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Download a printable version of the Interconnection Glossary. Select from the following: |
Numbers & Misc. | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
A
AIM | Advanced Integration Module |
AIM | AOL Instant Messenger |
AIN | Advanced Intelligent Network |
AINAP | Advanced Intelligent Network Application Protocol |
AIOD | Automatic Identification of Outward Dialing |
AIS | Alarm Indication Signal |
AIS | Automated Information System |
AIX | Advanced Interactive Executive |
AIX 5L | See AIX (IBM form of UNIX) |
A-Key | Authentication Key |
AL | Access Line |
ALE | Automatic Link Establishment |
ALU | Arithmetic Logic Unit |
AM | Airline Mileage |
AM | Amplitude Modulation |
AMC | Administrative Management Complex |
AME | Automatic Message Exchange |
AME | Amplitude Modulation Equivalent |
AMI | Alternate Mark Inversion |
AMIS | Audio Messaging Interchange Specification |
AMPS | Advanced Mobile Phone Service |
AMPS | Automatic Message Processing System |
AMR | Adaptive Multi-Rate |
AMTA | American Mobile Telecommunications Association |
AMTS | Automated Maritime Telecommunications System |
AN | Access Node |
AN | Annuciator |
ANC | All Number Calling |
ANI | Automatic Number Identification |
ANSI | American National Standards Institution |
AP | Access Point |
AP | Anomalous Popagation |
AP | Attendant Position |
APC | Adaptive Predictive Coding |
APC | Automatic Power Control |
API | Application Programming Interface |
APIPA | Automatic Private IP Addressing |
APL | Average Picture Level |
APLT | Advanced Private Line Termination |
APNIC | Asia Pacific Network Information Centre |
APON | ATM Passive Optical Network |
APPC | Advanced Program-to-Program Communication |
APPI | Advanced Peer-to-Peer Internetworking |
APPN | Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking |
AR | Alternate Route |
AR | Autonomous Registration |
ARA | Apple Talk Remote Access |
ARD | Automatic Ringdown |
ARDIS | Advanced Radio Data Information System |
ARFCN | Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Numbers |
ARIB | Association of Radio Industries and Businesses |
ARIN | American Registry for Internet Numbers |
ARJ | Admission Reject |
ARP | Address Resolution Protocol |
ARPA | Advanced Research Projects Agency |
ARPANET | Advanced Research Projects Agency Network |
ARQ | Automatic Repeat Request |
ARS | Automatic Route Selection |
ART | Audible Ringing Tone |
ARU | Audible Response Unit |
AS | Analog Signal |
AS | Answer Supervision |
AS | Autonomous System |
ASCII | American Standard Code for Information Interchange |
ASF | Active Streaming Format |
ASIC | Application-Specific Intergraded Circuit |
ASP | Active Server Page |
ASP | Adjunct Service Point |
ASP | Application Service Provider |
ASR | Automated Speech Recognition |
AT | Attenuation |
ATA | Advanced Technology Attachment |
ATA | Analog Telephone Adapter |
ATAPI | Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface |
ATB | All Trunks Busy |
ATDM | Asynchronous Time-Division Mulitplexing |
ATIS | Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions |
ATM | Asynchronous Transfer Mode |
ATOW | Acquisition and Tracking Orderwire |
ATSC | Advanced Television System Committee |
ATTIS | AT&T Information Systems |
ATU | ADSL Transceiver Unit |
ATU-C | ADSL Transceiver Unit-Central Office |
ATU-R | ADSL Transceiver Unit-Remote |
ATV | Advanced Television |
AU | Alternate Use |
AUC | Authentication Center |
AUI | Attachment Unit Interface |
AUTOVON- | Automatic Voice Network (replaced by DSN) |
AUTOSEVOCON- | Automatic Secure Voice Communication Network |
AVD | Alternate Voice Data |
AVD Circuits | Alternate voice/data circuits |
AVL | Automatic Vehicle Location |
AVVID | Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data |
AWG | America Wire Gauge |
AWGN | Additive White Gaussian Noise |
AX25 | Amateur Radio X.25 |
AXE | An open architecture, Ericsson communications platform |
Abrasion Stripper | A motorized device of buffing wheels that scrape flat from conductors. |
Absolute Zero | The temperature at which material has no molecular movement and no heat; OOK= -273.15°C. |
Absorption | (1) The amount of moisture a substance will assimilate and retain. (2) The dissipation of energy by radiation passing through a medium. |
Absorption (fiber) | In an optical fiber, loss of optical power resulting from a conversion of that power into heat. Intrinsic causes of absorption in a fiber involve tails of the ultraviolet and infrared absorption bands. Extrinsic components causing loss include (a) impurities, e.g., the OH-ion and transition metal ions and, (b) defects, e.g., results of thermal history and exposure to nuclear radiation. See also: Attenuation |
Acetal Resin | Rigid thermoplastics with properties similar to zinc, aluminum and other metals. The molecular structure of the polymer is that of a linear acetal, consisting of unbranched polyoxymethylene chains. Can be molded or extruded to provide high tensile and flex strengths, resilience and solvent resistance. Good electrical properties survive humid conditions. |
Accelerated Aging | A test in which volt-age temperature and other parameters are increased above normal operating values to obtain observable deterioration in a relatively short period of time. |
Acceptance Angle | 1) The half-angle of the cone within which all incident light is totally internally reflected by the fiber core. 2) Acceptance angle is related to fiber NA: O = sin -1 NA. |
Access Holes | A series of holes in successive layers, each set having a common center or axis. The holes of a multilayer printed board provide access to the surface of the land in one of the layers of the board. |
Accessories | Mechanical devices, such as cable clamps, added to connector shells and other such hardware that are attachable to connectors to make up the total connector configuration. |
Accordion | (1) A type of connector contact where a flat spring is given a "Z" shape to permit high deflection without overstress. (2) A retractile cable with a series of equally-spaced transverse folds. |
Acid Fluxes | Fluxes consisting of inorganic acids and salts that are used when a surface to be soldered is below the ideal for rapid wetting. Also called Corrosive Fluxes. |
Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) | Family of three-polymer engineering thermoplastics. Acrylonitrile and styrene liquids and butadiene gas are polymerized together in a variety of ratios to produce required properties such as suitable electrical properties, chemical resistance and dimensional stability. |
Activating | A treatment that renders nonconductive material receptive to electroless deposition. Non-preferred synonyms – Seeding, Catalyzing, Initiating and Sensitizing |
Actuator | A device applied to the plunger of a switch to cause contact transfer. |
Adapter | An intermediate device that accomplishes the attachment of special accessories and provides for special mounting. |
Adhesion | A phenomenon that occurs because of plastic deformation of asperities on surfaces when two surfaces are pressed together. |
Adhesion Promotion | The chemical process of preparing a plastic surface to provide for a uniform, well-bonded metallic overplate. |
Adhesive | (1) A substance capable of holding materials together by surface attachment. (2) A wide range of materials including animal and The chemical process of preparing a plastic surface to provide for a uniform, well-bonded metallic overplate. vegetable type glues, rubbers, elastomers, thermosetting and thermoplastic resins, ceramics and hot melts. Adhesives are used extensively for bonding, sealing and joining laminates, films and foils, coils, conductors, etc. |
Additive Process | A process for obtaining conductive patterns by the selective deposition of conductive material on unclad base material. |
Admittance | The ease with which an alternating current flows in a circuit. The reciprocal of impedance. |
Adsorption | The adhesion of gas or liquid molecules to the surface of solids or liquids with which they are in contact. |
Aging | The change in properties of a material with time under specific conditions, such varying the temperature, pressure, humidity, etc. |
Agitation | The process of shaking/ stirring a plating bath to replenish metal ions at the cathode interface, thereby increasing the deposition rate. Usually, as more effective agitation is achieved, higher duty cycles can be used to increase the plating rate or lower voltage and current for improved quality. |
Air Spaced Coaxial Cable | A cable in which air is the essential dielectric material. A spirally-wound synthetic filament or spacer may be used to center the conductor. |
Alkyd Resin | Polyester resins made with some fatty acid modifier. Thermosetting molding compounds are used in electronic components. |
Alligator Clip | A mechanical device shaped similar to the jaws of an alligator, generally used as a temporary connection on the end of a test lead or interconnections wire. |
Alloy (A) | A combination of two or more elements of which at least one is a metal. Generally, alloys have different properties from those exhibited by their constituent element. (8) In plastics, a blend of polymers with other polymers or co-polymers. |
Allyl Plastics | Plastics based on resins made by addition polymerization of monomers containing allyl groups, such as diallyl phthalate. Often compression molded, offering good high temperature performance and chemical resistance. |
Aluminum (AI) | A lightweight, silvery white metal identified by Atomic No. 13. Aluminum terminals are compatible with aluminum conductors in weight-sensitive or high-current applications. Because the material is susceptible to oxidation, corrosion and creep, it requires special considerations with regard to crimping. |
Aluminum-Steel Conductor | An aluminum-steel conductor is a composite conductor made up of a combination of aluminum and steel wires. In the usual construction, the aluminum wires surround the steel |
American Wire Gauge (AWG) | A standard system for designating wire diameter. Also referred to as the Brown and Sharpe (B&S) wire gauge. |
Amplifier | A device used to boost the strength (dB level) of an electronic signal. Amplifiers are spaced at intervals throughout a cable system to rebuild the strength of TV or data signals that weaken as they pass through the cable network. |
Amplitude | The distance between high or low points of a waveform or signal. Also referred to as the wave "height." See: Amplitude Modulation. |
Amplitude Modulation | A method of adding information to an electronic signal where the height (amplitude) of the wave is changed to convey the added information. |
Amino Plastics | A family of thermosets that includes melamine and urea. The properties and general use of these materials depend on the ratio of formaldehyde to the melamine or urea. Those with the lowest percentage of formaldehyde are used in molding compounds. |
Analog Circuits | Circuits which provide a continuous relationship between input and output. |
Angle (Connector) | (1) The deflected angle of an angle connector. (2) Pertaining to a branch connector, the least angle between the branch and the main conductor. |
Angle Connector | A connector that joins two conductors end to end at a specified angle. |
Angle of Incidence | The angle between an incident ray and the normal to a reflecting or refracting surface. |
Angular Alignment | The alignment of two optical fibers with respect to the angle formed by their axes. |
Angstrom | Approximately 4 x 10-9" or 10-8 em or 10-411 |
Annular Conductor | A number of wires stranded in three reversed concentric layers around a core. |
Annular Ring | That portion of conductive material completely surrounding a hole on a PC board. |
Anode | The positive pole in plating apparatus at which negatively charged ions leave the plating solution. See Cathode. |
Anodic Silver | A precious metal used in plating; fine silver in different configurations, such as shot, cones, bars, ete., is sacrificed during the silver plating process. |
Anodize | Formation of a protective, insulating oxide layer on metal by electrolytic action. |
Antioxidant | A substance that prevents or slows down oxygen decomposition of a material |
Anti-rotation | Connector design that includes keying or locking provisions to maintain positive orientation for accessory hardware. |
Anvil | That part of the crimping die, normally stationary, which positions and supports the terminal during crimping. Sometimes called Nest. |
Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) | An IC chip designed for a specific application or product. |
Arc Resistance | The characteristic of insulating materials to resist carbonization (usually called tracking) of the material surface between electrodess resulting from voltage breakdown. |
Armored Cable | A cable provided with a wrapping of metal, usually steel wires or tapes, primarily for the purpose of mechanical protection. |
Aramid | A generic description of a group of high temperature aromatic polyamides. |
Arc-Over Voltage | The minimum voltage required to cause an arc between electrodes separated by a gas or liquid insulation. |
Area Array Tab | An array of pads that are located along the edge as well as the inner surface area of a substrate. |
Array | A group of elements or circuits arranged in rows and columns on a substrate or PC board. |
Asperities | Surface roughness and irregularities. |
Aspect Ratio | A ratio of length or depth of a through-hole on a PC board to its preplated diameter. |
Attenuation | (1) The ratio of the input to output power levels in a network (transmission line) when it is excited by a matched source and terminated in a matched load. (2) Power loss in an electrical system. (3) The decrease in power from one point to another expressed in decibels. The difference (loss) between transmitted and received power due to transmission loss through equipment, lines, or other communications devices. |
Attenuation Coefficient | A factor expressing optical power loss per unit of length, expressed in dB/km. |
Attenuation-Limited Operation | The condition prevailing when the received signal amplitude (rather than distortion) limits performance. |
Au/Sn | A solder alloy of gold/tin usually in a 80/20 ratio used for sealing gold plated packages. |
Automated Wire Bonding | A computer aided high production process in which wire bonding is performed by either thermocompression or ultrasonic methods. |
Avalanche Photodiode (APD) | A photodiode that shows gain in output power that it receives through avalanche multiplication of photo current. |
Axial Displacement | Incremental difference between an initial position and a final position resulting from a force applied along the component's axis. |
Axial Lead | Lead wire extending from a component or module body along its longitudinal axis. |
Axial Ray | A light ray that travels along the optical fiber’s axis. |
Numbers & Misc. | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
