An electrical bus strip to receive a terminal post comprises (a) an elongated metallic bus strip; (b) a contact integral with and spaced from said strip, said contact protruding toward a plane defined by said strip, and (c) two pairs of arms having first ends integral with said strip and second ends integral with said contact to support the contact for resiliently yieldable movement normal to said planes in response to insertion of a terminal post into position between the arms of each pair and between the contact and said strip. Typically the bus strip defines an H-shaped opening generally in registration with said contact and arms which were stamped from said strip.
A bandolier carrier strip for carrying pin-like contact elements through a plating bath and for subsequent use in automated insertion apparatus is provided by a non-metallic strip-like base member of flexible non-conductive material with a layer of conductive material on at least one side thereof. The bandolier has a plurality of pairs of spaced apertures spaced longitudinally therealong. When the bandolier is flexed along its longitudinal center line, the apertures in a selected pair of apertures align allowing a pin-like contact element to be inserted therewithin. When the flexing action is released, the natural flexural characteristic of the bandolier tends to straighten out the same and cause the pin-like contact element to be releasably gripped in the apertures and placed in electrical contact with the conductive material on the surface of the strip-like base member. This process is repeated to load the pairs of spaced apertures with pin-like contact elements. During a subsequent plating operation, the conductive material on the bandolier permits an electrical charge to be applied to the pin-like contact elements through drive sprockets. The bandolier, with the pin-like contact elements loaded therein, is passed through an oppositely charged plating bath whereby the pin-like contact elements and the conductive layer are plated with plating material. Several different embodiments of the bandolier are illustrated and described.
