Connector module, connector and wafer

Abstract

A modular, high-speed, high-density electrical connector is configurable for multiple configurations, including orthogonal configurations with direct attachment. The connector is assembled using modules comprising shielded signal conductor pairs, wherein the mating ends are rotated approximately 45 degrees relative to the middle portion of the signal conductors. The connector may have a mating interface, wherein one connector has a socket and the mating connector has pins. The pins may be small-diameter and may be implemented using highly elastic wires to resist damage despite having a very small effective diameter. A tight mating interface resulting from the small-diameter mating contact portions allows the remaining portion of the connector, including the shielding surrounding the signal conductors, to be even smaller, which can increase the resonant frequency of the connector and expand its bandwidth.

Description

Connector module, connector, electronic component, electrical connector, and sheet of a connector module This patent application generally relates to interconnect systems, such as those that include electrical connectors used to interconnect electronic components. Electrical connectors are used in many electronic systems. It is generally easier and more cost-effective to manufacture an individual electronic component such as a printed circuit board (“PCB”), which can be joined using an electrical connector. A known configuration for joining several printed circuit boards is to use one printed circuit board as a baseboard. Other printed circuit boards (referred to as “daughter boards” or “daughter cards”) can be connected through the baseboard. A known baseboard is a printed circuit board onto which a number of connectors can be mounted. The conductive circuits in the baseboard can be electrically connected to the signal conductors in the connectors, so that signals can be routed between the connectors. Daughter cards can also have connectors mounted thereon. The connectors mounted on the daughter cards can be inserted into the connectors mounted on the baseboard. In this way, signals can be routed between the daughter cards through the baseboard. The daughter cards can be inserted into the baseboard at a right angle. Connectors used for these applications can therefore include a right-angle bend and are thus commonly referred to as “right-angle connectors”. Connectors can also be used in other configurations for interconnecting printed circuit boards. Some systems use a midplane configuration. Similar to a baseboard, a midplane has connectors mounted on one surface, which are interconnected by routing channels within the midplane. The midplane additionally has connectors mounted on a second side, so that daughter cards are inserted into both sides of the midplane. Daughter cards inserted from opposite sides of the midplane typically have orthogonal orientations. This orientation positions an edge of each printed circuit board adjacent to an edge of each board inserted into the opposite side of the midplane. The routing of lines within the midplane from a board on one side of the midplane to a board on the other side of the midplane can be short, resulting in the desired signal integrity characteristics. A variation on the midplane configuration is referred to as “direct attachment”. In this configuration, daughter cards are inserted from opposite sides of the system. These boards are also orthogonally oriented, so that an edge of a board inserted from one side of the system is adjacent to an edge of a board inserted from the opposite side of the system. These daughter cards also have connectors. However, instead of inserting into connectors on a midplane, the connectors on each daughter card are directly inserted into connectors on a printed circuit board that is inserted from the opposite side of the system. The connectors used for this configuration are sometimes referred to as orthogonal connectors. Examples of orthogonal connectors are shown in U.S. Patents 7354274, 7331830, 8678860, 8057267, and 8251745. Embodiments of a high density high speed electrical connector and related modules and components are described. According to certain embodiments, a connector module may include a pair of signal conductors, the pair of signal conductors including a pair of mating ends, a pair of contact tails, and a pair of intermediate portions connecting the pair of mating ends to the pair of contact tails, the pair of mating ends being elongated in a direction that is perpendicular to a direction in which the pair of contact tails is elongated, the mating ends of the pair of mating ends being separated in a direction of a first line, the intermediate portions of the pair of intermediate portions being separated in a direction of a second line, and the first line being disposed at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the second line. According to certain embodiments, a sheet may include a plurality of pairs of signal conductors, each pair of signal conductors including a pair of mating ends, a pair of contact tails, and a pair of intermediate portions connecting the pair of mating ends to the pair of contact tails, the pairs of mating ends of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors being positioned in a row along a row direction, the intermediate portions of the pairs of intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors being aligned in a direction perpendicular to the row direction and being positioned for edge coupling, and the mating ends of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors being separated along a line that is disposed at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the row direction. According to certain embodiments, a connector may include a plurality of signal conductor pairs, wherein for each signal conductor pair of the plurality of signal conductor pairs, the signal conductor pair includes a pair of mating ends, a pair of contact tails, and an intermediate portion connecting the pair of mating ends to the pair of contact tails, the signal conductor pair further includes a transition region between the pair of mating ends and the pair of intermediate portions, the pair of mating ends of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are arranged in an array including a plurality of columns, the plurality of columns extend along a column direction, and are spaced apart from each other in a row direction perpendicular to the column direction, the pair of mating ends of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are aligned along a first parallel line, the first parallel line is arranged at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the column direction, and for each signal conductor pair of the plurality of signal conductor pairs, within the transition region, the relative positions of the signal conductors of the signal conductor pair change such that at a first end of the transition region adjacent the mating end, the signal conductors are aligned along a line of the first parallel line, and at a second end of the transition region, the signal conductors are aligned in the column direction. According to certain embodiments, a connector module may include an insulating member and a pair of signal conductors held by the insulating member, each signal conductor of the pair of signal conductors includes a first portion at a first end, a second portion extending from the insulating portion at a second end, and an intermediate portion disposed between the first and second ends, and the first portion includes a wire having a diameter between 5 and 20 mils. According to certain embodiments, an extender module may include a pair of signal conductors, each signal conductor of the pair of signal conductors includes a first portion at a first end and a second portion at a second end, and an electromagnetic shield that at least partially surrounds the pair of signal conductors, the first portion of the pair of signal conductors is configured as a mating portion and is positioned along a first line, and the second portion of the pair of signal conductors is configured to be compressed when inserted into a hole and is positioned along a second line parallel to the first line. According to certain embodiments, a connector may include an insulating portion, a plurality of signal conductors held by the insulating portion, and a plurality of shielding members, the plurality of signal conductors include elongated mating portions extending from the insulating portion, the plurality of signal conductors include a plurality of pairs of signal conductors arranged in a plurality of columns extending in a column direction, the plurality of shielding members at least partially surround the pairs in the plurality, and the mating portions of the plurality of pairs are separated along a first parallel line, the first parallel line is arranged at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the column direction. The inventors have developed techniques for manufacturing electrical connectors for use with high-speed signals and having a high density, and which can be manufactured at low cost. These techniques include the configuration of mating interfaces to simply support multiple configurations, which include right-angle or direct mating orthogonal system configurations, or system configurations with cables connected to a midplane member. The configurations can also provide signal paths with low mode conversion and reduce other electrical effects that may affect signal integrity. The inventors have recognized and appreciated that electrical connectors having angled mating interfaces (e.g., where the mating ends of signal conductor pairs are twisted relative to the intermediate portions of the signal conductors) provide enhanced flexibility in making connections between connectors having direct mating orthogonal configurations, backplane configurations, or other configurations. Such angled mating interfaces can be produced, for example, in a connector where signal conductors are paired and wound, and the mating ends of a pair of signal conductors are separated along a first line, and the intermediate portion of the pair is separated along a second line, the second line being at an angle greater than 0 degrees but less than 90 degrees relative to the first line. Two connectors having similar angled interfaces can be used as part of a direct mating orthogonal connector system. Such connectors can be mated via an extender module having a direct signal path, which is easy to manufacture. Due to this use of similar or even identical connectors mated via a simple extender module, the cost of the interconnect system can be low. In some embodiments, the angled interfaces of two mated connectors can be angled at the same angle relative to a normal to the mating face of the connectors. In some embodiments, the angles of the two mated connectors can have the same magnitude but can be in opposite directions. The specific angle and direction for each connector can be dependent on the system configuration. As a specific example, for connectors designed for a direct mating orthogonal configuration, the mated connectors can both have mating interfaces angled 45 degrees in the clockwise direction. For a parallel board configuration, the mated connectors can both have mating interfaces angled 45 degrees, but in one connector the angle can be in the clockwise direction and in the other connector the mating interface can be angled in the counterclockwise direction. These angles can be described as 45 degrees and 135 degrees, respectively, where the angles of the two connectors are measured in the clockwise direction. An interconnect system as described herein can provide high signal integrity because modal transitions can be low due to the twist in the signal path pair being limited to less than 90 degrees. The inventors have also recognized and appreciated that using a connector with an angled mating interface reduces the amount of twist of the conductors of a signal pair on a signal path, such that the rate of twist of the angle can be low. Reducing the rate of twist of the angle improves the integrity of the signals carried by the connector system by reducing the skew and / or modal transitions associated with the twist, even in a miniaturized connector. In some embodiments, the rate of twist of the angle generated in at least one transition region may be about 45 degrees or less per 1.5 mm, which can provide low modal transitions in the transition region. In some embodiments, the rate of twist of the angle in a transition region between a middle portion of the signal conductor (which may be wide-side to wide-side aligned) and the mating interface portion of the signal conductor may be, for example, in a range of 45 to 90 degrees per mm or 45 to 80 degrees per mm. The angled interface can also enable a simple design of an extender module that can be attached to a connector to change the position, orientation, or mating contact type of the mating interface of the connector. This extender module design allows a single type of connector to be used on both sides of an interconnect system, where the extender module provides an interface between the connectors. The extender module can have signal conductors passing through the module without twist, which allows the extender module to be substantially surrounded by a shield formed from a metal sheet or a small number of metal sheets that can be cut and folded to partially or completely surround the module. These techniques also include the use of thin signal conductors in portions of the connector, such as in the mating interface and / or mounting interface. Thus, for example, a ground conductor that can be used to provide a shield around a signal conductor or signal conductor pair can enclose a recess that contains the signal conductor or signal conductor pair. Due to the recess, resonances that can interfere with the highly integrity operation of the connector occur at a high frequency, which can be outside the desired operating frequency range of the connector. In some embodiments, a ground conductor surrounding a signal pair can enclose a recess that has a rectangular cross-section, and the longer dimension of the recess can be reduced to increase the frequency of the lowest frequency resonance supported by the recess. In some embodiments, the thin signal conductors can be implemented using a superelastic conductive material. At least the mating contact portion of the signal conductor can be formed from a superelastic conductive material such as a superelastic wire, which can have a small diameter but appropriate mechanical integrity. The inventors have recognized and appreciated that the shape and location of features in electromagnetic shielding, including the mating ends proximate the signal conductor pairs, can reduce impedance discontinuities associated with variability in the spacing between mated connectors. Such features can include an inwardly projecting portion of a shield adjacent the mating end. These techniques can be utilized individually or together, in any suitable combination. Due to the improved electrical characteristics achieved by these techniques, the electrical connectors described herein can be configured to operate at high data transfer rates at high bandwidths. For example, the electrical connectors described herein can operate at 40 GHz or higher, and can have a bandwidth of at least 50 GHz, such as up to and including 56 GHz frequency, and / or a bandwidth in the range of 50 - 60 GHz. For example, such electrical connectors can transfer data at rates up to 112 Gb / s. Turning to the figures, FIGS. 1 and 2A - B depict electrical connectors of an electrical interconnect system according to certain embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical interconnect system 100 including first and second mated connectors, which are herein configured as directly attached orthogonal connectors 102a and 102b. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of electrical connector 102a, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of electrical connector 102b, which shows the mating interfaces and the mounting interfaces of those connectors. In the depicted embodiments, the mating interfaces are complementary such that connector 102a mates with connector 102b. In the depicted embodiments, the mounting interfaces are similar in that they each include an array of press-fit contact tails configured for mounting to a printed circuit board. Electrical connectors 102a and 102b can be manufactured using similar techniques and materials. For example, electrical connectors 102a and 102b can include substantially the same laminate 130. Electrical connectors 102a and 102b having laminates 130 that can be manufactured and / or assembled in the same process can have low manufacturing costs. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, first connector 102a includes a first laminate 130a, which includes one or more individual laminates 130 positioned side by side. Laminates 130 are described herein with reference to FIG. 10A. Laminates 130 include one or more connector modules 200, which are further described herein with reference to FIG. 10B. The sheet 130 also includes a sheet housing 132a that holds the connector module 200. The sheets are held side by side such that the contact tails extending from the sheet 130 of the first connector 102a form a first contact tail array 136a. The contact tails of the first contact tail array 136a can be configured for mounting to a substrate, such as the substrate 104c described in connection with FIG. 3A. For example, the first contact tail array 136 can be configured for press-fit insertion, solder mounting, or any other mounting configuration for mounting to a printed circuit board or conductors within a cable. In the illustrated embodiment, the first connector 102a includes an extender housing 120 within which an extender module 300 is included, which is further described herein with reference to FIG. 2A. In the illustrated embodiment, the first connector 102a includes signal conductors having contact tails that form part of the first contact tail array 136a. The signal conductors have intermediate portions that couple the contact tails to the mating ends. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating ends are configured to mate with additional signal conductors in the extender module 300. The signal conductors in the extender module 300 also have mating ends that form the mating interface of the connector 102a visible in FIG. 2A. Ground conductors similarly extend from the sheet 130a through the extender module 300 to the mating interface of the connector 102a visible in FIG. 2A. The second connector 102b includes a second sheet 130b that includes one or more sheets 130 positioned side by side. The sheets 130 of the second sheet 130b can be configured as described for the first sheet 130a. For example, the sheets 130 of the second sheet 130b have sheet housings 132b. Additionally, a second contact tail array 136b of the second connector 102b is formed by the contact tails of conductive elements within the second sheet 130b. Similar to the first contact tail array 136a, the second contact tail array 136b can be configured for press-fit insertion, solder mounting, or any other mounting configuration for mounting to a printed circuit board or conductors within a cable. As shown in FIG. 1, the first contact tail array 136a faces a first direction, and the second contact tail array 136b faces a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Thus, when the first contact tail array 136a is mounted to a first substrate (such as a printed circuit board), and the second contact tail array 136b is mounted to substrate 104d, the surfaces of the first and second substrates can be perpendicular to each other. In addition, the first connector 102a and the second connector 102b mate along a third direction perpendicular to each of the first and second directions. During the process of mating the first connector 102a and the second connector 102b, one or both of the first and second connectors 102a and 102b move toward the other connector along the third direction. It should be appreciated that although the first and second electrical connectors 102a and 102b are shown in FIG. 1 having a directly attached orthogonal configuration, the connectors described herein can be adapted for other configurations. For example, the connectors depicted in FIGS. 3C to 3D have mating interfaces that are angled in opposite directions and can be used in a coplanar configuration. FIG. 21 depicts how the structural techniques described herein can be used in a backplane, midplane, or mezzanine configuration. However, the use of the mating interface in a board-to-board configuration is not a requirement. FIG. 22 depicts that some or all of the signal conductors within a connector can be terminated to a cable, which results in a cable connector or a hybrid cable connector. Other configurations are also possible. As shown in FIG. 2A, the first electrical connector 102a also includes an extender module 300, which provides a mating interface for the first connector 102a. For example, the mating portion of the extender module 300 forms the first mating end array 134a. In addition, as further described herein with reference to FIG. 17A, the extender module 300 can be mounted to the connector module 200 of the first sheet 130a. The extender housing 120 holds the extender module 300, which surrounds at least a portion of the extender module 300. Here, the extender housing 120 surrounds the mating interface and includes a groove 122 for receiving the second connector 102b. As further described herein with reference to FIG. 4, the extender housing 120 also includes a hole through which the extender module 300 extends. As shown in FIG. 2B, the second electrical connector 102b has a front housing 110b, which is shaped to fit into an opening within the extender housing 120. As further described herein with reference to FIG. 6, the second sheet 130b is attached to the front housing 110b. The front housing 110b provides a mating interface for the second connector 102b. For example, the front housing 110b includes a protrusion 112 that is configured to be received in a groove of the extender housing 120. The mating ends of the signal conductors of the sheet 130b are exposed within the holes 114b of the front housing 110b, which form a second mating end array 134b such that the mating ends can engage the signal conductors of the sheet 130a of the first connector 102a. For example, the extender module 300 extends from the first connector 102a and can be received by the signal conductor pair of the second connector 102b. The ground conductors of the sheet 130b are similarly exposed within the holes 114b and can similarly mate with the ground conductors in the extender module 300, which are then connected to the ground conductors in the sheet 130a. In FIGS. 2A-B, the first connector 102a is configured to receive the second connector 102b. As depicted, the groove 122 of the extender housing 120 is configured to receive the protrusion of the front housing 110b. Additionally, the holes 114b are configured to receive the mating portions of the extender module 300. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the first sheet 130a of the first connector 102a and the second sheet 130b of the second connector 102b can be substantially the same. For example, the first connector 102a can include a front housing 110a that can receive the sheet from one side and can be configured similar to a corresponding side of the front housing 110b. An opposite side of the front housing 110a can be configured for attachment to the extender housing 120 such that the front housing 110a is disposed between the first sheet 130a and the extender housing 120. The front housing 110a is further described herein with reference to FIG. 4. The front housing 110b can be configured to mate with the extender housing 120. In some embodiments, the extender housing 120 can be configured such that if inserted into one side of the extender housing 120, it can latch to a feature, and if inserted into an opposite side of the extender housing 120, it will slide in and out to support separable mating. In such a configuration, the same components can be used for the front housing 110a or the front housing 110b. The inventors have recognized and appreciated that using an extender module to interface between the same connectors allows for the manufacture of a single type of connector to be used on each side of an electrical interconnect system, thus reducing the cost of producing the electrical interconnect system. Even though the front housing 110a and the front housing 110b are differently shaped to support either fixed attachment to the extender housing 120 or sliding engagement with the extender housing 120, efficiency is still achieved by using a sheet in the connectors 102a and 102b, and the sheet can be made using the same processing. Similar efficiencies can be achieved in other configurations, such as if the front housing 110a and the extender housing 120 are made as a single piece. An electrical connector as described herein can be formed using a different number of signal conductors than those shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 3A is a front view of a third electrical connector 102c according to an alternative embodiment, which is mounted to a substrate 104c and has an extender housing 120c. Although the third electrical connector 102c is depicted as having fewer signal pairs than the first electrical connector 102a, the third electrical connector 102c can otherwise be assembled using components as described with reference to the first electrical connector 102a. For example, the electrical connector 102c can be assembled from the extender housing 120c and a third sheet 130c having a third mating end array 134c and a third contact tail array 136c, which can be configured in the manner described herein with reference to the extender housing 120, the first sheet 130a, the first mating end array 134a, and the first contact tail array 136a. In FIG. 3A, the third electrical connector 102c is mounted to the substrate 104c. For example, the third connector 102c can be a right-angle connector that is mounted adjacent to an edge of the substrate 104c. In some embodiments, the substrate 104c can include a printed circuit board. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3A, the contact tail pairs of the third contact tail array 136c are mounted to the substrate 104c. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the third contact tail array 136c are configured to be inserted into holes in the substrate 104c. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the third contact tail array 136c are configured to be mounted on pads on the substrate 104c, such as by surface mount soldering techniques. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating terminal pairs of the third mating terminal array 134c are connected along parallel lines 138c and are disposed at an angle of 45 degrees relative to each of the mating row direction 140c and the mating column direction 142c. FIG. 3B is a front view of a fourth electrical connector 102d configured to mate with the third connector 102c depicted in FIG. 3A. Although the fourth electrical connector 102d is depicted as having fewer signal pairs than the second electrical connector 102b, the third electrical connector 102c may otherwise be assembled using the components described with reference to the first electrical connector 102a. The fourth electrical connector 102d may otherwise be configured in the manner described with reference to the second electrical connector 102d. For example, the electrical connector 102d may be assembled from a front housing 110d and a fourth sheet 130d having a fourth mating terminal array 134d and a fourth contact tail array 136d. These components may be configured in the manner described herein with reference to the front housing 110b, the second sheet 130b, the second mating terminal array 134b, and the second contact tail array 136b. In FIG. 3B, the fourth electrical connector 102d is mounted to a substrate 104d. In some embodiments, the fourth connector 102d includes an edge connector mounted adjacent an edge of the substrate 104d. The substrate 104d may include a printed circuit board. The contact tails of the fourth contact tail array 136d are mounted to the substrate 104d. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the fourth contact tail array 136d are configured to be inserted into holes in the substrate 104d. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the fourth contact tail array 136d are configured to be mounted onto pads on the substrate 104d, for example, by solder mounting. The front housing 110d includes holes 114d in which the mating ends of the signal conductor pairs of the fourth sheet 130d are positioned, such that signal conductors from the connector 102c inserted into the holes 114d can mate with the signal conductors of the fourth sheet 130d. The ground conductors of the fourth sheet 130d are similarly exposed within the holes 114d for mating with the ground conductors from the connector 102c. The fourth mating terminal array 134d includes columns that extend along a column direction 142d and are spaced apart from each other in a row direction 140d that is perpendicular to the column direction 142d. The mating terminal pairs of the fourth mating terminal array 134d are aligned along parallel lines 138d. In the illustrated embodiment, the parallel lines 138a are disposed at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the column direction 142d. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating ends of the signal conductors of the second sheet are connected along parallel lines 138d that are disposed at a 45-degree angle relative to each of the mating row direction 140d and the mating column direction 142d. Similar to connectors 102a and 102b of FIGS. 1-2, FIGS. 3A-3B depict connectors 102c and 102d having a directly attached orthogonal configuration. FIGS. 3C-3D depict electrical connectors 102c' and 102d' having a coplanar configuration. When connector 102c' mates with connector 102d', substrates 104c' and 104d' can be coplanar. The substrates 104c' and 104d' on which connectors 102c' and 102d' are mounted can be aligned parallel to each other. In this example, connectors 102c' and 102d' are different from connectors 102a, 102b, and 102c and 102d in that the mating interfaces of connectors 102c' and 102d' are inclined in opposite directions, while the mating interfaces of connectors 102a, 102b, and 102c and 102d are inclined in the same direction. Otherwise, connectors 102c' and 102d' can be constructed in the manner described for connectors 102a, 102b, and 102c and 102d. Mating end arrays 134c' and 134d' can be adapted for a coplanar configuration. Similar to FIGS. 3A-3B, the mating ends of mating end array 134c' are positioned along parallel lines 138c', and the mating ends of mating end array 134d' are positioned along parallel lines 138d'. In FIGS. 3C-3D, parallel lines 138c' and 138d' are perpendicular to each other because mating end arrays 134c' and 134d' are shown facing in the same direction. For example, although the same connector can be used on both sides of the directly attached orthogonal configuration shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, variants of the same connector can be used in the coplanar configuration shown in FIGS. 3C-3D. In some embodiments, the relative positions of the mating terminal pairs of the mating terminal array 134c' can be rotated 90 degrees relative to the relative positions of the mating terminal pairs of the mating terminal array 134d'. In some embodiments, the parallel lines 138c' can be disposed at a 45-degree counterclockwise angle (e.g., +45 degrees) relative to the mating column direction 142c', and the parallel lines 138d' can be disposed at a 45-degree clockwise angle (e.g., -45 degrees, or +135 degrees counterclockwise) relative to the mating column direction 142d'. It should be appreciated that the parallel lines 138d' can alternatively be disposed at a 45-degree counterclockwise angle (e.g., +45 degrees) relative to the mating column direction 142d', and the parallel lines 138c' can be disposed at a 45-degree clockwise angle (e.g., -45 degrees, or +135 degrees counterclockwise) relative to the mating column direction 142c'. FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view of the electrical connector 102a of FIG. 1. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 illustrated herein, the extender housing 120 is shown removed from the front housing 110a to show the front housing 110a and an array of extender modules 300. In the illustrated embodiment, the front housing 110a is attached to the sheet 130. The front housing 110a can be formed using a dielectric such as plastic, for example, in one or more molding processes. Also as shown, the front housing 110a includes a protrusion 112a, which is configured herein for latching the front housing 110a to the extender housing 120. For example, the protrusion 112a can be received in the opening 124 of the extender housing 120. The extender modules 300 are shown protruding from the front housing 110a. The extender modules 300 can be mounted to the signal conductors of the sheet 130 to form a mating array 134a. The engagement of the protrusion 112a into the opening 124 can be achieved by applying a force that exceeds the mating force required to press the connectors 102a and 102b together for mating, or to separate those connectors upon unmating. Thus, the extender housing 120 can be fixed to the front housing 110a during the operation of the connectors 102a and 102b. The holes 126 of the extender housing 120 are sized to permit the mating ends of the extender modules 300 to extend therethrough. The mating ends of the signal and ground conductors of the extender modules 300 are then exposed within a recess that serves as a mating interface region enclosed by the walls of the extender housing 120. The opposite ends of the signal and ground conductors within the extender modules 300 can be electrically coupled to the corresponding signal and ground conductors within the sheet 130a. In this way, the connection between the signal and ground conductors within the sheet 130a and the connector 102b is inserted into the mating interface region. The extender housing 120 can be formed using a dielectric such as plastic, for example, in one or more molding processes. In the illustrated embodiment, the extender housing 120 includes a groove 122. The groove 122 is configured to receive a protrusion 112b of the front housing 110b of the second connector 102b (FIG. 6). The sliding of the protrusion 112b in the groove 122 can assist in aligning the mating array 134a of the first electrical connector 102a with the mating array 134b of the second electrical connector 102b before sliding the two connectors into a mated configuration. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electrical connector 102a of FIG. 1 having a single extender module 300. In the illustrated embodiment, all but one of the extender modules 300 have been removed to facilitate showing the holes 114a in the front housing 110a through which the extender module 300 extends. For example, the holes 114a are sized to expose the mating ends of the signal conductors of the sheet 130 and to allow a tail end of the extender module 300 to be inserted into the holes 114a to engage conductive elements within the sheet 130b. FIG. 6 is a partial exploded view of the second electrical connector 102b of FIG. 1. Here, the front housing 110b is shown separated from the sheet 130b. As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet 130b of the second electrical connector 102b is formed from a plurality of connector modules 200. In the depicted embodiment, each sheet has eight connector modules. The mating ends 202 of the connector modules 200 extend from the sheet housing 132b to form a mating end array 134b. When the front housing 110b is attached to the sheet 130b, the mating end array 134b extends into the front housing 110b. The mating ends 202 are accessible through individual holes 114b. The contact tails 206 extend from the sheet housing 132b in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mating ends 202 extend to facilitate forming a contact tail array 136b. The connector module 200 also includes an electromagnetic shield 210 to provide isolation for the electrical signals carried by signal pairs from adjacent connector modules 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the shield also has a structure that forms a mating contact portion at the mating ends 202 and a structure of the contact tails within the contact tail array 136b. The electromagnetic shield can be formed from a conductive material, such as a piece of metal that is bent and formed into the illustrated shape to facilitate forming a conductive shield. Also shown in FIG. 6 are the sheet 130b and the retaining member 180. The retaining member 180 can be formed by metal stamping or from other suitable materials. As further described herein with reference to FIGS. 9A - 9C, the retaining member 180 can be configured to hold a plurality of sheets 130b together. A mechanism may be provided to fix the front housing 110b to the sheet 130b. In the illustrated embodiment, the protruding tab 150 is sized and positioned to extend into the opening 116b of the front housing 110b to fix the front housing 110b to the sheet 130b. The force required to insert and remove the protruding tab 150 from the opening 116b may exceed the mating and / or unmating force of the connectors 102a and 102b. It should be recognized that in the above embodiments, the first and second electrical connectors 102a and 102b included in the two connectors may have portions with the same structure. FIGS. 7-9C show in more detail portions of the connectors 102a and 102b that may be the same for the first and second electrical connectors 102a and 102b. The description of FIGS. 7-9C refers to a general electrical connector 102 that may be applicable to the first or second electrical connectors 102a and 102b in some embodiments. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a portion of the electrical connector 102 having a flexible shield 170 but no front housing. The inventors have recognized and appreciated that the signal integrity in the electrical connector 102 can be improved by the paired contact tails 206 and / or electromagnetic shield tails 220 of the flexible shield 170. The paired contact tails 206 of the contact tail array 136 may extend through the flexible shield 170. The flexible shield 170 may include lossy and / or conductive portions and may also include insulating portions. The contact tails 206 may pass through the openings or insulating portions of the flexible shield 170 and may be insulated from the lossy or conductive portions. The ground conductor within the connector 102 may be electrically coupled to the lossy or conductive portion, for example, by the electromagnetic shield tail 220 passing through or pressing against the lossy or conductive portion. In some embodiments, the conductive portion may be flexible such that when the connector 102 is mounted to a printed circuit board and when the conductive portion is pressed between the connector 102 and the printed circuit board, its thickness may be reduced. The flexibility may result from the material used and may, for example, result from an elastomer filled with conductive particles or a conductive foam. Such materials may reduce in volume or be displaceable when a force is applied thereto in order to exhibit flexibility. The conductive and / or lossy portion may, for example, be a conductive elastomer, such as a polysiloxane elastomer filled with conductive particles, such as particles of silver, gold, copper, nickel, aluminum, nickel-coated graphite, or combinations or alloys thereof. Alternatively or additionally, such material may be a conductive open-cell foam, such as a polyethylene foam electroplated with copper and nickel. If insulating portions are present, they may also be flexible. Alternatively or additionally, the flexible material may be thicker than the insulating portions of the flexible shield 170 such that the flexible material may extend from the mounting interface of the connector 102 to the surface of a printed circuit board to which the connector 102 is mounted. The flexible material may be positioned to align with pads on a surface of a printed circuit board, and the paired contact tails 206 of the contact tail array 136 will be attached to or inserted through the printed circuit board. Those pads may be connected to a ground structure within the printed circuit board such that when the electrical connector 102 is attached to the printed circuit board, the flexible material contacts a ground pad on the surface of the printed circuit board. The conductive or lossy portions of the flexible shield 170 may be positioned to make electrical connection to the electromagnetic shield 210 of the connector module 200. Such a connection may be formed, for example, by the electromagnetic shield tail 220 passing through and contacting the lossy or conductive portion. Alternatively or additionally, in embodiments where the lossy or conductive portions are flexible, those portions may be positioned to press against the electromagnetic shield tail 220 or other structures extending from the electromagnetic shield when the electrical connector 102 is attached to a printed circuit board. The insulating portions 176 may be organized into columns along a column direction 172 and a row direction 174. When the paired contact tails 206 of the contact tail array 136 extend through the insulating portions 176, the column direction 172 of the flexible shield 170 may substantially align with the contact tail column direction 146, and the row direction 174 of the flexible shield 170 may substantially align with the contact tail row direction 144. In the illustrated embodiment, the conductive members 178 engage the insulating portions 176 and are positioned between the columns of the contact tail array 136. In this position, they may contact the electromagnetic shield tails 220 either by pressing against the tails when they are compressed or by the shield tails 220 passing through the conductive members 178. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a portion 190 of the substrate 104e depicting a portion of a connector coverage area to which the connector 102 may be mounted. Here, a 4×4 grid of mounting positions is shown, with the mounting positions 194a and 194b numbered. Each mounting position may accommodate contact tails from a pair of signal conductors and electromagnetic shield tails 220 of the electromagnetic shield surrounding the pair. Here, four such electromagnetic shield tails 220 are shown for each pair. The mounting locations 194a and 194b each include a conductive signal via 196 and a conductive ground via 198. The conductive signal via 196 and the conductive ground via 198 are configured to receive the contact tails and / or electromagnetic shielding tails of an electrical connector. For example, the conductive signal via 196 and the ground via 198 may be formed as plated holes into which the pressed tails are inserted. Alternatively, the signal contact tails and / or electromagnetic shielding tails may be soldered to pads on the tops of the conductive signal via 196 and / or the conductive ground via 198. In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate 104e is implemented as a multi-layer printed circuit board. FIG. 8 depicts a portion of an internal layer of the printed circuit board in which the circuitry is visible. Only two lines are depicted, but it should be appreciated that a pair of lines may be connected for each pair of signal conductors. Those lines may be on the depicted layer or on another layer of the printed circuit board. Other layers may also include constructive structures to serve as ground planes. The shielding tail 220 may be connected to the ground plane. Shown in dashed lines is a ground pad 820, which may be formed, for example, on a surface of the printed circuit board. The ground pad 820 may be connected to one or more of the ground planes within the printed circuit board. In the illustrated embodiment, the ground pad 820 is positioned to align with the conductive member 178 such that when the connector 102 is mounted to the printed circuit board, a conductive path is provided between the electromagnetic shielding within the connector 102 and the ground structure within the printed circuit board. In the depicted embodiment, the mounting locations are spaced apart to leave winding channels, where the winding channels 192a and 192b are numbered. The winding channels 192a and 192b accommodate lines that may wind from the via-wound signals (which are then connected to the contact tails of the connector) to other locations on the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the conductive signal vias 196 and / or the conductive shielding vias have an unplated hole with a diameter less than or equal to 20 mils. In some embodiments, the conductive signal vias 196 and / or the conductive ground vias 198 have an unplated hole with a diameter less than or equal to 10 mils. The mounting positions can then be spaced apart in an array, where a center-to-center spacing in the row direction is less than or equal to 2.5 mm, and a center-to-center spacing in the column direction is less than or equal to 2.5 mm. At this spacing, there is space between the vias for routing channels, including routing channel 192a in the row direction and routing channel 192b in the column direction. Compared to a printed circuit board where routing channels are available only in one direction, having routing channels in the column and row directions can be advantageous because it can reduce the number of layers required to route the wiring in a printed circuit board to all the signal vias in a connector coverage area. Since cost, size, and weight all increase with an increasing number of layers, reducing the number of layers provides many advantages. In some embodiments, the conductive signal vias 196 of adjacent mounting positions 194a and 194b are configured to receive adjacent pairs of contact tails spaced apart along line 146e by a distance less than or equal to 5 mm. In some embodiments, the conductive signal vias 196 of adjacent mounting positions 194a and 194b are configured to receive adjacent pairs of contact tails of an electrical connector, a flex, and / or a connector module spaced apart from center to center along line 146e by a distance less than or equal to 4 mm. In some embodiments, the conductive signal vias 196 of adjacent mounting positions 194a and 194b are configured to receive adjacent pairs of contact tails of an electrical connector, a flex, and / or a connector module spaced apart along line 146e by a distance less than or equal to 2.4 mm. In some embodiments, in a vertical direction, adjacent mounting positions can be spaced less than 8 mm apart, or less than 5 mm center to center along line 144e, or less than 4 mm, or less than or equal to 2.4 mm. Despite the array of closely spaced mounting positions, routing channels in the column and row directions can still be achieved by implementing each of the mounting positions in a fairly compact area. The compactness of each mounting position can depend on the separation between a pair of signal conductors within a connector module 300 and the separation between the signal conductors and the electromagnetic shielding surrounding them. The inventors have recognized and appreciated that these dimensions can be made smaller by including superelastic materials in the electrical connector. The characteristics of superelastic materials can lie in the amount of strain required for those materials to yield, where superelastic materials can tolerate higher strains before yielding. Additionally, the shape of the stress-strain curve for a superelastic material includes a "superelastic" region. Superelastic materials can include shape memory materials that undergo a reversible martensitic phase transformation when an appropriate mechanical driving force is applied. The phase transformation can be a diffusionless solid-solid phase transformation with an associated shape change; the shape change allows the superelastic material to accommodate relatively large stresses compared to conventional (i.e., non-superelastic) materials, and thus superelastic materials typically exhibit an elastic limit that is much larger than that of traditional materials. The elastic limit is herein defined as the maximum strain that a material can reversibly deform without yielding. Thus, conventional conductors typically exhibit an elastic limit of up to 1%, but superelastic conductive materials can have an elastic limit of up to 7% or 8%. Therefore, superelastic conductive materials can be made smaller without sacrificing the ability to tolerate significant strain. Moreover, some superelastic conductive materials can return to their original form even when the strain exceeds their elastic limit, even when they are exposed to a transition temperature characteristic of the material. In contrast, conventional conductors are typically permanently deformed once the strain exceeds their elastic limit. Such materials can enable signal conductors to be small while still providing a robust structure. Such materials make it easier to reduce the width of the electrical conductors of the electrical connector, which can result in a reduction in the spacing between the electrical conductors and the electromagnetic shielding of the electrical connector in the connector module 300. The superelastic member can, for example, have a diameter (or effective diameter, since having a cross-sectional area equal to that of a circle having the diameter), which in some embodiments is between 20 mils, such as between 8 and 14 mils, or in some embodiments between 5 and 8 mils, or within any sub-range of the range between 5 and 14 mils. In addition to enabling winding channels in the column and row directions, a more compact connector module may have unwanted resonance modes at high frequencies that may be outside the desired operating frequency range of the electrical connector. There can be a reduction in a corresponding pair of unwanted resonant frequency modes within the operating frequency range of the electrical connector, which provides increased signal integrity for the signals carried by the connector module. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the contact tail array 136 and / or the mating ends of the mating end array 134 may comprise a superelastic (or pseudoelastic) material. According to a particular embodiment, the superelastic material may have a suitable intrinsic conductivity, or may be made suitably conductive by coating or attaching to a conductive material. For example, a suitable conductivity may be in the range of about 1.5 μΩcm to about 200 μΩcm. Examples of superelastic materials that may have a suitable intrinsic conductivity include, but are not limited to, metal alloys such as copper-aluminum-nickel, copper-aluminum-zinc, copper-aluminum-manganese-nickel, nickel-titanium (such as Nitinol), and nickel-titanium-copper. Additional examples of metal alloys that may be suitable include Ag-Cd (about 44-49 at% Cd), Au-Cd (about 46.5-50 at% Cd), Cu-Al-Ni (about 14-14.5 wt%, about 3-4.5 wt% Ni), Cu-Au-Zn (about 23-28 at% Au, about 45-47 at% Zn), Cu-Sn (about 15 at% Sn), Cu-Zn (about 38.5-41.5 wt% Zn), Cu-Zn-X (X = Si, Sn, Al, Ga, about 1-5 at% X), Ni-Al (about 36-38 at% Al), Ti-Ni (about 49-51 at% Ni), Fe-Pt (about 25 at% Pt), and Fe-Pd (about 30 at% Pd). In some embodiments, a particular superelastic material may be selected for its mechanical response rather than for its electronic properties and may thus not have a suitable intrinsic conductivity. In such embodiments, the superelastic material may be coated with a more conductive metal (such as silver) to improve conductivity. For example, a coating may be applied using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, or any other suitable coating process, as the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The coated superelastic material may also be particularly advantageous in high-frequency applications where most of the conduction occurs near the surface of the conductor. In some embodiments, a connector element comprising a superelastic material may be formed by attaching a superelastic material to a conventional material that may have a higher conductivity than the superelastic material. For example, a superelastic material may be employed only in a portion of the connector element that may be subject to large deformations, while other portions of the connector that do not deform significantly during operation of the connector may be made of a conventional (high-conductivity) material. The inventors have recognized and appreciated that a structure with a relatively small footprint of an electrical connector can be implemented using a superelastic conductive material, but which is still robust enough to withstand the operating requirements of an electrical connector, and can thus facilitate a higher signal conductor density within the portion made of the superelastic material. This closer spacing can be carried through the interconnect system. For example, as described above with reference to FIG. 8, a mounting footprint on a substrate for receiving the electrical connector 102 can be adapted to receive a high density array of contact tails 136. The spacing between the conductive signal vias 196 and / or the conductive ground vias 198 on the substrate 104e can be adapted to match the spacing of the paired contact tails 206 and / or the electromagnetic shielding tails 220 of the contact tail array 136 of the electrical connector 102. Thus, a closer spacing between signal conductors and / or a smaller spacing between signal conductors and ground conductors will result in a more compact footprint. Alternatively or additionally, more space will be available for routing channels. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the electrical connector 102 can be implemented using a superconducting elastic material, which can enable smaller vias and a closer spacing between adjacent pairs compared to conventional contact tails. In some embodiments, the conductive signal vias 196 at adjacent mounting locations 194a and 194b can be spaced in a grid with a 2.4 mm by 2.4 mm pitch in some embodiments. Such close spacing can be achieved with thin contact tails, which can be implemented, for example, using a superelastic wire having a diameter of, for example, less than 10 mils. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the connectors described herein can be configured to be inserted into plated holes formed with an unplated diameter of less than or equal to 20 mils. In some embodiments, the contact tails can be configured to be inserted into vias drilled with an unplated diameter of less than or equal to 10 mils. In some embodiments, the contact tails can have widths ranging from 6 to 20 mils, respectively. In some embodiments, the contact tails can have widths ranging from 6 to 10 mils, respectively, or in other embodiments from 8 to 10 mils. Figures 9A through 16C provide additional details of the components of the connector 102. Figure 9A depicts the wafer 130, and Figures 9B-9C depict the retention member 180 of the electrical connector 102. In the illustrated embodiment of Figure 9A, the wafer 130 is positioned along the contact tail row direction 146, and the retention tabs 152 of the wafer housing 132 engage with the retention member 180. The retention member 180 is configured to fix the wafers 130 to each other. In Figures 9B-9C, the retention member 180 includes slots 182 for receiving the retention tabs 152 of the wafers 130. The retention member 180 may be formed by metal stamping, but alternatively may be formed of a dielectric material such as plastic. Figure 10A is a perspective view of the wafer 130 of the electrical connector 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the wafer housing 132 is formed by two housing members 133a and 133b. Figure 10B is a perspective view of the wafer 130 with one of the wafer housing members 133a cut away. As shown in Figures 10A and 10B, the wafer 130 includes a connector module 200 between the two wafer housing members 133a and 133b. In the illustrated embodiment, the wafer housing members 133a and 133b hold the connector module 200 within the wafer 130. The wafer housing members 133a and 133b include protrusions 154 and holes 156 configured to receive the protrusions 154 to facilitate holding the wafer housing members 133a and 133b together. In some embodiments, the wafer housing members 133a and 133b may be formed of or include a lossy conductive material such as a plated plastic or an insulating material. The inventors have recognized and appreciated that implementing the wafer housing members 133a and 133b with a lossy conductive material provides damping of unwanted resonance modes within and between the connector modules 200, thereby improving the signal integrity of the signals carried by the electrical connector 102. Any suitable lossy material can be used in these and other "lossy" structures. Materials that are conductive but have some loss, or materials that absorb electromagnetic energy in the frequency range of interest due to another physical mechanism are generally referred to herein as "lossy" materials. Electrically lossy materials can be formed from lossy dielectrics, and / or poor conductors, and / or lossy magnetic materials. Magnetically lossy materials can be formed, for example, from materials that are traditionally regarded as ferromagnetic materials, such as those having a magnetic loss tangent greater than about 0.05 in the frequency range of interest. The "magnetic loss tangent" is the ratio of the imaginary part to the real part of the complex electromagnetic conductivity of the material. Practical lossy magnetic materials or mixtures containing lossy magnetic materials may also exhibit useful dielectric loss amounts or conductive loss effects over parts of the frequency range of interest. Electrically lossy materials can be formed from materials that are traditionally regarded as dielectric materials, such as those having an electrical loss tangent greater than about 0.05 in the frequency range of interest. The "electrical loss tangent" is the ratio of the imaginary part to the real part of the complex dielectric constant of the material. Electrically lossy materials can also be formed from materials that are generally regarded as conductors, but the materials are poor conductors over the frequency range of interest, contain sufficiently dispersed conductive particles or regions such that they do not provide high conductivity, or are fabricated to have properties that result in a relatively weak bulk conductivity compared to, for example, a good conductor such as copper over the frequency range of interest. Electrically lossy materials typically have a bulk conductivity of from about 1 Siemen / meter to about 10,000 Siemens / meter, and preferably from about 1 Siemen / meter to about 5,000 Siemens / meter. In some embodiments, materials having a bulk conductivity between about 10 Siemens / meter to about 200 Siemens / meter can be utilized. As a specific example, a material having a conductivity of about 50 Siemens / meter can be utilized. However, it should be appreciated that the conductivity of the material can be selected empirically or through electrical simulation using known simulation tools to determine a suitable conductivity that provides a suitable low crosstalk with a suitable low signal path attenuation or insertion loss. Electrically lossy materials can be partially conductive materials, such as those having a surface resistivity between 1 Ω / square and 100,000 Ω / square. In some embodiments, the electrically lossy materials have a surface resistivity between 10 Ω / square and 1000 Ω / square. As a specific example, the materials can have a surface resistivity between about 20 Ω / square and 80 Ω / square. In some embodiments, an electrically lossy material is formed by adding a filler comprising conductive particles to a binder. In such embodiments, a lossy member can be formed by molding or otherwise shaping the binder with the filler into a desired form. Examples of conductive particles that can be utilized as a filler to form an electrically lossy material include carbon or graphite, which are formed as fibers, flakes, nanoparticles, or other types of particles. Metals in the form of powders, flakes, fibers, or other particles can also be used to provide suitable electrically lossy properties. Alternatively, a combination of fillers can be utilized. For example, gold-plated carbon particles can be utilized. Silver and nickel are suitable metal platings for fibers. The coated particles can be utilized alone or in combination with other fillers such as carbon flakes. The binder or matrix can be any material that will coagulate, solidify, or otherwise be used to position the filler material. In some embodiments, the binder can be a thermoplastic material that is conventionally used in the manufacture of electrical connectors, such that it becomes easier to mold the electrically lossy material into the desired shape and position as part of the manufacture of the electrical connector. Examples of such materials include liquid crystal polymer (LCP) and nylon. However, many alternative forms of binder materials can be utilized. A curable material such as an epoxy resin can be used as a binder. Alternatively, materials such as thermoset resins or adhesives can be utilized. Furthermore, although the above-described binder materials can be used to produce an electrically lossy material by forming a binder around conductive particle fillers, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the conductive particles can be infiltrated into a shaped matrix material or can be coated onto a shaped matrix material, such as by applying a conductive coating to a plastic member or a metal member. As used herein, the term "binder" includes a material that encloses the filler, is infiltrated by the filler, or acts as a substrate to hold the filler. Preferably, the filler will be present in a sufficient volume percentage to allow conductive paths to be created from particle to particle. For example, when metal fibers are used, the fibers can be present at about 3% to 40% by volume. The amount of filler can affect the electrical properties of the material. The filled material can be commercially available, for example, a material sold by Celanese Corporation under the trade name Celestran®, which can be filled with carbon fibers or stainless steel wires. A lossy material such as a lossy conductive carbon-filled adhesive preform, for example, those sold by Techfilm of Billerica, Massachusetts, USA, can also be used. The preform can include an epoxy resin binder filled with carbon fibers and / or other carbon particles. The binder surrounds the carbon particles and serves to reinforce the preform. Such a preform can be inserted into a connector sheet to form all or part of the housing. In some embodiments, the preform can be attached through the adhesive in the preform, which can be cured in a heat treatment process. In some embodiments, the adhesive can be in the form of a separate conductive or non-conductive adhesive layer. In some embodiments, the adhesive in the preform can be used to replace or additionally secure one or more conductive elements, such as strips, to the lossy material. Reinforcing fibers in various forms, woven or non-woven, coated or uncoated, can be utilized. Non-woven carbon fibers are a suitable material. Other suitable materials, such as custom blends sold by RTP Company, can be utilized, as the present invention is not limited in this regard. In some embodiments, a lossy portion can be manufactured by stamping a preform or sheet of lossy material. For example, a lossy portion can be formed by stamping a preform as described above with openings in a suitable pattern. However, other materials can replace such a preform or be utilized additionally. For example, a sheet of ferromagnetic material can be utilized. However, the lossy portion can also be formed in other ways. In some embodiments, a lossy portion can be formed by interleaving layers of lossy and conductive materials such as metal foil. These layers can be rigidly attached to each other, for example, through the use of epoxy resin or other adhesives, or can be held together in any other suitable manner. The layers can have the desired shape before being fixed to each other or can be stamped or shaped after they are held together. As another alternative, a lossy portion can be formed by electroplating a plastic or other insulating material with a lossy coating, such as a diffusion metal coating. As shown in FIG. 10B, the connector module 200 is aligned along the mating row direction 140. As shown in FIG. 10B, the connector module 200 includes a mating end 202 and a mounting end where the contact tails 206 of the signal conductors within the module are exposed. The mating end and the mounting end of the module 200 are connected by an intermediate portion 204. The connector module 200 also includes an electromagnetic shield 210 having electromagnetic shield tails 220 and an electromagnetic shield mating end 212 at the mounting end and the mating end of the module, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating ends of the signal conductors of each connector module are separated along parallel lines 138 at the mating end 202, and the parallel lines 138 are at a 45-degree angle relative to the mating row direction 140. In the illustrated embodiment, the contact tails 206 of the signal conductors within the connector module are positioned in a row along the contact tail row direction 144, and the paired contact tails 206 are also separated along the contact tail row direction 144. As shown, the contact tail row direction 144 is orthogonal to the mating row direction 140. However, it should be appreciated that the mating end and the mounting end can have any desired relative orientation. According to various embodiments, the contact tails 206 can be edge or wide-side coupled. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the housing member 133b of the sheet 130 and a connector module 200. As shown in FIG. 11, the sheet housing member 133b includes a groove 160 shaped to receive the connector module 200. The housing member 133a can similarly include a groove that cooperates with the groove 160 to form a channel in which the connector module 200 is disposed. The groove 160 includes a first notch 162 and a second notch 164, each notch being shaped to receive a protrusion, such as a protrusion 232, from the connector module 200. Such notches and protrusions can provide mechanical integrity to the sheet 130 such that, for example, when the connector 102 is pressed onto a printed circuit board, the module 200 does not rotate. FIGS. 12A - 12C depict a side view, a perspective view, and another perspective view, respectively, of a representative connector module 200. As shown in FIG. 10B, a sheet can include a row of connector modules 200. Each of the connector modules can be in a separate column at the mating and mounting interfaces of the connector. In a right-angle connector, the modules in each column can have an intermediate portion 204 of a different length. In some embodiments, the mating end and the mounting end can be the same. As shown in FIGS. 12A - 12C, electromagnetic shielding members 210a and 210b are disposed around the internal insulating member 230. The first and second holding members 222 of the electromagnetic shielding members 210a and 210b hold the first shielding member 210a to the second shielding member 210b, which encloses the internal insulating member 230. In the illustrated embodiment, the electromagnetic shielding member 210 completely covers the connector module 200 on two sides, where a gap 218 on the remaining two sides allows only partial coverage on those sides. The internal insulating member 230 is exposed through the gap 218. However, in some embodiments, the electromagnetic shielding member 210 may completely cover the insulating member 230 on four sides. The gap 218 may be quite narrow, thus not allowing any significant amount of electromagnetic energy to pass through the gap. For example, the gap may be less than half of a wavelength of the highest frequency within the desired operating range of the connector, or less than a quarter in some embodiments. The signal conductors within the connector module 200 are described herein with reference to FIGS. 16A - 16C. The electromagnetic shielding member 210 may be a conductive shield. For example, the electromagnetic shielding member 210 may be stamped from a sheet of metal. FIGS. 12A - 12C indicate a first transition region 208a and a second transition region 208b of the connector module 200. In the first transition region 208a, the mating end 202 is connected to the intermediate portion 204. In the second transition region 208b, the intermediate portion 204 is connected to the contact tail 206. The electromagnetic shielding members 210a and 210b include an electromagnetic shielding mating end 212 at the mating end 202, and an electromagnetic shielding tail 220 that extends from the module 200 parallel to and beside the contact tail 206 of the signal conductors within the module 200. The electromagnetic shielding mating end 212 surrounds the mating end of the signal conductor. The electromagnetic shielding mating end 212 is embossed to have an outwardly protruding portion 214 in the first transition region 208a and an inwardly protruding portion 216 at the mating end 202. Thus, the outwardly protruding portion 214 is disposed between the intermediate portion 204 and the inwardly protruding portion 216. Embossing the electromagnetic shielding mating end 212 to have the outwardly protruding portion 214 counteracts the impedance variation along a length of the connector module 200 that is related to the shape change of the connector module 200 in the transition region. For example, the impedance along the signal path through the connector module 200 may be between 90 and 100 ohms at a frequency between 45 - 50 GHz. The embossed electromagnetic shielding mating end 212 with the inwardly protruding portion 216 provides a more constant impedance between an operating state in which the connector module 200 is firmly pressed against a mating connector and an operating state in which the connector module 200 is partially unmated, such that there is a separation between the connector module 200 and the mating connector, but the connectors are close enough that the signal conductors in those connectors are mated. In some embodiments, at the operating frequency of the connectors, for example in the range of 45 - 50 GHz, the impedance change between the fully mated and partially unmated configurations of the mating end 202 is less than 5 ohms. FIGS. 13A - 13C are respectively a side view, a perspective view, and another side view of the connector module 200, in which the electromagnetic shielding members 210a and 210b are cut away. As shown in FIGS. 13A - 13C, the outer insulating members 280a and 280b are disposed on opposite sides of the inner insulating member 230. The outer insulating members 280a and 280b can be formed of a dielectric material such as plastic. The protrusion 232 of the inner insulating member 230 is disposed closer to the contact tail 206 than to the mating end 202, and extends in a direction opposite to the direction along which the contact tail 206 extends. The mating ends 202 of the signal conductors within the connector module 200 include flexible sockets 270a and 270b, each socket having mating arms 272a and 272b. In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible sockets 270a and 270b are configured to receive and contact a mated portion of a signal conductor of a mating connector between the mating arms 272a and 272b. Also shown in FIGS. 13A - 13C, the insulating portions of the connector module 200 can insulate the sockets 270a and 270b from each other. Those insulating portions can also position the sockets 270a and 270b and provide holes through which a mating portion of a mating connector can enter the sockets 270a and 270b. Those insulating portions can be formed as part of the insulating member 230. In the depicted embodiment, the inner insulating member 230 has an extended portion 234, which includes arms 236a and 236b and holes 238a and 238b. The extended portion 234 extends beyond the flexible sockets 270a and 270b in a direction along which the mating end 202 is elongated. The arms 236a and 236b are spaced further apart than the mating end 202. The holes 238a and 238b can be configured to receive wires passing therethrough such that the wires extend into the flexible sockets 270a and 270b. For example, the gaps between the arms 272a and 272b of the flexible sockets 270a and 270b are aligned with the holes 238a and 238b. Figures 14A - 14C are respectively a side view, a perspective view, and another side view of the connector module 200, in which the electromagnetic shielding members 210a and 210b and the external insulating members 280a and 280b are cut away. As shown in Figures 14A - 14C, the connector module 200 includes signal conductors 260, which are herein shown as being implemented as a differential pair of signal conductors 260a and 260b. When the connector module 200 is assembled, the signal conductor 260a can be disposed between the external insulating member 280a and the internal insulating member 230, and the signal conductor 260b can be disposed between the external insulating member 280b and the internal insulating member 230. One or more of the internal insulating member 230 and the external insulating members 280a and 280b may include features to hold the insulating members together, thereby stably positioning the signal conductors 260 within the insulating structure. In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second retaining members 240 and 242 of the internal insulating member 230 may extend into openings in the external insulating members 280a and 280b. In the illustrated embodiment, the first retaining member 240 is disposed adjacent to the mating end 202 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction along which the mating end 202 extends. The second retaining member 242 is disposed adjacent to the contact tail 206 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction along which the contact tail 206 extends. The intermediate portions of the signal conductors 260a and 260b are on opposite sides of the internal insulating member 230. In the illustrated embodiment, the signal conductors 260a and 260b are respectively stamped from a sheet of metal and then bent into the desired shape. The intermediate portions are flat and have a thickness equal to the thickness of the metal sheet. Thus, the intermediate portions have opposite wide sides that are joined by edges that are thinner than the wide sides. In the embodiment, the intermediate portions are wide - side to wide - side aligned, which provides wide - side coupling within the module 200. In Figures 14A - 14C, the signal conductor 260 includes a mating end 262, an intermediate portion 264, and a contact tail 266 located at the mating end 202, the intermediate portion 204, and the contact tail 206 of the connector module 200. As shown, the mating end 262 includes flexible sockets 270a and 270b, and the contact tail 266 includes eyelets for the pin - crimped tails. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating ends 262 and the contact tails 266 of the pair of signal conductors 260 are not edge-to-edge aligned as is the middle portion 264. Thus, the relative positions of the pair of signal conductors 260a and 260b between the middle portion 264 and each of the mating ends 262 and the contact tails 266 vary. The relative positions vary in the transition regions 268a and 268b. A first transition region 268a of the signal conductor 260 connects the mating end 262 to the middle portion 264. A second transition region 268b connects the contact tail 266 of the signal conductor 260 to the middle portion 264. In each of these transition regions 268a and 268b, the angular position about an axis parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the pair of signal conductors 260a and 260b varies. The angular distance between the signal conductors 260a and 260b can remain the same, for example, at 180 degrees. In the illustrated embodiment, the angular positions of the signal conductors 260a and 260b vary by 45 degrees within the transition region 268a and by 90 degrees within the transition region 268b, so that considering across the transition regions 268a and 268b, the pair has an angular twist. The internal insulating member 230 can be shaped to accommodate a pair of signal conductors having such transition regions. In the illustrated embodiment, the signal conductors 260 are disposed in grooves 250 on opposite sides of the internal insulating member 230. The transition regions 268a and 268b of the signal conductors 260 are disposed within transition guides 252a and 252b of the grooves 250. The grooves 250 of the internal insulating member 230 are described herein with reference to FIG. 15. It should be appreciated that some embodiments do not include the second transition region 268b. For example, in FIG. 23, the contact tails are shown as edge-to-edge aligned. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an internal insulating member 230 of the connector module 200. As shown in FIG. 15, the internal insulating member 230 includes a main body 244 and an extended portion 234, which are joined together by a connecting portion 246. The internal insulating member 230 can be formed using a dielectric material such as plastic, and can be formed by molding, for example. Opposite sides of the main body 244 include grooves 250. The grooves 250 are shaped to receive the signal conductors 260 of the connector module 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the grooves 250 include first and second transition guides 252a and 252b, which are configured to conform to the signal conductors in the transition regions 268a and 268b. For example, the transition guides 252a and 252b can be shaped to accommodate a transition of the signal conductor 260. The connecting portion 246 is disposed between the extended portion 234 and the main body 244. FIGS. 16A-16C are side views, perspective views, and another side view of the signal conductors 260a and 260b of the connector module 200 of FIGS. 14A-C. As shown in FIGS. 16A-16C, the mating ends 262a and 262b are elongated and extend in a first direction, and the contact tails 266a and 266b extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the contact tails 266a and 266b are configured as press-fit ends. Thus, the contact tails 266a and 266b can be configured to compress when inserted into holes, for example, in a printed circuit board. Here, each of the signal conductors 260a and 260b is configured to carry a component of a differential signal. The signal conductors 260a and 260b can be formed as single integral conductive elements, respectively, which can be stamped from a metal sheet. However, in some embodiments, the signal conductors 260a and 260b can be formed of multiple conductive elements that are melted, welded, brazed, or otherwise joined together. For example, portions of the signal conductors 260a and 260b, such as the contact tails 266a and 266b and the mating ends 262a and 262b, can be formed using a superelastic conductive material. Due to the transition region 268a, the mating ends 262a and 262b are separated from each other along line 138, and the intermediate portions 264a and 264b of adjacent mating ends 262a and 262b are separated along the mating column direction 142. As depicted, for example, in FIG. 7, the connector 102 can be constructed such that all of the modules 200 are positioned in columns extending in the column direction 142. All of the modules can include similarly oriented mating ends such that for each module, the mating ends of the signal conductors will be separated from each other along a line parallel to line 138, line 138 and line 254 each being perpendicular to the first direction. The relative positions of signal conductors 260a and 260b vary along the first transition region 268a such that at the first ends of adjacent mating ends 262a and 262b in the first transition region 268a, the signal conductors 260a and 260b are aligned along the first parallel line 138, and at the second ends of adjacent intermediate portions 264a and 264b in the first transition region 268a, the signal conductors 260a and 260b are aligned along the mating column direction 142. In the illustrated example, the first transition region 268a provides a 45-degree twist between line 138 and the mating column direction 142. Within the first transition region 268a, the signal conductor 260a extends away from the contact tail row direction 144, while the signal conductor 260b extends toward the contact tail row direction 144. Despite the variation in the relative positions of the signal conductors 260a and 260b across the transition region, the inventors have recognized and appreciated that the signal integrity of the signal conductor pair can be enhanced by configuring the module 200 to maintain each of the signal conductors 260a and 260b adjacent to the same respective shielding member 210a or 210b throughout the transition region. Alternatively or additionally, the spacing between the signal conductors 260a and 260b and the respective shielding members 210a or 210b can be relatively fixed across the transition region. In some embodiments, the separation between the signal conductor and the shielding member can vary, for example, by no more than 30%, or 20%, or 10%. The module 200 can include one or more features that provide this relative positioning and spacing of the signal conductors and the shielding members. As can be seen, for example, from a comparison of FIGS. 12A…12C with FIGS. 16A…16C, the shielding members 210a and 210b have a generally planar shape in the intermediate portion 204 that is parallel to the intermediate portion 264 of an individual signal conductor 260a or 260b. The shielding mating ends 212 can be formed from the same metal sheet as the intermediate portion, where the shielding mating ends 212 are twisted relative to the intermediate portion 204. The twist of the shielding member can have the same angle and / or the same angular twist rate as the signal conductor, which ensures that each signal conductor, and that the same shielding member, is adjacent to the same signal conductor throughout the transition region. Furthermore, as can be seen in FIGS. 16A - 16C, by rolling the conductive material of the metal sheet from which the signal conductor 260 is formed, the mating ends 262a and 262b are formed in a generally tubular configuration. The material is rolled towards the center line between the mating ends 262a and 262b. This configuration presents a flat surface of the signal conductor outwardly towards the shielding member, which can help maintain a fixed spacing between the signal conductor and the shielding member, even in the twisted region. It should be appreciated that a spacing between the signal conductors 260a and 260b can be substantially fixed in terms of distance units. Alternatively, the spacing can provide a substantially fixed impedance. In such a scenario, for example, where the signal conductors are wider, such as as a result of being rolled into tubes, the spacing relative to the shield can be adjusted to ensure that the impedance of the signal conductors is substantially fixed. As shown in FIGS. 16A - 16C, the contact tails 266a and 266b are separated along the contact tail row direction 144, and the intermediate portions 264a and 264b of adjacent contact tails 266a and 266b are separated along the contact tail column direction 146. Thus, the contact tails 266a and 266b are separated along a first direction, and the intermediate portions 264a and 264b of adjacent contact tails 266a and 266b are separated along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. This difference in the direction in which the sections of the same conductor are separated is the result of the second transition region 268b. In the illustrated embodiment, the signal conductor is twisted 90 degrees in the second transition region 268b such that there is a 90 - degree difference between the contact tail row direction 144 and the second contact tail column direction 146. The relative positions of the signal conductors 260a and 260b vary along the second transition region 268b such that at the first ends of the adjacent contact tails 266a and 266b in the second transition region 268b, the signal conductors 260a and 260b are aligned along the contact tail row direction 144, and at the second ends of the adjacent intermediate portions 264a and 264b in the second transition region 268b, the signal conductors 260a and 260b are aligned along the contact tail column direction 146. As described above, the extender module 300 enables the mating interface of the electrical connector 102 to be adapted. In some embodiments depicted, for example, in FIG. 1, connectors such as connector 102 can be mated to each other by attaching an extender module to one of the connectors. The extender module 300 can be mounted on top of the connector module 200 to provide a modified mating interface for the electrical connector 102. Thus, the extender module 300 can be configured to be attached at one end to the mating interface of a connector 102 and at the other end to mate with a connector 102. In such a configuration, there can be an extender module attached to each connector module 200. FIG. 17A is a perspective view of the connector module 200 with an attached extender module 300. FIG. 17B is a perspective view of the connector module 200 and the extender module 300, where the electromagnetic shielding members 210a and 210b are cut away. FIG. 17C is a perspective view of the signal conductors 260 of the connector module 200 and the extender module of FIG. 17C. The extender module 300 includes mating portions 304a and 304b at one end of the extender module 300. The mating portions 304a and 304b extend away from the connector module 200. Here, the mating portions 304a and 304b are configured as circular conductors that can be received into the sockets of a mated connector. In embodiments where the mated connector has sockets such as sockets 270a and 270b, the mating arms 272a and 272b will be sized to be deflected upon insertion of the mating portions 304a and 304b and to create a contact force. In some embodiments, the contact force can be between 25 and 45 gm. In some embodiments, the contact force can be between 30 and 40 gm. In FIGS. 17A-C, the extender module 300 is attached to the connector module 200. The attachment between the extender module 300 and the connector module 200 can be separable such that the extender module 300 can be removed from and reattached to the connector module 200 many times. However, in the depicted embodiments, the extender module 300 is configured to be connected to the connector module 200 such that the connection is maintained throughout the useful life of the combined connector. Portions 306a and 306b of the signal conductors 302 of the extender module 300 extend toward the connector module 200 and are configured to make such a connection. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating portions 304a and 304b of the signal conductors 302 of the extender module 300 are located at the mating interface 314 of the extender module 300. The second portions 306a and 306b of the signal conductors 302 of the extender module 300 are located at the mounting interface 316 of the extender module 300. Each of the mating portions 304a and 304b and the second portions 306a and 306b extends in a direction parallel to a direction in which the extender module 300 is elongated. The second portions 306a and 306b include contact tails that are configured to extend through holes 238a and 238b in an extended portion 234 of the internal insulating member 230. When mounted to the connector module 200, the second portions 306a and 306b are positioned between the mating arms 272a and 272b of each of the flexible sockets 270a and 270b. In the illustrated embodiment, the second portions 306a and 306b terminate in crimp ends that are configured for insertion between the mating arms 272a and 272b. Mounting the second portions 306a and 306b of the signal conductors 302 of the extender module 300 to the mating ends 262 of the signal conductors 260 of the connector module 200 may require a force of at least 60 N. In some embodiments, the mating portions 304a and 304b and / or the second portions 306a and 306b may be formed of a superelastic conductive material. The use of a superelastic material can enable those components to have a small width while providing sufficient robustness. For example, the mating portions 304a and 304b may have an effective diameter between 5 and 20 mils. A signal conductor having a superelastic mating portion may be formed entirely of a superelastic material. Alternatively, the conductor may be partially formed of a conventional metal such as phosphor bronze, to which a superelastic member is attached. For example, the superelastic wire may be attached by forming tabs that make a mechanical connection, or may be brazed to the conventional metal component. In some embodiments, the mating portions 304a and 304b and / or the second portions 306a and 306b may include a superelastic wire having a width between 5 and 20 mils. In some embodiments, the mating portions 304a and 304b and / or the second portions 306a and 306b may include a superelastic wire having a width less than 12 mils. The mating portions 304a and 304b of the signal conductors 302 of the extender module 300 can be configured to mate with the mating ends 262a and 262b of the signal conductors 260 of the connector module 200. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating portions 304a and 304b terminate in pins that are configured to extend through the holes 238a and 238b of the extended portion 234 and are sized to be received between the arms 272a and 272b of the flexible sockets 270a and 270b. When the mating portions 304a and 304b are formed of a superelastic material, they can be spaced a distance less than the distance between the holes of the extended portion 234 such that the mating portions 304a and 304b deform as they extend through the holes and / or into the mating ends 262a and 262b and re-shape when removed from the holes and / or mating ends 262a and 262b. The use of smaller diameter wires can also support closer spacing between signal pairs within the connector and also support shielding around each pair having a relatively small cross-sectional area (including at the mating interface of the connector), where the electromagnetic shielding can have its maximum cross-sectional area. By the outer dimensions of the arms 272a and 272b of the flexible sockets 270a and 270b being deflected upon insertion of the mating portions 304a and 304b, the effective diameter of the signal conductors at the mating interface is set. The smaller diameter mating portions 304a and 304b allow the outer dimensions of the arms 272a and 272b to be smaller when deflected. The smaller size of the signal conductors then results in a smaller separation between the components (including the signal conductors and the grounded electromagnetic shielding surrounding the signal conductors) at the mating interface to provide the desired impedance for the signal conductors. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional area of the largest portion of an electromagnetic shield can be, for example, in the range of 3 to 5 mm 2 where a largest dimension is less than 4 mm, such as 3.8 mm or less, or less than 3.5 or 3 mm. Such small dimensions can establish a frequency for the lowest frequency resonance mode supported by the housing formed by the electromagnetic shield that is outside the desired operating range of the connector. The resonance frequency outside the operating range improves the signal integrity through the connection system. Another advantage of the connectors described herein is the consistency of the mating interfaces provided. Whether the connector directly mates with another connector or forms the mating interface therebetween using one or more extender modules, each mating interface can provide the desired impedance characteristics. For example, the mating portions 304a and 304b of the signal conductors 302 of the extender module 300 can provide the same benefit of uniform impedance associated with the mating portion of a mated connector, even if the mating portions 304a and 304b do not fully sit within the mating ends (e.g., the flexible sockets 270a and 270b of the connector module 200) of the mated connector. In some embodiments, at the operating frequency of the connector, e.g., in the range of 45 - 50 GHz, the impedance change between the mated and unmated configurations at the mating end 202 can be less than 5 ohms. FIGS. 18A - 18C are a perspective view, a side view, and another side view of the extender module 300. As shown in FIGS. 18A - 18C, the extender module 300 includes an insulating member 330, electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b, and a pair of signal conductors each having a mating portion and a portion of the signal conductor extending from the insulating member 330 for attachment within a connector. In the illustrated embodiment, the extender module 300 is elongated in a straight line from the mating portions 304a and 304b at the mating interface 314 to the second portions 306a and 306b at the mounting interface 316. The mating portions 304a and 304b of the signal conductors 302 are separated from each other along a first line 320. The second portions 306a and 306b of the signal conductors 302 are similarly separated from each other along a line, herein a second line 322 parallel to the first line 320. Additional details of the second portions 306a and 306b are visible in FIGS. 18A - 18C. As depicted, those portions are crimp tails having a shape that will compress to exert a force against the sides of an opening when inserted into the opening. The crimp tails are depicted as having an "S" - shaped or serpentine cross - section. Other shapes of crimps, such as the eyelets of pin crimps used to attach signal conductors to printed circuit boards, can alternatively be utilized on some or all of the connector modules. The insulating member 330 can be formed using a dielectric material such as plastic, which can be insert-molded or otherwise formed around the signal conductors of the extender module. The insulating member can be formed to have structural features. For example, the insulating member 330 can include features to facilitate attachment to or mating with the signal module. Protrusions 332a and 332b and protrusions 334a and 334b can be shaped to fit between the protrusions 216 of the mating end 202 of a connector module 200. Alternatively or additionally, the insulating member 330 can include features to facilitate engagement or positioning relative to a front housing 110 and / or an extender housing 120. Wings 336a and 336b can provide this function. Wings 336a and 336b are disposed between the mating interface 314 and the mounting interface 316 and extend in opposite directions parallel to lines 320 and 322. Wings 336a and 336b each have a recessed portion 338a or 338b, which is recessed in a direction opposite to the direction in which the respective wing 336a or 336b extends. Electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b can be attached to opposite sides of the extender module 300. The electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b can include conductive shielding. For example, the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b can be stamped from a sheet of metal. The electromagnetic shielding member 310a includes a first attachment member 312a, and the electromagnetic shielding member 310b includes a second attachment member 312b for engaging the first attachment member 312a to attach the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b to each other. In the illustrated embodiment, the first attachment member 312a includes a hooked tab, and the second attachment member 312b includes an opening for receiving the tab such that the hooked portion of the tab is latched in the opening. The first and second attachment members 312a and 312b engage each other in the recessed portions 338a and 338b of the wings 336a and 336b. The electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b may also include features for mating within an electromagnetic shielding member within a connector module to which the extender module 300 is mated or attached. In the example of FIGS. 18A-18C, the mating contact surfaces are formed on portions of the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b. The mating contact portions 350a, 350b, 352a, and 352b are formed at each distal end of the shielding members 310a and 310b, adjacent the mating or mounting interface. The mating contact portions 350a, 350b, 352a, and 352b are depicted herein as being formed on convex surfaces in the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b. The convex surfaces may be electroplated with gold or other oxidation-resistant materials to enhance electrical contact. Further, portions of the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b beyond the most distal ends of the mating contact portions may be embedded within portions of the insulating member 330 or protected by portions of the insulating member 330 so as to prevent the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b from kicking or catching on the structure of the connector module 200 when inserted into a mating end 262 of a signal conductor 260 of the connector module 200. FIGS. 19A-19B are side views and another side view of the extender module 300, in which the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b are cut away from the extender module to better depict the insulating member 330. FIGS. 20A-20B are side views and another side view of the signal conductors 302a and 302b of the extender module 300. The signal conductors 302a and 302b may be stamped from a sheet of metal. Alternatively, the signal conductors 302a and 302b may be formed of a plurality of conductive elements that are melted, welded, brazed, or otherwise joined together. For example, the mating portions 304a and 304b and / or the second portions 306a and 306b of the signal conductors 302a and 302b may be formed individually and then attached to each other. Such a method may enable the mating portions 304a and 304b to be easily formed with smooth surfaces and / or with different material properties. In some embodiments, the mating portions 304a and 304b may be formed of a superelastic conductive material. In some embodiments, the mating portions 304a and 304b include superelastic wires having a diameter between 5 and 20 mils. The construction techniques employed in fabricating the extender module 300 can also be used in forming modules with other configurations. FIG. 21A depicts a connector 2120, which can be mounted, for example, to a printed circuit board formed with a module 2130, and the module 2130 can be formed using the construction techniques related to the extender module 300 as described above. In this example, the connector 2120 has a mating interface that is the same as the mating interface of the connector 102a. In the illustrated embodiment, both have mating ends of signal conductor pairs that are aligned in parallel lines inclined at 45 degrees along rows and / or column directions relative to the mating interface. Thus, the connector 2120 can mate with a connector in the form of the connector 102b. However, the mounting interface 2124 of the connector 2120 has an orientation relative to the mating interface that is different from the mounting interface of the connector 102a. Specifically, the mounting interface 2124 is parallel to the mating interface 2122, rather than perpendicular to the mating interface 2122. The connector 2120 can be adapted for use in a backplane, midplane, mezzanine, and other such configurations. For example, the connector 2120 can be mounted to a backplane, an intermediate board, or other substrate that is perpendicular to a daughter card or other printed circuit board to which a right-angle connector (such as the connector 102b) is attached. Alternatively, the connector 2120 can receive a mezzanine connector that has a mating interface the same as that of the connector 102b. The mating ends of the mezzanine connector can face a first direction, and the contact tails of the mezzanine connector can face a direction opposite to the first direction. For example, the mezzanine connector can be mounted to a printed circuit board that is parallel to the substrate to which the connector 2120 is mounted. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 21A, the connector 2120 has a housing 2126, which can be formed of an insulating material such as molded plastic. However, part or all of the housing 2126 can be formed of a lossy or conductive material. The floor of the housing 2126 through which the connector module passes can be formed of, or include, a lossy material that is coupled to the electromagnetic shield of the connector module 2130. As another example, the housing 2126 can be die-cast metal, or plastic electroplated with metal. The housing 2126 can be characterized by enabling the mating of a connector. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 2126 is characterized by enabling the mating of a connector 102b, which is the same as the housing 120. Thus, the portion of the housing 2126 that provides a mating interface is as described above related to the housing 120 and FIG. 2A. The mounting interface 2124 of the housing 2126 is adapted for mounting to a printed circuit board. Such a connector can be formed by inserting the connector module 2130 into the housing 2126 in rows and columns. Each module can have mating contact portions 2132a and 2132b, which can be shaped like mating portions 304a and 304b, respectively. The mating contact portions 2132a and 2132b can similarly be made of small-diameter superelastic wires. Figure 21B shows in more detail an exemplary connector module 2130. Similar to the extender module 300, portions of a pair of conductive elements can be held within an insulating portion (not numbered). The mating contact portions 2132a and 2132b can extend from a mating interface portion of the connector module 2130. The mating contact portions 2132a and 2132b can be integral with the portions of the conductive elements within the housing, or can be separately formed and attached to those portions. The contact tails 2134a and 2134b can extend from a mounting interface portion of the connector module 2130. The contact tails 2134a and 2134b can be integral with the portions of the conductive elements within the housing, and can be shaped like the contact tails 206a and 206b (FIG. 17C). Similar to the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b, the connector module 2130 can also have electromagnetic shielding members on opposite sides. The electromagnetic shielding member 2140a is visible in the view of FIG. 21B. A complementary shielding member (not visible) can be attached to the opposite side of the connector module 2130. The mating ends of the shielding member 2140a can be shaped like the mating ends of the shielding members 310a and 310b. For example, the shielding member 2140a includes a mating contact portion 2144a, which can be shaped like the mating contact portion 350a. The mounting end of the connector module 2130 can be shaped like the mounting end of the connector module 200. Thus, the electromagnetic shielding member can include contact tails 2142a and 2142b, which are shaped and positioned relative to the contact tails 2134a and 2134b in the same manner as the electromagnetic shielding tails 220 are shaped and positioned relative to the contact tails 206a and 206b. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 21A, along parallel lines at an angle of approximately 45 degrees relative to the column and / or row directions, the pairs of mating contact portions 2132a and 2132b are separated from each other. Such an arrangement can be achieved by the conductive elements passing directly through the connector module 2130, such that the contact tails 2134a and 2134b are in the same plane as the mating contact portions 2132a and 2132b. In this arrangement, the module 2130 will be installed in the housing 2126, where the side visible in FIG. 21B is at a 45-degree angle relative to the column and row directions. Installing the connector module 2130 under such a 45-degree rotation relative to the column or row direction can generate a coverage area similar to that shown in FIG. 8. However, each of the installation positions (such as installation positions 194a and 194b) will be similarly rotated 45 degrees relative to the column and row directions. In such a configuration, as depicted in FIG. 8, a winding channel can be generated in the column direction. The winding channel can extend at a 45-degree angle relative to the column direction, rather than in the row direction. Alternatively, the connector module 2130 can be configured to provide a coverage area as in FIG. 8. For example, the mounting interface 2124 can be configured like the mounting interface depicted in FIG. 7. Such a mounting interface can be achieved by a 45-degree twist on the conductive elements passing through the connector module 2130. In such an embodiment, the conductive elements can be shaped with such a twist and inserted into a portion of a housing having a groove with a similar shape to provide such a twist. The modularity of the components as described herein can support other connector configurations that utilize the same or similar components. Those connectors can be easily configured to mate with the connectors as described herein. For example, FIG. 22 depicts a modular connector, where some of the connector modules do not have contact tails configured for mating with a printed circuit board, but are configured for terminating a cable, such as a coaxial cable. In the example of FIG. 22, a connector has a laminate assembly 2204, a cabled laminate 2206, and a housing 2202. In this example, the cabled laminate 2206 can be positioned side by side with the laminate in the laminate assembly 2204 and inserted into the housing 2202 in the same manner as inserting the laminate into a housing 110 or 120 to respectively provide a mating interface with sockets or pins. In an alternative embodiment, the connector of FIG. 22 can be an entire cable connector, such as by only having the cabled laminate 2206, or can be a hybrid cable connector, as shown where the laminate assembly 2204 and the cabled laminate 2206 are side by side, or in some embodiments, some of the modules in the laminate have tails configured for attaching to a printed circuit board, while other modules have tails configured for terminating a cable. In a cabled configuration, signals through the mating interface of the connector can be coupled to other components within an electronic system that includes connector 2200. Such an electronic system can include a printed circuit board to which connector 2200 is mounted. Signals through the mating interface in a module mounted to the printed circuit board can travel through traces in the printed circuit board to other components also mounted to the printed circuit board. Other signals through the mating interface in a cabled module can be routed through cables to other components in the system, where the cables are terminated to those modules. In some systems, the other end of those cables can be connected to components on other printed circuit boards that are not reachable through traces in the printed circuit board. In other systems, those cables can be connected to components on the same printed circuit board that has other connector modules mounted. Such a configuration can be useful because, as described herein, connectors are supporting signals having frequencies that can only reliably pass through a printed circuit board on relatively short traces. For example, high frequency signals such as 56 or 112 Gbps signals transmitted on traces on the order of 6 inches long or longer are significantly attenuated. Thus, a system can be implemented where a connector mounted to a printed circuit board has a cabled connector module for such high frequency signals, where the cables terminated to those cabled connector modules are also connected in the midplane of the printed circuit board, such as 6 inches or more from an edge or other location on the printed circuit board where the connector is mounted. In the example of FIG. 22, the pairs in the mating interface are not rotated relative to the column or row direction. However, a connector with one or more cabled laminates can be implemented with a rotation of the mating interface as described above. For example, the mating ends of the signal conductor pairs can be set at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the mating column and / or mating row direction. The mating row direction of a connector can be a direction perpendicular to the board mounting interface, and the mating column direction can be a direction parallel to the board mounting interface. Furthermore, it should be recognized that although FIG. 22 shows cabled connector modules only in one laminate, and all laminates have only one type of connector module, neither is a limitation of the modularization techniques described herein. For example, one or more columns at the top of the connector module can be cabled connector modules, while the remaining columns can have connector modules configured for mounting to a printed circuit board. Additional exemplary embodiments of the techniques described herein are further described below. In a first example, a connector module includes a pair of signal conductors, where the pair of signal conductors includes a pair of mating ends, a pair of contact tails, and a pair of intermediate portions connecting the pair of mating ends to the pair of contact tails. The pair of mating ends is elongated in one direction, which is perpendicular to a direction in which the pair of contact tails is elongated. The mating ends of the pair of mating ends are separated in a direction of a first line, the intermediate portions of the pair of intermediate portions are separated in a direction of a second line, and the first line is disposed at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the second line. In the first example, the first line is disposed at an angle greater than 30 degrees and less than 60 degrees relative to the second line. In the first example, the first line is disposed at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the second line. In the first example, the pair of signal conductors further includes a transition region connecting the pair of intermediate portions and the pair of mating ends. A first signal conductor of the pair of signal conductors extends along a third line along which the pair of intermediate portions is separated toward the pair of contact tails in the transition region, and a second signal conductor of the pair of signal conductors extends away from the third line. In the first example, the connector module further includes an electromagnetic shield that at least partially surrounds the mating ends of the pair of signal conductors, and where the electromagnetic shield encloses an area less than 4.5 mm 2 around the mating ends. In the first example, the electromagnetic shield is embossed to have outwardly protruding portions adjacent to the transition region to facilitate canceling variations in impedance along the length of the pair of signal conductors, which are related to variations in the shape of the pair of signal conductors along the length. In the first example, the electromagnetic shield is further embossed to have inwardly protruding portions adjacent to the pair of mating ends to facilitate reducing the difference between the impedance during mating and partial unmating of the connector module. In the first example, the electromagnetic shield includes a pair of conductive shield members. Each of the conductive shield members includes an intermediate portion, a mating portion integral with the intermediate portion, and a transition between the mating portion and the intermediate portion, and the transition provides a twist in the shield member at the angle of the first line relative to the second line. In the first example, the connector module further includes a first insulating member that supports the signal conductor pair. Each mating end of the mating end pair of the signal conductor pair includes a pair of mating arms separated by a gap, and the first insulating member includes a portion that extends beyond the mating end pair, and the portion includes a pair of holes aligned with the gap. In the first example, the mating end pair is configured to receive a wire through the pair of holes and hold the wire between the pair of mating arms. In the first example, the contact tails are configured to be inserted into holes in a substrate. In the first example, the contact tails are configured to be inserted into holes having a diameter less than or equal to 20 mils. In the first example, the contact tails respectively have a width between 6 and 20 mils. In the first example, the contact tails are configured to be inserted into holes having a diameter less than or equal to 10 mils. In the first example, the contact tails respectively have a width between 6 and 10 mils. In a modification to the first example, the contact tails are configured to make electrical connection to pads on a substrate. In the first example, the transition region includes a 45-degree transition of the signal conductor pair over a length between 1.4 and 2 mm. In the first example, the connector module further includes an insulating portion that includes a first side and a second side. The first side includes a first groove and the second side includes a second groove, and a first intermediate portion of the intermediate portion pair is disposed in the first groove and a second intermediate portion of the intermediate portion pair is disposed in the second groove. In a second example, a sheet includes a plurality of signal conductor pairs. Each signal conductor pair includes a pair of mating ends, a pair of contact tails, and a pair of intermediate portions connecting the mating end pair to the contact tail pair. The mating end pairs of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are positioned in a row along a row direction. The intermediate portions of the intermediate portion pairs of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the row direction and are positioned for broadside coupling, and the mating ends of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are separated along a line that is disposed at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the row direction. In the second example, the line is disposed at an angle greater than 30 degrees and less than 60 degrees relative to the row direction. In the second example, the line is set at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the row direction. In the second example, the sheet further includes a housing that supports the plurality of signal conductor pairs. In the second example, each of the plurality of signal conductor pairs includes a plurality of connector modules, and each of the plurality of connector modules is further constituted by an electromagnetic shield that is disposed around the signal conductor pair, wherein a portion of the electromagnetic shield at least partially surrounds the mating end of the signal conductor of the signal conductor pair and is rectangular with a width less than 2 mm and a length less than 3.8 mm. In the second example, the housing includes a first housing member that includes a plurality of grooves, and one of the plurality of connector modules is disposed within one of the plurality of grooves. In the second example, the housing is formed of a lossy conductive material. In the second example, the row direction is the mating interface row direction, the contact tail pairs of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are positioned in a row along the mounting interface row direction, and the contact tails of the contact tail pairs are separated in the mounting interface column direction perpendicular to the mounting interface row direction. In the second example, the mating interface row direction is orthogonal to the mounting interface row direction. In the second example, the contact tail pairs are configured to be inserted into holes having a diameter less than or equal to 20 mils. In the second example, each contact tail of the contact tail pairs has a width between 6 and 20 mils. In the second example, the contact tail pairs are configured to be inserted into holes having a diameter less than or equal to 10 mils. In the second example, each contact tail of the contact tail pairs has a width between 6 and 10 mils. In the second example, the center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the mounting interface row direction is less than or equal to 5 mm. In the second example, the center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the mounting interface row direction is less than or equal to 2.4 mm. In the second example, the mounting interface column direction is orthogonal to the mounting interface row direction. In a third example, a connector includes a plurality of signal conductor pairs. For each signal conductor pair of the plurality of signal conductor pairs, the signal conductor pair includes a pair of mating ends, a pair of contact tails, and an intermediate portion connecting the pair of mating ends to the pair of contact tails. The signal conductor pair further includes a transition region between the pair of mating ends and the pair of intermediate portions. The pair of mating ends of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are arranged in an array including a plurality of columns. The plurality of columns extend along a column direction and are spaced apart from each other in a row direction perpendicular to the column direction. The pair of mating ends of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are aligned along a first parallel line. The first parallel line is arranged at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to the column direction. And for each signal conductor pair of the plurality of signal conductor pairs, within the transition region, a relative position change of the signal conductors of the signal conductor pair is such that at a first end of the transition region adjacent to the mating end, the signal conductors are aligned along a line of the first parallel line, and at a second end of the transition region, the signal conductors are aligned in the column direction. In the third example, the first parallel line is arranged at an angle greater than 30 degrees and less than 60 degrees with respect to the column direction. In the third example, the first parallel line is arranged at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the column direction. In the third example, each pair of intermediate portions is edge-coupled, and each pair of contact tails is edge-coupled. In the third example, the pair of contact tails of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are configured in a second array, and the second array includes rows of the pair of contact tails extending along a third direction. In the third example, the third direction is orthogonal to the column direction. In the third example, the third direction is perpendicular to the row direction and the column direction. In the third example, each of the plurality of signal conductor pairs further includes a second transition region. Within the second transition region, a relative position of the signal conductors of the signal conductor pair changes such that at a first end of the second transition region adjacent to the contact tail, the signal conductor pair is aligned along a second parallel line parallel to the third direction, and at a second end of the transition region adjacent to the intermediate portion, the signal conductor pair is aligned along a third parallel line. The third parallel line is arranged at an angle greater than 45 degrees and less than 135 degrees with respect to the third direction. In the third example, the second parallel line is disposed at an angle greater than 80 degrees and less than 100 degrees relative to the third direction. In the third example, the second parallel line is perpendicular to the third direction. In the third example, the second parallel line is parallel to the column direction. In the third example, an electronic component includes the connector and is coupled to a first printed circuit board including a first edge, wherein the connector is a first connector, and the contact tails of the first connector are mounted adjacent the first edge to the first printed circuit board, a second printed circuit board, and a second connector, which is mounted to the second printed circuit board and is configured to mate with the first connector. In the third example, the contact tails of the first connector are inserted into holes in the first printed circuit board. In a modification of the third example, the contact tails of the first connector are mounted to pads on the surface of the first printed circuit board. In the third example, the contact tails of the first connector are pressed into holes in the first printed circuit board, the holes having an unplated diameter less than or equal to 20 mils. In the third example, the contact tails of the first connector have a width between 6 and 20 mils. In the third example, the contact tails of the first connector are pressed into holes in the first printed circuit board, the holes having an unplated diameter between 6 and 12 mils. In the third example, the contact tails of the first connector have a width between 6 and 12 mils. In the third example, the first printed circuit board includes first and second layers, and the lines fabricated on the first layer and extending in a first direction are connected to a first pair of the contact tail pairs of the first connector, and the lines fabricated on the second layer and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction are connected to a second pair of the contact tail pairs of the first connector. In the third example, the second array includes the contact tail pairs of the first connector, the contact tail pairs being arranged in a repeating pattern having a center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the third direction less than or equal to 5 mm and a center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in a direction perpendicular to the third direction less than or equal to 5 mm. In the third example, the second array includes the contact tails of the first connector, and the contact tails are arranged in a repeating pattern with a center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tails in the third direction being less than or equal to 2.4 mm, and a center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tails in a direction perpendicular to the third direction being less than or equal to 2.4 mm. In the third example, the first printed circuit board is perpendicular to the second printed circuit board. In the third example, one surface of the second printed circuit board faces the mating end of the first connector. In the third example, the mating end of the first connector extends in a first direction, the contact tails of the first connector extend in a second direction, and one surface of the second printed circuit board faces in a direction perpendicular to the first and second directions. In the third example, the second connector further includes a plurality of signal conductor pairs. Each of the plurality of signal conductor pairs includes a pair of mating ends, a pair of contact tails, a pair of intermediate portions connecting the pair of mating ends to the pair of contact tails, and a transition region between the pair of mating ends and the pair of intermediate portions. The mating ends of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are arranged in a first array including a plurality of columns that extend along the column direction and are spaced apart from each other in the row direction perpendicular to the column direction. The signal conductors of the signal conductor pairs are aligned along a first parallel line that is arranged at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the column direction. And within the transition region, the relative positions of the signal conductors of the signal conductor pairs change such that at a first end of the transition region adjacent to the mating end, the signal conductors are aligned along the first parallel line, and at one end of the transition region, the signal conductors are aligned in the column direction. In the third example, the second connector further includes a plurality of extender modules. Each of the plurality of extender modules includes a pair of signal conductors having first and second portions respectively. The second portions of the plurality of extender modules are mounted to the mating ends of the plurality of signal conductors of the second connector. The first portions of the plurality of extender modules are configured to be received into the mating ends of the first connector. And the signal conductor pairs of the plurality of extender modules are respectively elongated in a straight line from the first portion to the second portion. In the third example, the electronic component is further configured to send data from the first connector to the second connector at a rate of about 112 Gb / s. In the third example, the electronic component is further configured to operate at a bandwidth of about 50 - 60 GHz. In a fourth example, a connector module includes an insulating member and a pair of signal conductors held by the insulating member, wherein each signal conductor of the pair of signal conductors includes a first portion at a first end, a second portion extending from the insulating portion at a second end, and an intermediate portion disposed between the first and second ends, and the first portion includes a wire having a diameter between 5 and 20 mils. In the fourth example, the wire is a superelastic wire. In the fourth example, the superelastic wire of each signal conductor of the pair of signal conductors is soldered to the intermediate portion of the signal conductor. In the fourth example, the connector module further includes an electromagnetic shield that at least partially surrounds the intermediate portion of the pair of signal conductors, and the electromagnetic shield encloses an area of less than 4.5 mm around the first portion. 2 of area. In the fourth example, the electromagnetic shield is embossed to have an outwardly protruding portion adjacent the first end to facilitate canceling variations in impedance along the length of the pair of signal conductors, which impedance variations are related to variations in the shape of the pair of signal conductors along the length. In the fourth example, the electromagnetic shield member is further embossed to have an inwardly protruding portion adjacent the distal end of the first portion to facilitate reducing the difference between the impedance of full mating and partial unmating of the connector module. In the fourth example, the electromagnetic shield member includes a conductive shield. In the fourth example, the second portion includes a superelastic wire having a width between 5 and 20 mils. In the fourth example, the diameter of the superelastic wire is less than 12 mils. In the fourth example, the superelastic wire is configured to be inserted into a hole having a diameter less than or equal to 10 mils. In the fourth example, the mating force of the superelastic wire is between 25 and 45 gm. In a modification of the fourth example, the mating force of the superelastic wire is between 30 and 40 gm. In the fourth example, the second part includes a pressed member. In the fourth example, the cross-section of the pressed member has a meandering shape. In the fourth example, an electrical connector includes a plurality of the connector modules, and the connector modules are arranged in a plurality of parallel rows extending in a row direction. In the fourth example, the impedance change between the fully mated and partially unmated configurations of the first part is less than 5 ohms at 20 GHz. In the fourth example, the second part of the connector modules of the plurality of connector modules includes contact tails, and pairs of the contact tails are positioned in a second plurality of rows extending in a first direction and are positioned in a repeating pattern along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the center-to-center spacing between adjacent pairs of contact tails in the first direction is less than or equal to 2.5 mm, and the center-to-center spacing between adjacent pairs of contact tails in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is less than or equal to 2.5 mm. In the fourth example, the second part of the connector modules of the plurality of connector modules includes contact tails, and pairs of the contact tails are positioned in a second plurality of rows extending in a first direction and are positioned in a repeating pattern along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the center-to-center spacing between adjacent pairs of contact tails in the first direction is less than or equal to 2.4 mm, and the center-to-center spacing between adjacent pairs of contact tails in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is less than or equal to 2.4 mm. In the fourth example, the first part of each signal conductor pair of the plurality of connector modules is aligned along a first parallel line, and the first parallel line is disposed at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the row direction. In the fourth example, the overall impedance of each connector module is between 90 ohms and 100 ohms in the range of 45 - 50 GHz. In a fifth example, an extender module includes a pair of signal conductors, each signal conductor of the signal conductor pair including a first part at a first end and a second part at a second end, and an electromagnetic shield that at least partially surrounds the signal conductor pair, the first part of the signal conductor pair being configured as a mating part and being positioned along a first line, and the second part of the signal conductor pair being configured to be compressed when inserted into a hole and being positioned along a second line parallel to the first line. In the fifth example, the electromagnetic shield includes a conductive shield. In the fifth example, the second part is "S"-shaped in cross-section. In the fifth example, the second part is configured to be inserted into an aperture hole having a diameter less than or equal to 20 mils. In the fifth example, the second part has a width between 6 and 20 mils. In the fifth example, the second part is configured to be inserted into an aperture hole having a diameter less than or equal to 10 mils. In the fifth example, wherein the second part has a width between 6 and 10 mils. In the fifth example, a connector includes an insulating portion and a plurality of signal conductors supported by the insulating portion. Each of the plurality of signal conductors has a mating portion enclosing an aperture hole and a plurality of the extender modules, and the second part of the signal conductor of the extender module is inserted into the aperture hole. In the fifth example, the plurality of extender modules further includes a plurality of pairs of signal conductors having pairs of second parts that are aligned along a first parallel line. The plurality of signal conductors further includes a plurality of pairs of signal conductors having pairs of intermediate parts and pairs of mating parts connected by transition regions. The signal conductors of each pair of signal conductors are aligned along the first parallel line at a first part of the transition region adjacent the pair of mating parts, and the signal conductors are aligned along a second parallel line at a second part of the transition region adjacent the pair of intermediate parts. The second parallel line is disposed at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the first parallel line. In a sixth example, a connector includes an insulating portion, a plurality of signal conductors held by the insulating portion, and a plurality of shielding members. The plurality of signal conductors includes elongated mating parts extending from the insulating portion. The plurality of signal conductors includes a plurality of pairs of signal conductors arranged in a plurality of columns extending in a row direction. The plurality of shielding members at least partially surround the pairs in the plurality of pairs, and the mating parts of the plurality of pairs are separated along a first parallel line disposed at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the row direction. In the sixth example, the plurality of shielding members includes a conductive shield. In the sixth example, the insulating portion includes a flat portion having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The mating part extends in a direction perpendicular to the first surface, and the signal conductor further includes a tail extending through the second surface. In the sixth example, the contact tails are arranged in a second plurality of rows extending in a first direction and are positioned in a repeating pattern along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the first direction is less than or equal to 5 mm, and the center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is less than or equal to 5 mm. In the sixth example, the contact tails are arranged in a second plurality of rows extending in a first direction and are positioned in a repeating pattern along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the first direction is less than or equal to 2.4 mm, and the center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is less than or equal to 2.4 mm. In the sixth example, the contact tails are configured to be inserted into holes having a diameter of less than or equal to 20 mils. In the sixth example, the contact tails have a width between 6 and 20 mils. In the sixth example, the contact tails are configured to be inserted into holes having a diameter of less than or equal to 10 mils. In the sixth example, the contact tails have a width between 6 and 10 mils. In the sixth example, the plurality of pairs of signal conductors further includes an intermediate portion connected to the mating portion by a transition region. In a first portion of the transition region adjacent to the mating portion, the signal conductors of each signal conductor pair are separated along the first parallel lines, and in a second portion of the transition region adjacent to the intermediate portion, the signal conductors are separated along second parallel lines parallel to the column direction. It should be appreciated that the features of each of the above examples can be combined in a single embodiment. Thus far, several features of at least one embodiment of the present invention have been described. It is recognized that various changes, modifications, and improvements will be readily envisioned by those skilled in the art. For example, FIG. 23 depicts a pair of signal conductors 260’ having an angled mating interface as described above for signal conductor 260. Similar to signal conductor 260, signal conductors 260’ have intermediate portions 264a’ and 264b’ that are edge-coupled. Different from signal conductor 260, signal conductors 260’ have edge-coupled contact tails 266a’ and 266b’ that are separated along line 144’, which is parallel to the column direction of the board mounting interface of a connector that includes signal conductor 260’. The signal conductors as shown in FIG. 23 can be incorporated into a connector that utilizes the techniques as described herein. For example, signal conductors 260a and 260b are described as being configured to carry a differential signal. In other embodiments, module 200 can include conductors that are configured to carry a single-ended electrical signal. For example, one signal conductor can carry a signal while another signal conductor can be grounded. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a single signal conductor can be used in place of a pair of signal conductors 260a and 260b, and in some embodiments, the ground reference is carried by the electromagnetic shield. As another example, extender module 300 is described as being attached to connector module using a press-fit connection. Other forms of attachment can be utilized, including separable contacts that are the same at both ends of the extender module, or other forms of fixed attachment such as soldering or brazing. Furthermore, the electrical connectors 102a-d described herein can be adapted for any suitable configuration such as, for example, a backplane or an intermediate board. For example, in a backplane configuration, first connector 102a and second connector 102b can be mated along the same direction, with one of first contact tail array 136a and second contact tail array 136b facing that direction and the other facing away from that direction. Alternatively, the surface of substrate 104c on which first contact tail array 136a is mounted and the surface of substrate 104d on which second contact tail array 136b is mounted can be parallel to each other. In another configuration, first contact tail array 136a and second contact tail array 136b can face a first direction, where first and second connectors 102a and 102b are configured to mate along a direction perpendicular to the first direction. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the connector module 200 may include a single insulating member instead of having individual external insulating members 280a and 280b and an internal insulating member 230. In some embodiments, the connector module 200 includes an insulating member to replace the external insulating members 280a and 280b and also includes the internal insulating member 230. In some embodiments, the dielectric constants of the external insulating members 280a and 280b may be different from the dielectric constant of the internal insulating member 230. Alternatively, the external insulating members 280a and 280b and the internal insulating member 230 have substantially the same dielectric constant. It should be appreciated that the mating end 262 may include alternative mating members, such as pins, flexible posts or wires, rather than the flexible sockets 270a and 270b. Similarly, the contact tails 266a and 266b may alternatively be configured for mounting in other ways than crimping, such as mounting to conductive pads on a surface of a printed circuit board. As another example, the transition region has been described as having a twist of 45 or 90 degrees. In the transition region, other amounts of twist are also possible. In some embodiments, the parallel lines 138 are set at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the mating column direction 142 or the mating row direction 140. In some embodiments, the parallel lines 138 are set at an angle greater than 30 degrees and less than 60 degrees relative to the mating column direction 142 or the mating column direction 140. In some embodiments, the parallel lines 138 are parallel to the mating row direction 140 or the mating column direction 142. Similarly, in some embodiments, the contact tail column direction 146 may be set at an angle greater than 45 degrees and less than 135 degrees relative to the contact tail row direction 144. In some embodiments, the contact tail column direction 146 may be set at an angle greater than 80 degrees and less than 100 degrees relative to the contact tail row direction 144. In the illustrated embodiment, the contact tail column direction 146 is perpendicular to the contact tail row direction 144. However, in some embodiments, the contact tail column direction 146 is parallel to the contact tail row direction 144. Furthermore, the twist in each of the two mating connectors can be the same or can be different in angular measure. Furthermore, the twist in each of the two mating connectors can be in the same direction or in opposite directions. For example, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 16A, the twist is in a clockwise direction from the contact tails 266a and 266b to the intermediate portions 264a and 264b. The twist from the intermediate portions 264a and 264b to the mating ends 262a and 262b is likewise in the clockwise direction. Either such twist or both such twists can be in a counterclockwise direction, and the twist direction in each of the transition regions 268a and / or 268b in the mating connectors can be the same or different. For example, the twist in the transition region 268a from the intermediate portions 264a and 264b to the mating ends 262a and 262b can be opposite in each of the two mating connectors to support a parallel board connector configuration. As an example of another variation, the signal conductor pairs can be configured to have no twist in the pair. The mating interface of each pair can be at an angle, such as 45 degrees, relative to the mating interface row direction. The tails of each pair can be at the same angle relative to the mounting interface row direction. Such a configuration can be used in a mezzanine or other suitable type of connector and can enable the footprint for the connector to occupy less surface area of the printed circuit board to which the connector is mounted. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the contact tails of the third contact tail array 136c are configured for insertion into holes having a diameter less than or equal to 20 mils. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the third contact tail array 136c are configured for insertion into holes having a diameter less than or equal to 10 mils. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the third contact tail array 136c have widths between 6 and 20 mils, respectively. In some embodiments, the contact tails of the third contact tail array 136c have widths between 6 and 10 mils, respectively. As another example of a possible variation, the extender module 300 was previously depicted as two electromagnetic shielding members covering two opposite sides of the module. Alternatively, the electromagnetic shielding can be implemented as a shielding member covering or partially covering 3 sides or all 4 sides of the module. In some embodiments, the electromagnetic shielding member partially covers some or all of the sides, with a gap on the partially covered sides. Such a shielding configuration can be implemented as one or more shielding members. As another possible variation, it should be recognized that although some of the embodiments described herein include second portions 306a and 306b of the extender module 300 implemented by the contact tails, in some embodiments, the second portions 306a and 306b may be shaped like mating portions 304a and 304b. The mating portions may include pins configured to extend through holes in the extended portion 234 and may be sized to fit between the arms 272a and 272b of the flexible sockets 270a and 270b such that the pins can be removed from the flexible sockets 270a and 270b without damaging either connector. Such changes, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, although the advantages of the invention are pointed out, it should be recognized that not every embodiment of the invention will include every described advantage. Some embodiments may not implement any of the features described herein and described as advantageous in some instances. Thus, the foregoing description and drawings are illustrative only. The various features of the invention can be utilized singly, in combination, or in various configurations not expressly set forth in the embodiments described previously and are thus not limited in their application to the details and configurations of the components set forth in the previous description or depicted in the drawings. For example, features described in one embodiment can be combined with features described in other embodiments in any manner. Furthermore, the invention can be embodied as a method, an example of which has been provided. The actions performed as part of the method can be sequenced in any suitable manner. Thus, embodiments can be constructed in which the actions are performed in a different order than depicted, which can include performing some actions simultaneously, even though in the illustrative embodiments they are shown as sequential actions. The use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc. to modify a claim element in a claim does not by itself mean any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element with respect to another claim element, or the order in time in which the acts of a method are performed, but is used only as a label to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another having the same name (but for the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. All definitions as defined and used herein should be understood to be superior to dictionary definitions, definitions in incorporated reference documents, and / or the ordinary meaning of the defined terms. Unless clearly stated to the contrary, the indefinite articles "a" and "an" as used in the specification and claims herein should be understood to mean "at least one." As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase "at least one" in a list of one or more elements should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list, but not necessarily including at least one of each element specifically listed in the list of elements, and not excluding any combination of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements other than those specifically recited within the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers may optionally be present, whether or not related or unrelated to those specifically recited elements. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase "and / or" should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements so joined, i.e., the elements are present jointly in some cases and separately in other cases. Multiple elements listed using "and / or" should be construed in the same manner, i.e., "one or more" of the elements so joined. Other elements may optionally be present in addition to the elements specifically recited by the "and / or" clause, whether or not related or unrelated to those specifically recited elements. Thus, as a non-limiting example, in one embodiment, a reference to "A and / or B" when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as "comprising" may refer to only A (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment it may refer to only B (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment it may refer to both A and B (optionally including other elements); and so on. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and / or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and / or" should be construed inclusively, i.e., including some or at least one of the elements in the list (but also including more than one), and optionally additional unlisted items. Only terms such as "only one of" or "exactly one of" or, when used in the claims, "consisting of" which clearly indicate the contrary will refer to exactly one of some or the elements in the list. In general, the term "or" as used herein should only be construed to mean an exclusive alternative (i.e., "either but not both") when preceded by an exclusive term such as "any one of", "one of", "only one of", or "exactly one of". "Consisting essentially of" when used in the claims should have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law. Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein are for illustrative purposes and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "comprising", "including", or "having", "containing", "involving", and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed hereinafter and their equivalents, as well as additional items. 100: Electrical interconnection system 102: Electrical connector 102a: First connector 102b: Second connector 102c: Third electrical connector 102c’: Electrical connector 102d: Fourth electrical connector 102d’: Electrical connector 104c: Substrate 104c’: Substrate 104d: Substrate 104d’: Substrate 104e: Substrate 110a: Front housing 110b: Front housing 110d: Front housing 112: Protrusion 112a: Protrusion 112b: Protrusion 114a: Hole 114b: Hole 114d: Hole 116b: Opening 120: Extender housing 120c: Extender housing 122: Groove 124: Opening 126: Hole 130: Lamina 130a: First lamina 130b: Second lamina 130c: Third lamina 130d: Fourth lamina 132: Lamina housing 132a: Lamina housing 132b: Lamina housing 133a: Lamina housing member 133b: Lamina housing member 134a: First mating end array 134b: Second mating end array 134c: Third mating end array 134c’: Mating end array 134d: Fourth mating end array 134d’: Mating end array 136a: First contact tail array 136b: Second contact tail array 136c: Third contact tail array 136d: Fourth contact tail array 138: Line 138c: Parallel lines 138c’: Parallel lines 138d: Parallel lines 138d’: Parallel lines 140: Mating row direction 140c: Mating row direction 140d: Row direction 142: Mating column direction 142c: Mating column direction 142c’: Mating column direction 142d: Column direction 142d’: Mating column direction 144: Contact tail row direction 144’: Line 144e: Line 146: Contact tail column direction 146e: Line 150: Projecting tab 152: Retaining tab 154: Protrusion 156: Hole 160: Groove 162: First notch 164: Second notch 170: Flexible shield 172: Column direction 174: Row direction 176: Insulating portion 178: Conductive member 180: First retaining member 180a, 180b: External insulating member 182: Slot 190: Portion 192a, 192b: Winding channel 194a, 194b: Mounting position 196: Conductive signal via 198: Conductive ground via 200: Connector module 202: Mating end 204: Intermediate portion 206: Contact tail 208a: First transition region 208b: Second transition region 210: Electromagnetic shielding member 210a: First shielding member 210b: Second shielding member 212: Electromagnetic shielding mating end 214: Outwardly projecting portion 216: Inwardly projecting portion 218: Gap220: Electromagnetic shielding tail 222: First and second holding members 230: Internal insulating member 232: Protrusion 234: Extended portion 236a, 236b: Arms 238a, 238b: Holes 240: First holding member 242: Second holding member 244: Body 246: Connection portion 250: Groove 252a, 252b: Transition conductors 254: Wire 260: Signal conductor 260’: Signal conductor 260a, 260b: Signal conductors 262: Mate end 262a, 262b: Mate ends 264: Intermediate portion 264a: Intermediate portion 264a’: Intermediate portion 264b: Intermediate portion 264b’: Intermediate portion 266: Contact tail 266a: Contact tail 266a’: Contact tail 266b: Contact tail 266b’: Contact tail 268a, 268b: Transition regions 270a, 270b: Flexible sockets 272a, 272b: Mate arms 280a, 280b: External insulating members 300: Extender module 302: Signal conductor 302a, 302b: Signal conductors 304a, 304b: Mate portions 306a, 306b: Second portions 310a, 310b: Electromagnetic shielding members 314: Mate interface 316: Mounting interface 320: First wire 322: Second wire 330: Insulating member 332a, 332b: Protrusions 334a, 334b: Protrusions 336a, 336b: Wings 338a, 338b: Concave portions 350a, 350b, 352a, 352b: Mated contact portions 820: Ground pad 2120: Header connector 2122: Mate interface 2124: Mounting interface 2126: Housing 2130: Connector module 2132a, 2132b: Mated contact portions 2134a, 2134b: Contact tails 2140a: Electromagnetic shielding member 2142a, 2142b: Contact tails 2144a: Mated contact portion 2200: Connector 2202: Housing 2204: Laminate assembly 2206: Cabled laminate The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component depicted in various figures is represented by a like reference numeral. For clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure. In the drawings: [FIG. 1] is a perspective view of a mating direct-attach orthogonal connector according to some embodiments; [FIG. 2A] is a perspective view of the electrical connector 102a of FIG. 1 with an extender module; [FIG. 2B] is a perspective view of the electrical connector 102b of FIG. 1; [FIG. 3A] is a front view of an electrical connector having an extender module assembly according to an alternative embodiment; [FIG. 3B] is a front view of an electrical connector configured to mate with the connector of FIG. 3A; [FIG. 3C] is a front view of an electrical connector having an extender module assembly according to another alternative embodiment; [FIG. 3D] is a front view of an electrical connector configured to mate with the connector of FIG. 3C; [FIG. 4] is an exploded view of a portion of the electrical connector 102a of FIG. 1; [FIG. 5] is a perspective view of the electrical connector 102a of FIG. 4 having a single extender module; [FIG. 6] is an exploded view of the electrical connector 102b of FIG. 1; [FIG. 7] is an exploded view of a portion of an electrical connector according to some embodiments, wherein the front housing is removed and has a flexible shielding member; [FIG. 8] is a plan view of a portion of a printed circuit board according to some embodiments, depicting a winding channel in a coverage area for mounting an electrical connector; [FIG. 9A] is a perspective view of the electrical connector 102 of FIG. 7 according to some embodiments, wherein the front housing is cut away and has a retaining member; [FIG. 9B] is a perspective view of the first retaining member 180 of FIG. 9A; [FIG. 9C] is another perspective view of the retaining member 180 of FIG. 9B; [FIG. 10A] is a perspective view of the sheet 130 of the electrical connector 102 depicted in FIG. 7; [FIG. 10B] is a perspective view of the sheet 130 of FIG. 10A, wherein a sheet housing member 133b is cut away; [FIG. 11] is a plan view of a housing member 133a of FIG. 10A and a connector module 200 of the sheet 130; [FIG. 12A] is a side view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 11; [FIG. 12B] is a perspective view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 11; [FIG. 12C] is another perspective view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 11; [FIG. 13A] is a side view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 11, wherein the electromagnetic shielding member 210 is cut away; [FIG. 13B] is a perspective view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 13A; [FIG. 13C] is another side view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 13A; [FIG. 14A] is a side view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 11, where the electromagnetic shielding member 210 and the external insulating members 180a and 180b are cut away; [FIG. 14B] is a perspective view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 14A; [FIG. 14C] is another side view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 14A; [FIG. 15] is a perspective view of the internal insulating member 230 of the connector module 200 of FIGS. 14A-C; [FIG. 16A] is a side view of the signal conductors 260a and 260b of the connector module 200 of FIGS. 14A-C; [FIG. 16B] is a perspective view of the signal conductors 260a and 260b of FIG. 16A; [FIG. 16C] is another side view of the signal conductors 260a and 260b of FIG. 16A; [FIG. 17A] is a perspective view of the connector module 200 of FIG. 11 with the extender module 300 of FIG. 5; [FIG. 17B] is a perspective view of the connector module 200 and the extender module 300 of FIG. 17A, where the electromagnetic shielding members 210a and 210b are cut away; [FIG. 17C] is a perspective view of the signal conductors 260 of the connector module 200 and the extender module of FIG. 17C; [FIG. 18A] is a perspective view of the extender module 300 of FIG. 5; [FIG. 18B] is a side view of the extender module 300 of FIG. 18A; [FIG. 18C] is another side view of the extender module 300 of FIG. 18A; [FIG. 19A] is a side view of the extender module 300 of FIG. 18A, where the electromagnetic shielding members 310a and 310b are cut away from the extender module; [FIG. 19B] is a side view of the extender module of FIG. 19A; [FIG. 20A] is a side view of the signal conductors 302a and 302b of the extender module 300 of FIG. 18A; [FIG. 20B] is another side view of the signal conductors 302a and 302b of FIG. 20A; [FIG. 21A] is a perspective view of a connector; [FIG. 21B] is a perspective view of a connector module of the connector of FIG. 21A; [FIG. 22] is a perspective view of an alternative configuration of a connector, where some connector modules are configured for attachment to a printed circuit board and other connector modules are terminated to a cable; and [FIG. 23] is a perspective view of a signal conductor of an alternative embodiment of a pair of signal conductors. 100: Electrical interconnect system 102a: First connector 102b: Second connector 120: Extender housing 130a: First sheet 130b: Second sheet 132: Sheet housing 132a: Sheet housing 136a: First contact tail array 136b: Second contact tail array

Claims

1. A connector module, comprising: A signal conductor pair, wherein: the signal conductor pair includes a mating end pair, a contact tail pair, and an intermediate portion pair connecting the mating end pair to the contact tail pair; the mating end pair is elongated in a first direction, the first direction being perpendicular to a second direction, and the contact tail pair is elongated in the second direction; the mating ends of the mating end pair are separated in one direction perpendicular to the first direction; the intermediate portion of the intermediate portion pair is wide-side coupled and separated in one direction perpendicular to the first direction; and the first line is set at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the second line.

2. The connector module of claim 1, wherein the first line is configured at an angle greater than 30 degrees and less than 60 degrees relative to the second line.

3. The connector module of claim 2, wherein the first line is set at a 45-degree angle relative to the second line.

4. The connector module of claim 1, wherein the signal conductor pair further includes a transition region connecting the intermediate portion pair to the mating terminal pair.

5. The connector module of claim 4, further comprising an electromagnetic shielding member that at least partially surrounds the mating pair and is embossed to have a protrusion adjacent to the transition region, in order to counteract impedance variations along the length of the signal conductor pair, the impedance variations being related to variations in the shape of the signal conductor pair along the length.

6. The connector module of claim 4, further comprising an electromagnetic shielding member that at least partially surrounds the mating terminal pair and is embossed to have protrusions adjacent to the mating terminal pair, in order to reduce the difference in impedance between mating and partially dismating in the connector module.

7. The connector module as described in request item 4, wherein, At the transition region, the first signal conductor of the signal conductor pair moves slowly toward the third line, the contact tails are separated along the third line, and the second signal conductor of the signal conductor pair moves slowly away from the third line.

8. The connector module of claim 1, wherein the contact tails of the contact tails are wide-side coupled.

9. A thin sheet comprising: Support components; And a plurality of connector modules as in claim 1, the plurality of connector modules being arranged in rows and supported by the support member, each connector module in the sheet further including an electromagnetic shielding member that at least partially surrounds the mating end of the signal conductor pair.

10. A thin sheet comprising: Support components; The system also includes a plurality of connector modules arranged in rows and supported by the support member. Each connector module includes a signal conductor pair and an electromagnetic shielding member, wherein: the signal conductor pair includes a mating end pair, a contact tail pair, and a middle portion pair connecting the mating end pair to the contact tail pair; the electromagnetic shielding member at least partially surrounds the mating end pair; the mating end pair is elongated in a first direction; the contact tail pair is elongated in a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction; the mating ends of the mating end pair are separated in a direction perpendicular to a first line perpendicular to the first direction; the middle portions of the middle portion pair are separated in a direction perpendicular to a second line perpendicular to the first direction; and the first line is set at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to the second line.

11. The sheet of claim 10, wherein the first line is set at an angle greater than 30 degrees and less than 60 degrees relative to the second line.

12. The sheet as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first line is set at a 45-degree angle relative to the second line.

13. The sheet of claim 10, wherein the signal conductor pair further includes a transition region connecting the intermediate portion pair to the mating terminal pair.

14. The sheet of claim 13, wherein the electromagnetic shielding member is embossed to have protrusions adjacent to the transition region in order to counteract the impedance variation along the length of the signal conductor pair, the impedance variation being related to the variation in shape of the signal conductor pair along the length.

15. The sheet of claim 13, wherein the electromagnetic shielding member is embossed to have protrusions adjacent to the mating terminals in order to reduce the impedance difference between full mating and partial de-mating of the connector module.

16. The sheet of claim 13, wherein the electromagnetic shielding member is embossed to have an outwardly projecting portion adjacent to the transition region and an inwardly projecting portion adjacent to the mating end pair.

17. The sheet as requested in item 10, wherein: Each connector module of the thin sheet includes an electromagnetic shielding component; the electromagnetic shielding component includes the electromagnetic shielding member as a first electromagnetic shielding member and further includes a second electromagnetic shielding member. Furthermore, each of the first electromagnetic shielding member and the second electromagnetic shielding member includes: an intermediate portion; a mating portion integral with the intermediate portion; and a transition between the mating portion and the intermediate portion, wherein the first electromagnetic shielding member and the second electromagnetic shielding member are twisted at the transition at an angle of the first line relative to the second line.

18. The sheet as requested in item 10, wherein: Each connector module of the sheet includes an electromagnetic shield, the electromagnetic shield comprising the electromagnetic shielding member; the electromagnetic shield at least partially surrounds the mating terminal pair of the signal conductor pair at a first portion along the length of the signal conductor pair; at the first portion, the electromagnetic shield has a cross-section with a width of less than 2 mm and a length of less than 3.8 mm.

19. A connector comprising: case; The first and second sheets are both supported by the housing and include a plurality of signal conductor pairs, wherein: for each of the plurality of signal conductor pairs, the signal conductor pair includes a mating end pair, a contact tail pair, and a middle portion pair connecting the mating end pair to the contact tail pair; the first and second sheets are arranged in an array comprising a plurality of columns extending along a column direction and spaced apart from each other in a row direction perpendicular to the column direction; the first and second sheets are adjacent to each other in the column direction; the mating end pairs of the plurality of signal conductor pairs of the first and second sheets are aligned along a first line parallel to each other; and the first line is set at an angle greater than 30 degrees and less than 60 degrees relative to the column direction.

20. The connector of claim 19, wherein the first line is set at a 45-degree angle relative to the column direction.

21. The connector as described in request item 19, wherein: The signal conductor pair further includes a transition region between the mating end pair and the intermediate portion pair; for each of the plurality of signal conductor pairs of the first sheet and the second sheet, within the transition region, the relative positions of the signal conductors in the signal conductor pair change such that at a first end of the transition region adjacent to the mating end, the signal conductors are aligned along a line of the first line, and at a second end of the transition region, the signal conductors are aligned in the column direction.

22. The connector of claim 21, wherein the contact tail pairs of the plurality of signal conductor pairs are arranged in a second array, the second array comprising multiple rows of the contact tail pairs extending along a third direction.

23. The connector as claimed in claim 22, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to the column direction.

24. The connector of claim 23, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to both the row direction and the column direction.

25. The connector of claim 22, wherein the center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the second array is less than or equal to 5 millimeters (mm).

26. The connector of claim 25, wherein the center-to-center spacing between adjacent contact tail pairs in the second array is less than or equal to 2.4 mm.

27. A connector comprising: Supporting components; A plurality of modules, supported by the support member and arranged in at least one row extending along a row direction; wherein: for each of the plurality of modules in one of the rows: each module includes a pair of signal conductors and a shield at least partially surrounding the pair of signal conductors; the pair of signal conductors of the module includes corresponding mating terminals aligned along corresponding first lines parallel to each other; and the plurality of modules in the row are arranged such that the first lines are set at an angle greater than 30 degrees and less than 60 degrees relative to the row direction.

28. The connector of claim 27, wherein the at least one row comprises a plurality of rows and the plurality of signal conductor pairs of the plurality of rows are arranged in a plurality of columns.

29. The connector as claimed in claim 27, further comprising: A second support member is adjacent to the support member along a column direction perpendicular to the row direction; The second plurality of modules, supported by the second support member and arranged in at least one second row extending along the row direction, wherein: for the module in the second plurality of modules in one of the at least one second row: each module includes a pair of signal conductors to at least partially surround a shielding of the pair of signal conductors; and the pair of signal conductors of the module includes a corresponding pair of mating terminals aligned along a corresponding second line, the second lines being parallel to each other and parallel to the first line.

30. The connector of claim 27, wherein the shield of each of the second plurality of modules is separated from the shield of the other modules in the second plurality of modules.

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