Wide range of Fibre Optic Connectors, Adapters and Cables available from Cliff Electronics

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Cliff Electronics, leaders in the design, development and manufacture of connectors and test equipment now offer a wide range of optical connectors, cables and accessories suitable for high quality audio and broadcast systems, AV installations, home theatre, games consoles, automation, instrumentation, data and IT connectivity, medical equipment instrumentation, industrial control and data acquisition and other high bandwidth signal connections.

Optical connectivity is virtually unaffected by electrical noise when transmitting and receiving digital signals and is rapidly becoming a standard feature of HDTV, high-quality audio equipment including portable products and IT systems.

Cliff Electronics optical jacks are available as single or dual optical transmitter/receiver versions with right-angle PCB mounting and a self-tapping screw hole for panel mounting. All conform to the EIAJ/JEITA rectangular standard CP-1210 and also RC-5720 and JIS C5974-1993 F05 standards for digital audio interfaces including fibre-optic interconnections. Standard and low-profile versions are available, and three models replace a plug-in cover with a convenient hinged shutter to protect against contamination.

Electrical specification of Cliff’s optical jacks is; supply voltage -0.5 to 7.0V maximum, input voltage -0.5 to +0.5V maximum, operating temperature -20 to +70ºC and soldering temperature 260ºC maximum.

Fibre Optic Connectors are also available in Cliff’s market leading Feedthrough connector series. SC Simplex, LC Duplex and TOSLINK EIAJ fibre-optic connection options are available in plastic or rugged metal shells. Designed to fit into the industry standard 24mm diameter XLR connector panel cutout, this simplifies panel design and manufacture and improves end product aesthetics. Fibre-optic FeedThrough connectors may also be supplied pre-assembled into 19” rack panels to simplify and speed up system assembly.

To accompany their optical connector range Cliff also manufactures moulded optical lead assemblies (TOSLINK cables) for use with optical jacks. The TOSLINK (Toshiba Link) Optical Audio Data Cables conform to a standard, optical fibre, digital, audio interface and are available in 1.5 and 2.5 metre lengths. Lead terminals conform to the EIAJ/JEITA rectangular standard CP-1201 and also RC-5720 and JIS C5974-1993 F05 standards for digital audio interfaces including fibre-optical interconnections.

Completing the Cliff Fibre-Optic product range is a Toslink/Optical adaptor which converts a Toslink Optical Cable / Connection to a 3.5mm (Mini Toslink) Jack. This enables standard Optical Cables to be plugged into laptops, PC soundcards, minidiscs and other portable audio equipment.

John Hall, Managing Director of Cliff Electronics, comments; “Optical interconnections are virtually unaffected by noise when transmitting and receiving signals and have been adopted as standard in portable audio equipment. Their use is also growing in popularity in datacentres and instrumentation systems. Our wide range of feedthrough connector and jack options allow us to provide best-fit solutions for OEMs and Systems Integrators.”

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Harwin Provides Industry with Smallest & Most Lightweight Mixed-Layout Connectors To Date

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Harwin continues to extend the scope of its high-reliability (hi-rel) connector portfolio through the introduction of mixed-layout versions of the company’s popular Gecko-SL series. By complementing the data contacts with 2 or 4 power contacts (in power/data configurations of either 1+8+1 or 2+8+2), the Gecko-MT products enable significant space and weight reductions in electronic hardware. This means that they address modern system designs where major constraints can be placed on these parameters. The respective power and data current ratings are 10A and 2.8A max per contact.
The initial release comprises female and male cable connectors, plus female vertical and male right-angle PCB connector options. These components are fitted with sturdy, stainless steel screw-lok fixings (in both conventional and reversed formats), to ensure ongoing interconnect integrity in even the most challenging of application environments. They have 20G vibration and 100G shock resilience and their operational temperature range spans from -65°C to 150°C. Low outgassing properties are also exhibited.
By encompassing both data and power in a single compact and lightweight solution, Gecko-MT connectors are highly optimized for avionics, defense, space, and motorsport. Among the key target applications are robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), battery management and satellites. They are available from stock and through Harwin’s distribution network. In addition, cable assemblies can be requested for manufacture by Harwin’s in-house operations.
“By specifying Gecko-MT, engineers will be able to streamline their designs, improve size and weight profiles and reduce bill-of-materials costs by using a smaller and lower-cost component than comparable Micro-D connectors,” states John Brunt, Product Manager for High-Reliability at Harwin. “By combining together power and signal in one robust mating pair, savings can be made in both weight and space, without any compromise in performance or longevity.”

Visit https://www.harwin.com

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ITSA Members quarterly meeting

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The Interconnect Technology Suppliers Association held is last meeting for 2019 on the 9th October at Norton Park near Winchester.

The meeting was well attended and we had a full agenda for the day.

An important announcement at the meeting was that ITSA had been invited to join the RoHS Umbrella Industry project where we will be able to contribute to and influence decisions regarding RoSH exemptions which are vital to our industry. For further information please see the press release on our web site News section. Members were also advised that the association was now a registered stakeholder with the Oko Institute which again gives us a voice regarding RoHS exemptions.

Members discussed the current state of the UK interconnect market and without exception it appears that 2019 will be a very challenging year. Both concerns about BREXIT and the general global economy are negatively impacting business across most markets and the inflow of new orders has slowed considerably. It would seem that the European electronics market as a whole has only grown by around 1-2% in the first half of 2019 but interconnect appears to be performing better and the UK would seem to be out performing some other major EU countries, the UK interconnect growth in 2019 is looking to be around 3-5% by year end. Notwithstanding this there is cautious optimism for 2020.

At this meeting members approved a PR/Marketing plan for the association commencing in January 2020 which will further enhance the profile and awareness of the association.

The Chairman reported that there had been an increased interest in membership of the association at both full member and associate member level and he hoped to be able to make some announcements towards the end of 2019.

The meeting closed with members enjoying a networking lunch.

The next planned meeting will be on the 2nd April 2020 and we will be holding this at Hitchin Priory.

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Hybrid M12 connectors mix power and signal contacts from binder

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binder, the leading industrial circular connector manufacturer, announces the first models in a new range of M12 A coded, moulded connectors that incorporate both power and signal/data contacts.
The versatility of these “hybrid” M12 connectors will interest those responsible for today’s complex applications where both power and signal are required in a limited space. These include sensors, actuators, camera systems, motors and drives and controls systems.
The first versions to be made available have nine contacts consisting of two gold plated power contacts rated to 12A at 63V and gold plated seven signal contacts rated to 0.5A at 12.5V.

The Polyurethane (PUR) moulded cable connector features 0.75mm2 AWG 18 wires for power and 0.14mm2 AWG 26 for signal. As standard, it is supplied with 2m or 5m of cable with alternative lengths available on request.

The panel mounted connectors feature PCB termination featuring dip solder contacts for power and surface mount for signal.

When mated, they provide protection to IP67 and an operating temperature range of -25⁰C to 85⁰C.
Future models will include contacts with six contacts – two power contacts rated to 16A and four shielded signal contacts for Cat5e cable – based data applications.

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HARTING to showcase innovative products at the Smart Factory Expo

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HARTING UK will be showcasing their range of innovative Industry 4.0 products and solutions at the Smart Factory Expo in Liverpool on the 13th and 14th November 2019.
The importance of Industry 4.0 is highlighted by the many benefits it can bring to businesses. Predictive maintenance, energy monitoring and flexible production methods help manufacturers to revolutionise their facilities and make them more adaptable.
HARTING’s MICA (Modular Industry Computer Architecture) is a compact and rugged industrial computer designed for use in production environments. It allows manufacturers to access information from machines such as energy use and cycle times and combine it with production figures to generate valuable real-time data.
Thanks to its open source software, the MICA is extremely versatile and can be used to undertake a variety of projects across a range of markets, including asset management.

HARTING will also be demonstrating a fully functional plug-and-play kit that utilises the MICA and enables digital condition monitoring of any kind of machinery or equipment. This kit is particularly interesting as it can be installed in a few hours and begin to provide you with valuable production data immediately.
Also on display will be HARTING’s range of robust and versatile UHF Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products. Our portfolio includes special transponders, known as RFID tags, which can be used as smart labels on containers or for identifying tools and antennae which can be seamlessly installed on conveyor belts or used to create reading zones for smart shelves in stores.
An RFID system can cope with harsh, industrial environments and can endure wide temperature variations, high humidity and continue to be readable in dirty environments where the tag may become coated in oil and grease. Tags can also be securely encrypted and password protected to protect sensitive data. In addition, RFID hardware is future-proofed through the addition of features like WLAN, Bluetooth Low Energy and GSM.
To learn more about our Industry 4.0 solutions or discuss your requirements with one of our product experts, please visit us on stand B20 at the Smart Factory Expo.

https://www.harting.com

 

 

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ITSA Joins RoHS Umbrella Industry Project

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October 2019 — ITSA – Interconnect Technology Suppliers Association has joined the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (“RoHS”)* Umbrella Industry Project (“the Umbrella Project”)**.


John Biggs, Chairman of ITSA commented “We are delighted to announce that ITSA has joined the Umbrella Project as part of ITSA´s mission and continued efforts to provide a favourable operating environment for the benefit of interconnect technology companies and a dynamic network for exploring and co-operating on mutually beneficial opportunities. Key to ITSA and its members´ continued success is active participation in unprecedented cross-industry global initiatives and forums, such as the Umbrella Project, which enable participants to have discussions and decide any action or position the global industry wishes to adopt with regard to key matters, and influence current and future changes to standards affecting the global industry, including the continuing technical adaptations of existing Exemptions to the European Union (EU)’s RoHS Directive substance restrictions”

Bodo Eilken, Infineon Technologies & Chair of the Umbrella Project added “The Umbrella Project warmly welcomes ITSA as a new Umbrella Project partnering association. We are excited about the potential of ITSA and its members to contribute to the Umbrella Project´s discussions and work underway. We are looking forward to a fruitful cooperation with ITSA and its member companies in the journey of RoHS Exemptions’ technical adaptations, and beyond”.
Notes:
* The EU’s RoHS Directive sets the benchmark and remains the most prominent sector-specific legislation on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. It has also served as a model for similar laws introduced in multiple jurisdictions around the world and it continues to rapidly evolve, including on-going and forthcoming policy and regulatory developments requiring continued enhanced leadership, engagement and collaboration across the global industry, and beyond.
** The Umbrella Project is an unprecedented cross-industry initiative, currently involving 53 partnering industry associations globally, aimed at fostering cross-industry dialogue on the adaptation to scientific and technical progress of existing Exemptions from the RoHS Directive substance restrictions and global industry alignment on technical substitution possibilities. Where necessary, dialogues result in joint global cross industry applications to the European Commission for renewal of selected existing Exemptions, or parts thereof, under the conditions laid down in the RoHS Directive. Participants in the Umbrella Project have been key contributors to the current Directive, including the continuing Exemptions’ technical adaptations, to everyone´s benefit.

 

 

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New USB-C FeedThrough Connector from Cliff Electronics’ is reversible

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Cliff Electronics announces the addition of a FeedThrough version of the industry-standard USB-C connector which can carry data and power on a single cable. The Cliff USB-C connector has no up or down orientation and the connector cannot be mis-inserted.

Able to connect to, and power devices including a native DisplayPort, MHL, or HDMI device, the 24-pin USB connector system has a double-sided rotationally-symmetrical design. Connection to both sides of the connector is made using off-the-shelf, standard USB-C male leads.

In common with the rest of Cliff’s extensive range of FeedThrough connectors, the new USB-C version may be mounted into an industry standard XLR connector panel cut out, simplifying system design and improving product aesthetics. The USB-C connector may also be fitted to Cliff’s purpose built 19” rack panels providing systems integrators with fast and convenient system assembly.

Cliff’s XLR format FeedThrough connectors take advantage of the standard 24mm panel cut out widely used in audio and broadcast systems and which is finding increasing popularity instrumentation, medical and industrial applications due to the format’s flexibility, security and reliability. The new Cliff USB-C connecter may be mounted to the front or rear of control panels and supplied with plain or countersunk mounting holes.

Dan Walker, General Sales Manager, of Cliff Electronics, comments; “USB-C has been widely adopted as the standard connector for supplying data and power between devices and systems. With our new FeedThrough version, all users have to do is line up the connector properly to make the connection, it never needs to be rotated for correct operation – the “right way” is always up.”

Cliff’s Feedthrough connectors now provide  Analogue, Digital and Optical Feed-Through connectivity in formats including VGA, Mini DisplayPort, Firewire, GJ45, HDMI A-A and 50 ohm BNC versions, USB2 A-to-B and B-to-A “gender change” sockets high speed USB Type – C, USB3 to USB3 in all gender changing configurations – A-A, A-B and B-A. Also available are all popular data and Ethernet connectors including USB 2.0 and 3.0, LC and SC fibre (Duplex & Simplex), UTP and FTP RJ45s in both Cat6 and Cat5e (shielded and unshielded), Toslink, RCA Phono and HDMI and blanking plates.

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HARWIN become the latest member of the association

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We are delighted to announce that HARWIN has become the latest interconnect company to join ITSA.

John Biggs, Chairman of ITSA commented “The Interconnect Technology Suppliers Association continues to expand  and with HARWIN’s membership we now have the largest number of members for almost 10 years and with it a significant representation of UK operating Interconnect companies”

Andrew McQuilken HARWIN’s Managing Director added ” AS part of ITSA we will be well positioned to work with other leading interconnect companies to identify future trends, address emerging opportunities plus overcome commercial and logistical challenges that affect us all”

https://harwin.com

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