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	INTERCONNECTION GLOSSARY Download a printable version of the Interconnection Glossary. We'd like to hear from you! Email us with any additions, updates or changes  you would like to see made to the glossary. Select from the following:
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B

B2B	Business-to-Business
B2C	Business-to-Business (e-Commerce)
B3ZS	Binary/Bipolar with 3 Zero Substitution
B6ZS	Binary/Bipolar with 6 Zero Substitution
B8ZS	Binary/Bipolar with 8 Zero Substitution
BACP	Bandwidth Allocation Control Protocol
Balun	Balanced/Unbalanced
BAN	Billing Account Number
BASR	Billing Automatic Send/Receive
BBC	Broadband Bearer Capability
BBH	Bouncing Busy Hour
BBN	Bolt, Beranek and Newmam
BCC	Bellcore Client Company
BCC	Block Check Characters
BCCH	Broadcast Control Channel
BCD	Binary Coded Decimal
BCD	Broadcast Content Delivery
BCH	Broadcast Channels
BCH Code	Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem Code
BCOB	Broadband Connection Oriented Bearer
BCOB-A	Bearer Class A
BCOB-X	Bearer Class X
BCD	Binary Coded Decimal
BCP	Basic Call Process
BCSM	Basic Call State Model
BDCS	Broadband Digital Cross-Connect System
BDSL	Broadband DSL
BEC	Backward Error Correction
BECN	Backward Explicit Congestion Notification
BELLCORE	Bell Communications Research (Talcordia)
BELR	Binary Equivalent Line Rate
BER	Bit Error Rate
BERT	Bit Error Rate Test/Tester
BETRA	Basic Exchange Telecommuncation Radio Service
BEX	Broadband Exchange
BGP	Border Gateway Protocol
BH	Busy Hours
BHCA	Busy Hour Call Attempts
BHCC	Busy Hour Call Completion
BIB	Backward Indicator Bit
BICC	Bearer Independent Call Control
BICI	Broadband Inter-Carrier Interface
BICSI	Building Industries Consulting Services International
BIH	International Time Bureau (French)
BIND	Berkeley Internet Name Domain
BINHEX	Binary Hexadecimal
BIOS	Basic Input/Output System
BIP	Bit Interleaved Parity
BISDN	Broadband Integrated Service Digital Network
Bisync	Binary Synchronous Communications
Bit	A contraction of “binary digits”
BITNET	Becasue It’s Time NETwork (defunct)
BITS	Building Intergrated Timing Supply
BIU	Bus Interdace Unit
BLEC	Building Local Exchange Carrier
BLER	Block Error Rate
BLERT	Block Error Rate Test/Tester
BLES	Broadband Loop Emulation Services
Blog	Short form for weblog
BNC Connector	Bayonet Siel-Concelmann Connector
BNM	Broadband Network Module
BOC	Bell Operating Company
BONDING	Bandwidth on Demand Interoperability Group
BootP	Bootstrap Protocol
BOP	Bit Oriendted Protocol
BORSCHT Functions	Battery Feed, Over Voltage (protection from lightning and accidental power line contact), Ringing, Supervision, Codec (A/D interconversion, also low pass audio filtering), Hybrid (directional coupler, 2-wire to 4-wire inter-conversation), Testing
Bot	Short for “robot”
BP	Breakeven Point
BP	Bypass
BPDU	Bridge Protocol Data Unit
BPI	Baseline Privacy Interface
Bps	Bits Per Second
Bps	Bytes Per Second
BPSK	Binary Phase Shift Keying
BPV	Bipolar Violation
BRA	Basic Rate Access
BREW	Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless
BRF	Bridge Relay Function
BRI	Basic Rate Interface
BS	Base Station
BSA	Basic Serving Arrangement
BSC	Base Station Controller
BSC	Binary Synchronous Communications
BSE	Basic Service Element
BSIC	Base Station Identity Code
BSN	Backward Sequence Number
BSS	Base Station System
BSS	Base Station Subsystem Mgmt. Application Part
BT	Bandwidth Time Product
BT	Burst Tolerance
BTA	Basic Trading Area
BTAM	Basic Telecommunication Access Method
BTS	Base Transceiver Station
BUS	Broadcast and Unknown Server
BW	Bandwidth
BWA	Broadband Wireless Access
BY	Busy
Byte	Bit Asynchronous Transmission Entity
Back Mounted	When a connector is mounted from the inside of a panel or box with its mounting flanges inside the equipment.
Backplane Connector	An interconnection assembly configuration have terminals, such as for solderless wrapping, on one side and usually having connector receptacles on the other side, used to provide point-to-point electrical interconnections. The point-to-point electrical interconnection may be printed wiring.
Backplane Panel	An interconnection panel into which PC cards or other panels can be plugged. These panels come in a variety of designs ranging from a PC motherboard to individual connectors mounted in a metal frame. Panels lend themselves to automated wiring.
Backscattering	That portion of scattered light that returns in a direction generally reverse to the direction of propagation.
Backshell Mold	A mold used to mold a covering over the backshell of a connector or plug after it is connected to a cable.
Bandwidth	(1) The difference, expressed in Hertz (Hz), i.e., cycle per second, between the highest and lowest frequencies of a transmission channel. Bandwidth varies with the type and method of transmission. The range of frequencies that can pass over a given circuit. Generally, the greater the bandwidth, the more information that can be sent through the circuit in a given amount of time.
Bandwidth-Limited Operation	The condition prevailing when the system bandwidth, rather than the amplitude (or power) of the signal, limits performance. The condition is reached when material and modal dispersion distort the shape of the waveform beyond specified limits.
Bare Conductor	A conductor not covered with insulating material.
Barrel	The portion(s) of a terminal or contact that are crimped. Designed to receive the conductor, it is called the wire barrel. Designed to support or grip the insulation, it is called the insulation barrel.
Barrier	Dielectric material that insulates electrical circuits from each other or from ground.
Barrier Strip	A continuous section of dielectric material that insulates electrical circuits from each other or from ground.
Base Material	The insulating material upon which the conductive pattern of a PC board may be formed. The base material may rigid or flexible.
Base Metal	Metal from which the connector, contact or other metal accessory is made and on which one or more metals or coatings may be deposited. Sometimes called basis metal.
Baseband	A signaling technique in which the signal is transmitted in its original form and not changed by modulation.
Baseband LAN	A local area network employing baseband signaling. An example of a baseband LAN is "Ethernet" - bus topology with a CSMA/CD access control technique.
Baud	A measurement of the signaling speed of a data transmission device. The speed in baud is equal to the number of times the line condition (frequency, amplitude, voltage or phase) changes per second. At low speeds (under 300 bps), bits per second and baud are the same. But as speed increases, baud varies from bits per second, because several bits are typically encoded per baud.
Bayonet Coupling	A quick coupling device for plug and receptacle connectors, accomplished by rotation of a cam operating device designed to bring the connector halves together.
Beam Diameter	The distance between two diametrically opposed points at which the irradiance is a specified fraction of the beam's peak irradiance; most commonly applied to beams that are circular or nearly circular in cross section. Synonym: Beamwidth.
Beam Divergence	The increase in beam diameter with increase of distance from the source.
Beamsplitter	A device for dividing an optical beam into two or more separate beams; often a partially reflecting mirror.
Belled Mouth	Flared or widened entrance to a connector barrel, permitting easier insertion of the conductor or mating contact.
Bellows Contact	A connector contact that is a flat spring folded to provide uniform spring rate over the full tolerance range of the mating unit.
Bend Loss	Increased attenuation occurring when the fiber is curved around a restrictive radius.
Beryllium and Alloys	Beryllium is lighter than aluminum, non-magnetic and is characterized by good electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity. The most important use for beryllium is in alloys, especially beryllium-copper alloys.
Beryllium Copper (BeCu)	A relatively expensive contact material with properties superior to brass and phosphor bronze. It is recommended for contact applications requiring repeated extraction and reinsertion because of its resistance to fatigue at high operating temperatures.
Bifurcate	Describes lengthwise slotting of a flat spring contact, as used in a PC connector, to provide additional independently operating points of contact. (Example: Bifurcated Contact.)
Bifurcate Connector	A hermaphroditic connector containing fork-shaped mating contacts.
Bifurcated Contact	A connector contact (usually a flat spring) that is slotted lengthwise to provide additional, independently operating points of contact.
Binding Post	A fixed support, generally screw-type, to which conductors are connected.
Birdcage	A defect in stranded wire where the strands in the stripped portion between the covering of an insulated wire and a soldered connection (or an end-tinned lead) have separated from the normal lay of the strands.
Blade Contact	Used in multiple contact connectors, a flat male contact designed to mate with a tuning fork or a flat formed female contact.
Block	Connector housing.
Board Thickness	The thickness of the metal-clad base material of the PC board including conductive layer or layers. (Can include additional platings and coatings depending upon when the measurement is made.)
Blind Via	A via which extends from OIW or more inner layers to the surface of a substrate or board.
Blister	A raised area on the surface of molded part caused by the pressure 01 gases inside on its incompletely hardened surface.
Bobbin Lugs	Mounted in plastic or paper bobbins, lugs serve to connect coil wires to external lead wires.
Body	Main portion of a connector, comprising the shell and insert, to which other components are attached.
Bolted-type Connector	A connector in which contact between the conductor and the connector is made by pressure exerted by one or more clamping bolts.
Bond	(1) The union of materials by adhesives. To unite materials by means of an adhesive. (2) An attachment between a die/ substrate or substrate and package using an adhesive for mechanical reasons or an interconnection such as a thermocompression or ultrasonic wire bond to perform an electrical function.
Bond Liftoff	The failure mode whereby the bonded lead separates from the surface' to which it was bonded.
Bond Strength	The force-per-unit area required to separate two adjacent layers of a PC board by a force perpendicular to the board surface. (See: Peel Strength.)
Bonding	Permanent joining of metallic parts to form an electrically conductive path.
Bonding, Die	The attaching of a semiconductor chip to a bonding area on a substrate with a conductive or dielectric adhesive or a eutectic or solder alloy.
Bonding Pad	A metallized area at the end of a thin metallic strip to which a connection is to be made. Also called Bonding Island.
Bonding Wire	Fine gold or aluminum wire for making electrical connections in monolithic or hybrid circuits between various bonding pads on the semiconductor device substrate and device terminals or substrate lands.
Bond-to-Chip Distance	In beam lead bonding the distance from the heel of the bond to the component.
Boot	A form placed around wire termination of a multiple-contact connector to contain the liquid potting compound before it hardens. Also, a protective housing usually made from a resilient material to prevent entry of moisture into a connector.
Box-Style Wire Contact	A terminal strip design feature in which wire is completely enclosed in a contact and cannot be pushed through the connector.
Braid	Woven bare metallic or tinned copper wire used as shielding for wires and cables and as ground wire for batteries or heavy industrial equipment. Also, a woven fibrous protective outer covering over a conductor or cable.
Branch Connector	A Connector that joins a branch conductor to the main conductor at a specified angle.
Brass	A low cost contact material that is an excellent electric conductor. Brass reaches its yield point at low deflection force, hence it deforms easily and fatigues slowly.
Brazed Terminal	Solderless terminal with a barrel seam brazed to form one piece. Brazed terminals are ideal for use on single-strand solid wire.
Brazing	A group of welding processes utilizing a filler with a nonferrous metal or alloy with a melting point greater than 1,000 degrees F, but lower than that of the metals or alloys to be joined. Brazing is sometimes referred to as Hard Soldering.
Breakdown Voltage	The voltage at which an insulator or dielectric ruptures, or at which ionization and conduction take place in a gas or vapor.
Breakout	The point at which one or more conductors separate from a multi-conductor cable to complete circuits at other points.
Bridge	Equipment that connects different LANs, allowing communication between devices on separate LANs.
Bridging, Electrical	The formation of a conductive path between conductors. Buffing Stripper - A device that removes flat cable insulation from conductors; a unit of motorized buffing wheels that scrape the insulation and brush it away. Also called Abrasion Stripper.
Buffing Stripper	A device that removes flat cable insulation from conductors; a unit of motorized buffing wheels that scrape the insulation and brush it away. (Also called Abrasion Stripper.)
Bridging, Solder	The filling or bridging of the space between parallel conductors, which are close together, with solder.
Broadband	Several signals usually can be carried simultaneously on a broadband LAN - perhaps several data channels, maybe a video channel. The channels on a broadband network are kept separate with a technique called frequency division multiplexing (see multiplexing). Each channel is made to occupy (modulated to) a different frequency slot on the cable. At the receiving end it is demodulated down to its original frequency.
B ~TAB	A bumped TAB.
Bulk Resistance	The portion of the contact resistance that is due to the length, cross section and material.
Bulkhead	Type of connector designed for insertion into a panel cutout from the component side.
Bump	A means of providing connections to terminal areas of a device. A small mound is formed on the device (or substrate) pads, and is utilized as a contact for facedown bonding.
Bumped Chip	A chip that has on its termination pads a bump of solder or gold used for bonding to external contacts.
Bumped TAB	An acronym for Tape Automated Bonding when the raised solder bump is attached to the tape material.
Bumped Tape	A tape that contains the inner lead bond sites as raised metal bumps for the Tape Automated Bonding process.
Buried Via	A via that connects inner layers but does not extend to the surface of a substrate or board.
Bus	(1) A circuit over which data or power is transmitted. (2) A network topology that functions like a single line that is shared by a number of nodes.
Bus Bars	(1) A heavy copper or aluminum strip or bar used to carry large amounts of current. (2) Power distribution components. Many consist of two or more conductor layers, electrically insulated from one another and from other components by thin dielectric layers, Applications include distribution of power on PC boards.
Bus Network	A one-cable LAN in which all workstations are connected to a single cable (also called "transmission medium").
Bus Reactor	A current-limiting reactor connected between two buses, or between two sections of one bus, to limit and localize any disturbance caused by either bus or bus section.
Bussing	The joining of two or more circuits.
Butt	Joining of two conductors end-to-end, with no overlap and with their axes in line
Butt Connector	A connector in which two conductors come together, end to end, but do not overlap with their axes in line.
Butt Contact	A mating contact configuration in which the mating surfaces engage end-to-end without overlap and with their axes in line, This engagement is usually under spring pressure with the ends designed to provide optimum surface contact.
Butting Die	Crimping die designed so that the nest and indentor touch at the end of the crimping cycle. Also called Bottoming Die.
Butt Splice	Device for joining conductors by butting them end to end.
Button Board Connector	Essentially a wad of crumpled wire, the cylindrical button is a mass of fine, springy, highly conductive wire that is fitted into a substrate through¬-hole by compression. The configuration shortens signal paths to increase processing speed without attendant heat rise, and lowers contact resistance, inductance and mating force.
Button-Hook Contact	A contact with a curved, hook-like termination often located at the rear of hermetic headers to facilitate soldering or desoldering of leads.
Bypass Cabling or Relays	Wired connections in a ring network that permit traffic to travel between two nodes that are not normally wired next to each other.

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