News including News Archive and Events
New sub-miniature DC power socket
26th February 2010
We now offer a smaller footprint version of our DC-8 socket for 1.3mm diameter DC power plugs. FC681455 will be useful where PCB space is tight. The two versions are not pin compatible and so are not drop in replacements for each other. We stock the current DC-8 (FC68145) and will stock the new FC681455 soon. Contact sales for technical drawings, prices and availability. A surface mounting version of the new model will be available but only supplied to order.
Plagiarised Plagiarized Cliff™ Technical Drawings
Counterfeiting Update, 25th February 2010
It has come to our attention that a number of Cliff™ technical drawings have been plagiarised plagiarized. Details of the drawings' origin have been removed and now show just the name "CLIFF". These changed drawings are available from the sites of our ex USA distributor, cliffcomponents.com and their associates cliffhongkong.com and cliffeurope.com.
Please note that genuine Cliff™ technical drawings of Cliff™ produced products always have our name and address written in a box in the bottom, left hand corner. If our contact details are not there, we can not guarantee the dimensions and RoHS data will be valid even though the drawing has a "CLIFF" name on. Users of these drawings should be wary. When designing in parts, the safest way is to use original drawings from Cliff™ Electronic Components Ltd. If in doubt then please contact us.
DIN Sockets and Terminal Posts
11th June 2009
Design changes on PCB mounting DIN sockets. Models we have been selling in the past are becoming obsolete. Replacement models have a different PCB raster. Please contact our engineering department for details.
Counterfeit Parts Update
from Cliff™ Electronic Components Ltd. (U.K.), 2nd January 2009
Cliff™ Electronic Components Ltd. (United Kingdom) is a design and manufacturing company and owners of Cliff™ patents, trademarks and global compliance certifications. We are aggressively pursuing legal means to stop our previous US distributor “Cliff Electronic Components Inc.” located in Topeka, Kansas and “Cliff Hong Kong” from using the Cliff™ name and selling counterfeit Cliff™ branded parts. Kansas Lawsuit Number 08C 1820.
We would encourage you to take a stand against counterfeiters who disregard intellectual properties laws. This has a detrimental impact on our industry, potentially causing the loss of jobs and funds for research and development. Copyright infringing companies put your products at risk with the possibility of contact or material failures, consumer injuries due to fire or shock and recalls of any finished product failures that are with your consumers. Unfortunately, Cliff™ Inc. and Cliff™ UK cannot be liable for any claims made by your customers, where counterfeit parts have been used.
Aside from the unlawful aspects there is an inherent deception and dishonesty characteristic to intellectual property crime. Often goods are sold as genuine and you are conned into thinking you are getting authentic parts. In addition, the offenders are free riding on the creativity and investment of others.
Cliff™ Inc. is a division of Cliff™ Electronic Components Ltd. U.K. and located in Benicia, California. This is the only authorised authorized distributor in North America to offer genuine Cliff™ products to customers. Look-alike components from any other companies do not meet UL approval and other universal standards. We are ready and able to take care of all your component needs. We encourage you to buy genuine Cliff™ parts direct from Cliff™ Inc. or Cliff™ UK.
Cliff™ can offer the following benefits:
- Standard Stock as required.
- Logistic warehouses in California, the U.K., China and Taiwan.
- Cliff™ UK owned manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom and Far East.
- We have our own 3D AutoCAD design team in the U.K. to help with customer’s custom designs and new product research and development.
- Customer service teams in the U.S. and the U.K.
- Cliff™ products are patented and owned by Cliff™ UK.
- Cliff™ products meet the requirements of UL, CE and ISO9001.
You can contact Cliff™ UK or Cliff™ Inc. if you have any queries.
Yours Sincerely,
Cliff™ Electronic Components Ltd.
Patent and trademark reference information:
S1 series jack sockets: U.S. patent number 6116959
TPP series terminal binding post assemblies: U.S. patent number 5719753
Cliff™ trademark number 1858355 registered in the United States, 18th October 1994 by Cliff™ Electronic Components Ltd. United Kingdom.
Counterfeit Product Alert
from Cliff™ Electronic Components Ltd. (U.K.), 18th March 2008
We have discovered that counterfeit Cliff™ products are entering the United States from a company calling itself CLIFF Hong Kong which has no connection to Cliff™ UK. They give the impression that the products are genuine and made to the original designs of Cliff™ Electronic Components U.K. using our long established sources of manufacture and supply. This is not the case for these counterfeit products. We will take the appropriate actions when we locate the exact manufacturing source.
In the meantime we feel it necessary to issue an alert so that our customers do not unwittingly purchase counterfeit products and risk further problems.
The following products are affected:
-
TP series Terminals
Certified by UL approvals E151339 and US patents 5380227 and 5719753. US registered design 349684 and U.S. registered Cliff™ trade mark 1858335
Please be wary of any vendor just giving the assurance that “the materials used are covered by UL approvals” when asked to produce UL approvals files. We have informed the UL counterfeiting bureau of products being passed off as UL approved. We expect that they will remove UL approval from any finished products found to contain counterfeits.
- StackJacks™
Models S1, S1C, S2C and S4C are covered by US patent 6116959 and U.S. registered Cliff™ trade mark 1858335.
Products which infringe our patent or bear the Cliff™ name are counterfeit unless they are supplied by Cliff UK™, one of our subsidiaries or an authorised authorized distributor.
All products shipped by
Cliff™ Electronic Components UK,
CPM China and
Cliff™ Inc. (our North American distributor in Benicia, California)
are our genuine products. You can be assured these are manufactured in ISO 9001 factories and carry genuine approvals in regard to UL, CE etc. This ensures they are manufactured from the stated materials and to the required specifications and tolerances.
Our genuine products will not put the UL approvals of your equipment at risk. Counterfeits will.
If you are unsure as to the provenance of any products or need copies of our UL approvals or ISO 9001 certification please contact us using the contact details listed below.
Cliff™ Inc. (USA)
Telephone: +1 707 746 8090
Fax: +1 707 746 8092
Cliff™ Electronic Components Ltd. (UK)
Telephone: +44 (0)1737 771375
Fax: +44 (0)1737 766012
