Electrical terminal and method of making same

Abstract

Abstract A plurality of terminals already disposed in a housing of an electrical connector, include solder tails extending rearwardly from the housing each of which has a thin foil-like substrate having a layer of magnetic material bonded intimately onto an outer surface thereof, so that respective wire ends may be placed therealong with solder preforms within lengths of heat recoverable tubing may be placed therearound and a high frequency current induced in the magnetic layer of the substrate which then generates thermal energy sufficient to melt the solder and shrink the tubing forming terminations between the wires and the terminals and simultanously sealing the terminations. The magnetic material of the substrate may be nickel-iron alloy, which may comprise the foil or which may be clad to a brass layer of the foil, which is then soldered to a brass solder tail layer. The thermal energy is generated in an amount necessary to raise the temperature of the magnetic layer to its Curie temperature for the given frequency used and maintain the temperature. Each terminal thus includes an integral self-regulating thermal energy source, and the thermal energy radiates outwardly from the solder tails and is thus localized at the termination sites. The heating necessary to melt the solder is thus controlled in temperature and in location, substantially unaffecting the remainder of the connector, in an energy efficient process.

Inventors

• 👤 Kenneth N. Ayer
• 👤 James P. Scholz

Bibliographic Details