A telephone E and M trunk signaling link circuit is formed of an integral assembly of a plurality of electrically non-conductive terminal blocks which mount a plurality of electrically conductive terminal elements which detachably support and make electrical contact with a plurality of printed circuit boards to which are connected electrically a plurality of socket members removably mounting a plurality of Darlington amplifiers.

A circuit board having a multiway connector disposed along one edge thereof. The multiway connector includes a plurality of contacts. Earth path contacts of the connector are offset in relation to the remaining contacts so as to be the first to make connection with the corresponding connector upon insertion of the board into the connector and conversely the last to break connection upon extraction of the board from the corresponding connector.

An improved cutover block enabling a plurality of telephone circuits to be conveniently transferred from one switching location to another switching location. The cutover operation is performed manually by disconnecting a printed circuit board carried by the cutover block, rotating the board about 180.degree. on its own axis, and reconnecting it to the cutover block to result in reconnecting the circuit to another location. For convenience, the cutover block is made to the same dimensions as a standard telephone connector block, so that it may be mounted conveniently on a frame adjacent an existing connector block with which it is associated.

An attenuator introduces a known attenuation into telephone circuitry at connecting block terminals of incoming and outgoing, tip and ring lines when clipped thereto. The attenuator is particularly suited for attachment to an insulation displacement terminating block, known as a 66 type block, for telephone wire circuits or pairs. An attenuation network in the form of a balanced square pad is mounted on a substrate to form a printed circuit board and resistance assembly. Electrical contact means include four electrical contacts that have tail portions connected to the attenuation network and clip portions that grip the connecting block terminals of the incoming and outgoing, tip and ring lines. The printed circuit board and resistance assembly and the electrical contact means are received within a protective, insulating cover and retained therein by potting material. The attenuation rating or loss for the attenuator is marked on the top surface of the cover.

The invention is an electrical connector that minimizes signal skew caused by varying propagation times through different transmission paths within the connector, minimizes crosstalk caused by intermingling electric fields between signal contacts, and maximizes signal density within the connector. The electrical connector may include a plug and receptacle housing, plug contacts, receptacle contacts, and contact plates. The contact plates may include connecting contacts that electrically connect plug contacts to receptacle contacts. The electrical connector minimizes signal skew by maintaining substantially equal-length transmission paths within the connector through varying the lengths and positions of plug and receptacle contacts. The electrical connector minimizes crosstalk by surrounding the connecting contacts with electrical ground by placing the connecting contacts in grooves of the connecting plates. Placing the contacts in such grooves maximizes the signal density of the contact by enabling the contacts to be placed in close proximity with other contacts while minimizing crosstalk.