Connectors offer flexibility in control panel design

Also available in a plastic housing, Cliff’s growing range of feed-through connectors are packaged in a 24mm diameter XLR connector format and provide digital and optical feed-through connectivity in formats including USB3 to USB3 in all gender changing configurations - A-A, A-B and B-A.

Other models in the range cover all popular data and Ethernet connectors including USB 2.0 and 3.0, LC and SC fibre (Duplex and Simplex), UTP and FTP RJ45s in both Cat6 and Cat5e (shielded and unshielded), USB ‘gender’ changers, Toslink, RCA Phono and HDMI and blanking plates. Further options will continue to be introduced throughout 2016 and the company can also deal with custom design enquiries.

All versions, metal and plastic, share the same features and dimensions and offer a complete range of audio, data, and fibre connectors, all of which can be both front or rear mounted into industry standard 24mm XLR connector mounting holes. The new FT Series are simple to mount into any panel designed to accept XLR connectors including instrumentation, control and rack panels, wall plates, etc. For ease of assembly the Cliff FT Series are available with standard or counter-sunk mounting holes. Bezels are available in seven colours to identify the function of FT connectors when fitted to a control panel.

The FT Series offers true feed-through connection, allowing standard cabling to be used to connect at both front and rear, eliminating the need to solder or terminate the connections and simplifying and speeding up assembly.

Cliff’s FT series is already being used in a multitude of system integration applications for custom I/O solutions. Typical applications include broadcast, AV installations, systems integration, home theatre, automation, solar power and a growing range of industrial applications including instrumentation, industrial control and data acquisition.

John Hall, General Manager of Cliff Electronics, commented: “We continue to find new opportunities to grow our feed-through connector range and as we respond to new customer enquiries we continue to find new and unexpected applications. We have been supplying connectors to the music and pro-audio markets since 1964 and we are very pleased to find our market leading range of cost effective feed-through connectors continue to find new industrial and professional markets.”