introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

15. The connector element as claimed in claim 12, wherein the lead further includes a vertically oriented loop including a bottom portion of the loop that is disposed above a portion of an other lead, and which in combination provide a third capacitor between the lead and the other lead that improves at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

16. The connector element as claimed in claim 12, wherein the lead and an other lead include in combination a means for improving at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

17. A connector element for making a connection between electrical conductors in a communications network, the connector element having a front, a rear and a length along a longitudinal axis between the front and the rear, the connector element comprising:

a plurality of contact terminals arranged at the front of the connector element, the plurality of contact terminals being configured for connection with corresponding terminals of a mating connector element;

a plurality of wire connector terminals arranged at substantially the rear of the connector element;

a plurality of leads disposed along the longitudinal axis, each lead connecting a corresponding wire connector terminal with a corresponding contact terminal, the plurality of leads being held in a fixed relationship so as to fix the electrical performance of the connector element; and

an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship;

wherein the wire connector terminals are disposed horizontally along the longitudinal axis.

18. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the mating connector element, and wherein the connector element and the mating connector element together comprise a connector having a transfer function of substantially 1.0.

19. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, wherein the plurality of leads include means for aligning the plurality of leads and for holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

20. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, wherein the plurality of leads include an alignment tab that aligns the plurality of leads, the alignment tab including a fixing tab that can be bent over to hold the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

21. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, wherein some of the plurality of leads are disposed substantially in a first plane and connect the corresponding wire connector terminals in the first row with the corresponding contact terminals in the first plane, and wherein a remainder of the plurality of leads include a first portion that extends substantially orthogonal to the first plane and a second portion that extends substantially in parallel to the first plane, each of the remainder of the plurality of leads connecting the corresponding wire connector terminal in the second row with the corresponding contact terminal in the first plane.

22. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, wherein the plurality of leads include means for sequentially compensating for noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

23. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, wherein at least two of the plurality of wire connector terminals include means for providing a capacitance between the at least two wire connector terminals.

24. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, wherein at least two of the wire connector terminals include enlarged portions of the wire connector terminals, that narrow a space between the at least two wire connector terminals and that provide a parallel plate capacitance between adjacent edges of the at least two wire connector terminals.

25. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, wherein the plurality of leads include a plurality of layers of leads that in combination provide a compensation structure that reduces noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

26. The connector element as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of leads is disposed on a printed circuit board.

27. The connector element as claimed in claim 17, wherein a lead of a pair of leads of the plurality of leads includes in series, a first capacitive plate and a second capacitive plate, wherein the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate in combination with corresponding capacitive plates of an other pair of leads, form first and second capacitors, wherein the lead in combination with a lead of the other pair of leads form an inductive loop, and wherein the first capacitor, the inductive loop, and the second capacitor in combination compensate for noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

28. The connector element as claimed in claim 27, wherein each of the capacitive plates has a small protrusion that permits holding of each of the capacitive plates and the corresponding leads in a fixed relationship, so that the plurality of leads can be in situ molded within an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship.

29. The connector element as claimed in claim 27, wherein the first capacitor is disposed substantially adjacent the plurality of contact terminals so as to immediately compensate for capacitance introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

30. The connector element as claimed in claim 25, wherein the lead further includes a vertically oriented loop including a bottom portion of the loop that is disposed above a portion of an other lead, and which in combination provide a third capacitor between the lead and the other lead that improves at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

31. The connector element as claimed in claim 27, wherein the lead and an other lead include in combination a means for improving at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

32. A connector element for making a connection between electrical conductors in a communications network, the connector element having a front, a rear and a length between the front and the rear, the connector element comprising:

a plurality of contact terminals arranged at the front of the connector element, the plurality of contact terminals being configured for connection with corresponding terminals of a mating connector element;

a plurality of wire connector terminals arranged at substantially the rear of the connector element; and

a plurality of leads, each lead connecting a corresponding wire connector terminal with a corresponding contact terminal, the plurality of leads including means for sequentially compensating for noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

33. The connector element as claimed in claim 32, further comprising the mating connector element, and wherein the connector element and the mating connector element together comprise a connector having a transfer function of substantially 1.0.

34. The connector element as claimed in claim 32, wherein some of the plurality of leads are disposed substantially in a first plane and connect corresponding wire connector terminals in the first row with the corresponding contact terminals in the first plane, and wherein a remainder of the plurality of leads include a first portion that extends substantially orthogonal to the first plane and a second portion that extends substantially in parallel to the first plane, each of the remainder of the plurality of leads connecting the corresponding wire connector terminal in the second row with the corresponding contact terminal in the first plane.

35. The connector element as claimed in claim 32, wherein at least two of the plurality of wire connector terminals include means for providing a capacitance between the at least two wire connector terminals.

36. The connector element as claimed in claim 32, wherein at least two of the wire connector terminals include enlarged portions of the wire connector terminals, that narrow a space between the at least two wire connector terminals and that provide a parallel plate capacitance between adjacent edges of the at least two wire connector terminals.

37. The connector element as claimed in claim 32, wherein the plurality of leads include a plurality of layers of leads that in combination provide a compensation structure that reduces any noise or crosstalk introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

38. The connector element as claimed in claim 34, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of leads is disposed on a printed circuit board.

39. The connector element as claimed in claim 32, wherein the plurality of leads are held in a fixed relationship by an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, so as to fix the electrical performance of the connector element.

40. The connector element as claimed in claim 39, wherein the plurality of leads include means for aligning the plurality of leads and for holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

41. The connector element as claimed in claim 39, wherein the plurality of leads include an alignment tab that aligns the plurality of leads, the alignment tab including a fixing tab that can be bent over to hold the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

42. The connector element as claimed in claim 32, wherein the means for sequentially compensating includes a lead of a pair of leads having in series, a first capacitive plate and a second capacitive plate, wherein the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate in combination with corresponding capacitive plates of an other pair of leads, form first and second capacitors, wherein the lead in combination with a lead of the other pair of leads form an inductive loop, and wherein the first capacitor, the inductive loop, and the second capacitor in combination compensate for noise or crosstalk introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

43. The connector element as claimed in claim 42, wherein each of the capacitive plates has a small protrusion that permits holding of each of the capacitive plates and the corresponding leads in a fixed relationship, so that the plurality of leads can be in situ molded within an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship.

44. The connector element as claimed in claim 42, wherein the first capacitor is disposed substantially adjacent the plurality of contact terminals so as to immediately compensate for capacitance introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

45. The connector element as claimed in claim 42, wherein the lead further includes a vertically oriented loop including a bottom portion of the loop that is disposed above a portion of an other lead, and which in combination provide a third capacitor between the lead and the other lead that improves at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

46. The connector element as claimed in claim 42, wherein the lead and an other lead include in combination a means for improving at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

47. A connector element for making a connection between electrical conductors in a communications network, the connector element having a front, a rear and a length between the front and the rear, the connector element comprising:

a plurality of contact terminals arranged at the front of the connector element, the plurality of contact terminals being configured for connection with corresponding terminals of a mating connector element;

a plurality of wire connector terminals arranged at substantially the rear of the connector element; and

a plurality of leads, each lead connecting a corresponding wire connector terminal with a corresponding contact terminal, a lead of a pair of leads of the plurality of leads includes in series, a first capacitive plate and a second capacitive plate, wherein the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate in combination with corresponding capacitive plates of another pair of leads, form first and second capacitors, wherein the lead in combination with a lead of the other pair of leads form an inductive loop, and wherein the first capacitor, the inductive loop and the second capacitor in combination compensate for noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

48. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, further comprising the mating connector element, and wherein the connector element and the mating connector element together comprise a connector having a transfer function of substantially 1.0.

49. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein the plurality of leads include a plurality of layers of leads that in combination provide a compensation structure that reduces noise or crosstalk introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

50. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of leads is disposed on a printed circuit board.

51. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein some of the plurality of leads are disposed substantially in a first plane and connect the corresponding wire connector terminals in the first row with the corresponding contact terminals in the first plane, and wherein a remainder of the plurality of leads include a first portion that extends substantially orthogonal to the first plane and a second portion that extends substantially in parallel to the first plane, each of the remainder of the plurality of leads connecting the corresponding wire connector terminal in the second row with the corresponding contact terminal in the first plane.

52. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein each of the capacitive plates has a small protrusion that permits holding of each of the capacitive plates and the corresponding leads in a fixed relationship, so that the plurality of leads can be in situ molded within an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship.

53. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein the first capacitor is disposed substantially adjacent the contact terminals so as to immediately compensate for capacitance introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

54. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein the lead further includes a vertically oriented loop including a bottom portion of the loop that is disposed above a portion of an other lead, and which in combination provide a third capacitor between the lead and the other lead that improves at least one of near-end crosstalk and, far-end crosstalk of the connector.

55. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein the lead and an other lead include in combination a means for improving at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

56. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein at least two of the plurality of wire connector terminals include means for providing a capacitance between the at least two wire connector terminals.

57. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein at least two of the wire connector terminals include enlarged portions of the wire connector terminals, that narrow a space between the at least two wire connector terminals and that provide a parallel plate capacitance between adjacent edges of the at least two wire connector terminals.

58. The connector element as claimed in claim 47, wherein the plurality of leads are held in a fixed relationship by an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, so as to fix the electrical performance of the connector element.

59. The connector element as claimed in claim 51, wherein the plurality of leads include means for aligning the plurality of leads and for holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

60. The connector element as claimed in claim 58, wherein the plurality of leads include an alignment tab that aligns the plurality of leads, the alignment tab including a fixing tab that can be bent over to hold the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

61. A connector element for making a connection between electrical conductors in a communications network, the connector element having a front, a rear and a length between the front and the rear, the connector element comprising:

a plurality of contact terminals arranged at the front of the connector element, the plurality of contact terminals being configured for connection with corresponding terminals of a mating connector element;

a plurality of wire connector terminals arranged at substantially the rear of the connector element;

a plurality of leads, each lead connecting a corresponding wire connector terminal with a corresponding contact terminal, the plurality of leads including a plurality of layers of leads that in combination provide a compensation structure that reduces noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element; and

wherein at least two of the plurality of wire connector terminals include means for providing a capacitance between the at least two wire connector terminals.

62. The connector element as claimed in claim 61, further comprising the mating connector element, and wherein the connector element and the mating connector element together comprise a connector having a transfer function of substantially 1.0.

63. The connector element as claimed in claim 61, wherein the plurality of layers of leads include at least three layers of leads.

64. The connector element as claimed in claim 61, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of leads is disposed on a printed circuit board.

65. The connector element as claimed in claim 61, wherein some of the plurality of leads are disposed substantially in a first plane and connect the corresponding wire connector terminals in the first row with the corresponding contact terminals in the first plane, and wherein a remainder of the plurality of leads include a first portion that extends substantially orthogonal to the first plane and a second portion that extends substantially in parallel to the first plane, each of the remainder of the plurality of leads connecting the corresponding wire connector terminal in the second row with the corresponding contact terminal in the first plane.

66. The connector element as claimed in claim 61, wherein the plurality of leads include means for sequentially compensating for noise or crosstalk introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

67. The connector element as claimed in claim 61, wherein the means for providing the capacitance between the at least two of the wire connector terminals includes enlarged areas that narrow a space between the at least two wire connector terminals and that provide a parallel plate capacitance between adjacent edges of the at least two wire connector terminals.

68. The connector element as claimed in claim 61, wherein the plurality of leads are held in a fixed relationship by an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, so as to fix the electrical performance of the connector element.

69. The connector element as claimed in claim 68, wherein the plurality of leads include means for aligning the plurality of layers of leads and for holding the plurality of layers of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

70. The connector element as claimed in claim 68, wherein each of the plurality of layers of leads includes an alignment tab that aligns the plurality of layers of leads, the alignment tab including a fixing tab that can be bent over to hold the plurality of layers of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

71. The connector element as claimed in claim 61, wherein a lead of a pair of leads of the plurality of leads includes in series, a first capacitive plate and a second capacitive plate, wherein the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate in combination with corresponding capacitive plates of an other pair of leads, form first and second capacitors, wherein the lead in combination with a lead of the other pair of leads forms an inductive loop, and wherein the first capacitor, the inductive loop, and the second capacitor in combination compensate for noise or crosstalk introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

72. The connector element as claimed in claim 71, wherein each of the capacitive plates has a small protrusion that permits holding of each of the capacitive plates and the corresponding leads in a fixed relationship, so that the plurality of leads can be in situ molded within an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship.

73. The connector element as claimed in claim 71, wherein the first capacitor is disposed substantially adjacent the plurality of contact terminals so as to immediately compensate for capacitance introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

74. The connector element as claimed in claim 71, wherein the lead further includes a vertically oriented loop including a bottom portion of the loop that is disposed above a portion of an other lead, and which in combination provide a third capacitor between the lead and the other lead that improves at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

75. The connector element as claimed in claim 71, wherein the lead and an other lead include in combination a means for improving at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

76. A connector element for making a connection between electrical conductors in a communications network, the connector element having a front, a rear and a length between the front and the rear, the connector element comprising:

a plurality of contact terminals arranged at the front of the connector element, the plurality of contact terminals being configured for connection with corresponding terminals of a mating connector element;

a plurality of wire connector terminals arranged at substantially the rear of the connector element;

a plurality of leads, each lead connecting a corresponding wire connector terminal with a corresponding contact terminal, the plurality of leads including a plurality of layers of leads that in combination provide a compensation structure that reduces noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element; and

wherein at least two of the wire connector terminals include enlarged portions of the wire connector terminals that narrow a spacing between the at least two wire connector terminals and that provide a parallel plate capacitance between adjacent edges of the at least two wire connector terminals.

77. The connector element as claimed in claim 76, further comprising the mating connector element, and wherein the connector element and the mating connector element together comprise a connector having a transfer function of substantially 1.0.

78. The connector element as claimed in claim 76, wherein the plurality of layers of leads include at least three layers of leads.

79. The connector element as claimed in claim 76, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of leads is disposed on a printed circuit board.

80. The connector element as claimed in claim 76, wherein some of the plurality of leads are disposed substantially in a first plane and connect the corresponding wire connector terminals in the first row with the corresponding contact terminals in the first plane, and wherein a remainder of the plurality of leads include a first portion that extends substantially orthogonal to the first plane and a second portion that extends substantially in parallel to the first plane, each of the remainder of the plurality of leads connecting the corresponding wire connector terminal in the second row with the corresponding contact terminal in the first plane.

81. The connector element as claimed in claim 76, wherein the plurality of leads include means for sequentially compensating for noise or crosstalk introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

82. The connector element as claimed in claim 76, wherein the plurality of leads are held in a fixed relationship by an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, so as to fix the electrical performance of the connector element.

83. The connector element as claimed in claim 82, wherein the plurality of leads include means for aligning the plurality of layers of leads and for holding the plurality of layers of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

84. The connector element as claimed in claim 82, wherein each of the plurality of layers of leads include an alignment tab that aligns the plurality of layers of leads, the alignment tab including a fixing tab that can be bent over to hold the plurality of layers of leads together in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

85. The connector element as claimed in claim 76, wherein a lead of a pair of leads of the plurality of leads includes in series, a first capacitive plate and a second capacitive plate, wherein the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate in combination with corresponding capacitive plates of an other pair of leads, form first and second capacitors, wherein the lead in combination with a lead of the other pair of leads forms an inductive loop, and wherein the first capacitor, the inductive loop, and the second capacitor in combination compensate for noise or crosstalk introduced by combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

86. The connector element as claimed in claim 85, wherein each of the capacitive plates has a small protrusion that permits holding of each of the capacitive plates and the corresponding leads in a fixed relationship, so that the plurality of leads can be in situ molded within an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship.

87. The connector element as claimed in claim 85, wherein the first capacitor is disposed substantially adjacent the plurality of contact terminals so as to immediately compensate for capacitance introduced by the combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

88. The connector element as claimed in claim 85, wherein the lead further includes a vertically oriented loop including a bottom portion of the loop that is disposed above a portion of an other lead, and which in combination provide a third capacitor between the lead and the other lead that improves at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

89. The connector element as claimed in claim 85, wherein the lead and an other lead include in combination a means for improving at least one of near-end crosstalk and far-end crosstalk of the connector.

90. A connector element for making a connection between electrical conductors in a communications network, the connector element having a front, a rear and a length between the front and the rear, the connector element comprising:

a plurality of contact terminals arranged at the front of the connector element, the plurality of contact terminals being configured for connection with corresponding terminals of a mating connector element;

a plurality of printed circuit board connector terminals arranged at substantially the rear of the connector element;

a plurality of leads, each lead connecting a corresponding printed circuit board connector terminal with a corresponding contact terminal, the plurality of leads being held in a fixed relationship so as to fix the electrical performance of the connector element; and

an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship.

91. The connector element as claimed in claim 90, further comprising the mating connector element, and wherein the connector element and the mating connector element together comprise a connector having a transfer function of substantially 1.0.

92. The connector element as claimed in claim 90, wherein the plurality of leads include a plurality of layers of leads that in combination provide a compensation structure that reduces noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

93. The connector element as claimed in claim 90, wherein the plurality of leads include means for aligning the plurality of leads and for holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally for housing.

94. The connector element as claimed in claim 90, wherein the plurality of leads include an alignment tab that aligns the plurality of leads, the alignment tab including a fixing tab that can be bent over to hold the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship during an in situ molding of the integrally formed housing.

95. The connector element as claimed in claim 90, wherein the plurality of leads include means for sequentially compensating for noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

96. The connector element as claimed in claim 92, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of leads is disposed on a printed circuit board.

97. The connector element as claimed in claim 96, wherein the plurality of layers of leads and the plurality of printed circuit board connector terminals are on a same printed circuit board.

98. The connector element as claimed in claim 90, wherein a lead of a pair of leads of the plurality of leads includes in series, a first capacitive plate and a second capacitive plate, wherein the first capacitive plate and the second capacitive plate in combination with corresponding capacitive plates of an other pair of leads, form first and second capacitors, wherein the lead in combination with a lead of the other pair of leads form an inductive loop, and wherein the first capacitor, the inductive loop, and the second capacitor in combination compensate for noise or crosstalk introduced by a combination of the connector element and the mating connector element.

99. The connector element as claimed in claim 98, wherein each of the capacitive plates has a small protrusion that permits holding of each of the capacitive plates and the corresponding leads in a fixed relationship, so that the plurality of leads can be in situ molded within an integrally formed housing enclosing at least a portion of the plurality of leads, and holding the plurality of leads in the fixed relationship.

100. The connector element as claimed in claim 98, wherein the first capacitor is disposed substantially adjacent the plurality of contact terminals so as to immediately compensate for capacitance introduced by the mating connector element.