Glossary

C

C-Track: A metallic or plastic device used to guide cable in a continuous flexing application.
C-UL: New UL mark for product suitable for use in Canada.
Cable: (component) Either a stranded conductor with or without insulation and other coverings (single conductor cable), or a combination of conductors insulated from one another (multiple conductor cable). In fiber optics, a jacketed fiber or jacketed bundle in a form which can be terminated.
Cable Assembly: (component) A completed cable and its associated hardware.
Cable Clamp: (hardware) A device used to give mechanical support to a wire bundle or cable.
Cabling: The twisting together of two or more insulated conductors to form a cable.
Capacitance: The ability of a dielectric material between conductors to store electricity when a difference of potential exists between the conductors. The unit of measurement is the farad, which is the capacitance value that will store a charge of one coulomb when a one-volt potential difference exists between the conductors. In AC, one farad is the capacitance value that will permit one ampere of current when the voltage across the capacitor changes at a rate of one volt per second.
Capacitive Coupling: (electrical) The coupling of energy from one conductor to another as a result of the distributed capacitance between them.
Capacitance, Mutual: The capacitance between two conductors with all other conductors, including shield, short-circuited to ground.
Capacitance, Unbalance: An inequality of capacitance between the wires of two or more pairs which result in a transfer of unwanted signal from one pair to others.
Capacitance, Unbalance To Ground: An inequality of capacitance between the ground capacitance of the conductors of a pair which results in a pickup of external source energy, usually from power transmission lines.
Capacitor: (component) A device – to store electricity and release it when needed – consisting of conducting plates or foils separated by thin layers of dielectric, the plates on opposite sides of the dielectric layers being oppositely charged by a source of voltage, and the electrical energy of the charged system being stored in the polarized dielectric. (See also capacitance).
Carrier: (circuit) A higher frequency upon which voice or coded data can be superimposed (modulated).
Cascade: (circuit) To take the output of one amplifier and apply it as the input signal to the second amplifier, and the output of the second to the third, and so on. Each amplifier is called a stage, and stages used successively are said to be in cascade.
Case Temperature: (property/device) The temperature of a specific spot on the outside surface of the device package. Used in thermal rating of packages.
Catalyst: (material) A substance which initiates and/or accelerates a chemical reaction but normally does not enter into the reaction.
Catastrophic Failure: (quality/reliability) The complete loss of a device’s ability to perform its required function. Most commonly associated with failures that are sudden or involve rapid deterioration.
Cavity: (component) A metallic enclosure in some types of tubes and circuits within which resonant fields may be excited at the microwave frequency to which the cavity is tuned. Usually referred to as a resonant cavity. (See also contact cavity).
CCITT: (organization) Consultative Committee for International Telephone and Telegraph. An international standards group.
CDDI: Copper Distributed Data Interface. Another name for ANSI X3T9.5 Committee’s proposed 100 Mbps over UTP standard, TP-PMD (Twisted Pair Physical Media Dependent). CDDI is a trademark of Crescendo Communications/ CISCO.
CENELEC: European Committee for Electro Technical Standardization.
Ceramic: (material/IC) A mixture of materials resembling china or glass which is used for dielectric isolation. These inorganic compounds are subjected to heat processing and become vitrified into a solid form. The resultant products are used for film circuits and packaging materials in the form of ceramic substrates.
Cermet: (material/IC) A mixture of materials used to produce high resistance conductors for thick and thin film circuits.
Chain Length: (property) In a linear polymer, the number of monomer structural units.
Channel: (general) The path along which signals are sent; the medium can be wire, optical fibers, or free space.
Characteristic Impedance: The ratio of voltage to current at any point along a transmission line on which there are no standing waves.
Chemical Resistance: Ability of a material to resist various chemical spills.
Circuit: (Electric) The complete path of an electrical current. When the continuity is broken, it is called an open circuit; when continuity is maintained, it is called a closed circuit.
Circuit Element: (circuit) A basic constituent of a circuit, exclusive of interconnection.
Circuit Speed: (circuit) The time taken for a circuit to perform its function – from application of input to resulting output.
Circular Mil Area (CMA): A unit of area equal to the area of a circle whose diameter is 1 mil (0.001 inch). Used chiefly in specifying cross-sectional areas of conductors.
CL2: Cables for use as fixed wiring within buildings (some are also marked for direct burial). Wiring is within the walls or ceilings of office buildings or houses.
CL3: Same as CL2 but with a higher voltage rating and current carrying capacity. Can be used in place of CL2.
CL2R, CL3R, & CMR: Same use as CL2, CL3 and CM but for installations in which multi-conductor cable travels to another floor(s) within a multi-level dwelling.
CL2P, CL3P, CMP: Same use as CL2, CL3 and CM but for installations in which multi-conductor cable travels to another floor(s) within a multilevel dwelling.
Cladding: (fiber optic) An outer layer on a fiber core which promotes total internal reflection of light and also serves as a protection medium.
Cladding: (Metal) A method of applying a layer of metal over another metal whereby the junction of the two metals is continuously welded.
Closed Barrel: (terminal) See barrel.
Closed Circuit: (circuit) An electrical circuit through which current can flow, such as when a power switch is moved to the “on” position. The opposite of an “open” circuit.
Closed-End Splice: (terminal) An insulated splice in which two or more wires overlap and all enter the splice from the same end of the barrel.
Closed Entry Contact: (product feature) A female contact designed to prevent the entry of a pin or probing device having a cross-sectional dimension (diameter) greater than the mating pin.
CM: Multiple conductor cables other that cords for telephone and other communications circuits such as voice and data in on-premises customer systems. Can be used in place of CL2 and CL3.
CMA: (abbreviation) See circular mil area.
Coaxial Cable: A transmission line consisting of two conductors concentric with and insulated from each other. In its flexible form it consists of either a solid or stranded center conductor surrounded by a dielectric. A braid is then woven over the dielectric to form an outer conductor. A weatherproof plastic covering, usually vinyl, is placed on top of the braid.
Coaxial Ribbon Cable: (component) Ribbon cable consisting of parallel coaxial conductors joined together in a flexible insulating material and designed for mass termination.
Coefficient Of Expansion: (property) The fractional change in dimension of a material for a unit change in temperature.
Coil: (component) Successive turns of insulated wire which create a magnetic field when an electric current is passed through the wire.
Cold Flow: Permanent deformation of the insulation due to mechanical force or pressure (not due to heat softening). The tendency of some materials at room temperature to creep away from a force or load. See also creep.
Cold Joint: (general) Soldered joint made with insufficient heat.
Cold Weld: (process) A metallurgical bond. The joining of two metals (without an intermediate material) by the application of pressure only – without electrical current or elevated temperature.
Cold Work: (process) Hardening and embrittlement of metal due to repeated flexing action.
Color Code: A system for circuit identification through use of solid colors and contrasting tracers.
Color Concentrates: (material) Pigmented resins with high percentages of pigment. They are mixed with un-pigmented resins by the processor.
Common-Mode EMI: (electrical) Interference that appears between both signal leads and common reference plane (ground) and causes the potential of both sides of the transmission path to be changed simultaneously and by the same amount relative to ground.
Common-Mode Impedance Coupling: (electrical) The coupling of energy from one circuit to another that results when two or more currents flow through a common impedance.
Components: (general) Any items used in conjunction with another item in its manufacture.
Compound: An insulating or jacketing material made by mixing two or more ingredients. (material) – Any material composed of more than one element type.
Compression Molding: (process) A method of molding thermosets. Compound (usually preheated) is placed in an open mold, mold is closed, and heat and pressure applied until material is cured. Material melts and flows within the mold to take the shape of the finished part.
Compression Set: (property) The amount of compression an elastomer retains. Expressed as a percentage of original dimensions.
Concentric: (property) A central core surrounded by one or more layers of helically wound strands in a fixed round geometric arrangement. Different diameter circles with exactly the same center point.
Concentricity: (property) In a wire or cable, the measurement of the location of the center of the conductor with respect to the geometric center of the circular insulation.
Conductance: The ability of a conductor to carry an electric charge. The ratio of the current flow to the potential difference causing the flow. The reciprocal of resistance.
Conductive Composite: (material) A material comprised of electrically conductive particles dispersed in a polymer binder.
Conductive Fillers: (material) A conductive material added to a dielectric to make it conductive.
Conductive Pattern: (circuit) The pattern formed from an electrically conductive material on an insulating base (eg the circuit paths on a printed circuit board)
Conductive Plastics: (material) A plastic to which conductive fillers have been added.
Conductivity: (property) The ability of a material to conduct electric current – usually expressed as a percentage of copper conductivity (copper being 100%). Conductivity is expressed in terms of the current per unit of applied voltage. It is the reciprocal of resistivity.
Conductor: An un-insulated wire suitable for carrying electrical current. Material that offers little resistance to the flow of electrical current. Wire or any method used by electricity to go from one place to another.
Conduit: (hardware) A plastic or metal covering used to protect wire from physical damage.
Confined (C) Crimp: (terminal) A crimp that remains in the confines of the outside diameter of the original barrel. (See also confined crescent crimp).
Crescent (Cc) Crimp: (terminal) A crimp that remains within the confines of the outside diameter of the original barrel, and is usually identified by two crescent (moon) shaped forms on the top and bottom of the wire barrel crimp.
Connector: (component) A coupling device employed to connect conductors of one circuit with those of another circuit. Used to provide rapid connect/disconnect mating with a pc board, posts, or another connector. A housing becomes a connector when it contains the specified number of contacts (with conductors) to make it functional.
Connector Assembly: (connector) Includes more parts than just a housing and contacts. It usually consists of a housing (with contacts), or a shell (with modules or inserts and contacts), and the necessary hardware to hold the assembly together and/or make the assembly a functional connector.
Contact: (connector) An electrically conductive item designed for use in a multi-circuit connector, for convenience in making multiple electrical connections.
Contact Alignment: (connector) See contact float.
Contact Bellows: (product feature) A contact in which a flat spring is folded to provide a uniform spring rate. AMP considers cantilever spring construction to be superior to bellows because the insertion forces of the cantilever are desirably less.
Contact Bounce: (electrical) The intermittent and undesired opening of closed contacts or closing of open contacts that occurs during relay operate and release times.
Contact Cavity: (connector) A defined hole in the connector insert or housing into which the contact must fit.
Contact Durability: (connector) The number of insertion and withdrawal cycles that a connector must be capable of withstanding while remaining within the performance levels of the applicable specification.
Contact Engaging & Separating Force: (connector) Force required to either engage or separate contacts – both in and out of the connector housing or insert. Values are generally established for maximum and minimum forces. Performance acceptance level vary per specification or customer requirements. Sometimes the forces are not only measured initially, but also after specified number of engagements and separations.
Contact Float: (connector) Defines the overall side play which contacts shall have within the contact cavity of a connector housing, to permit self-alignment of mating contacts. Sometimes referred to as contact alignment.
Contact Inspection Hole: (product feature) A hole, perpendicular to the cylindrical rear portion of screw machine contacts, used to check the depth to which wire has been inserted into the wire barrel.
Contact Rating: (connectors) The maximum specified voltage and current to be passed through a set of contacts.
Contact Resistance: (property) Measurement of electrical resistance of mated contacts when assembled in a connector under typical service use. Electrical resistance is determined by measuring from the rear of the contact area of one contact to the rear of the contact area of its mate (excluding both crimps) while carrying a specified test current. Overall contact resistance would be the wire to wire measurement.
Contact Retention: (connector) Defines the minimum axial load in either direction which a contact must withstand while remaining firmly fixed in its normal position within the connector insert or housing.
Contact Shoulder: (product feature) The flanged or enlarged portion of a contact that prevents it from being over-inserted into the appropriate contact cavity. The shoulder may also contribute to proper orientation and stability with the connector housing.
Contact Size: (product feature) Defines the largest wire size which is normally used with the specific contact. By control document dimensioning, it also defines the size of the engagement end of the pin contact.
Contact Spacing: (connector) The distance between the centers of contacts within a connector insert or housing.
Contact Spring: (product feature) The spring placed inside a socket type contact to force the pin into positive intimate contact. Various types are used – depending on the application – including: leaf, cantilever, napkin ring, squirrel cage, hyperbolic, and “Chinese finger” springs. All perform the function of wiping and establishing good contact.
Contact, Two-Piece: (product feature) A contact made of two separate parts joined by sledging, brazing, or other means of fastening to form a single contact. While this provides the mechanical advantages of two metals, it also has the inherent electrical disadvantage of difference in conductivity.
Contact Wipe: (product feature) The distance over which the mating contact surfaces are touching during engagement and separation. (See also wiping action).
Contacts: The parts of the connector that actually carry the electrical current, and that touch the equivalent parts in the mating connector.
Contents: (computer/system) The information contained in any storage medium.
Continuity: (circuit/system) A continuous path for the flow of current in an electrical circuit.
Continuity Check: A test to determine whether electrical current flows continuously throughout the length of a single wire or individual wires in a cable.
Controlled Part: (general) An item which requires the application of specialized manufacturing and/or procurement techniques.
Controller: (computer) An instrument that holds a process or condition at a desired level or status as determined by comparison of the actual value with the desired value.
Control unit: (computer) The portion of a computer which directs automatic operation, interprets computer instructions, and initiates the proper signals to the other computer circuits to execute instructions.
Copolymer: A compound resulting from the polymerization of two different monomers.
Copper Clad: Steel with a coating of copper welded to it, as distinguished from copper plated.
Cord: A flexible insulated cable.
Cord, Tinsel: The type of flexible electrical cord used for switchboard and other telephone cords. The conductors consist of thin narrow copper tapes wrapped spirally around textile cords.
Core: The center of an optical fiber. The core of communications grade fiber is made of glass that has a higher refractive index than the surrounding cladding glass.
Corona: A discharge of electricity appearing as a bluish-purple glow on the surface of, and adjacent to, a conductor when the voltage gradient exceeds a certain critical value. It is caused by the ionization of surrounding air by high voltage.
Corona Resistance: The time that the insulation will withstand a specific level of field-intensified ionization that does not result in the immediate complete breakdown of the insulation.
Coupling Ring: (connector/accessory) A device used on cylindrical connectors to lock the plug and receptacle together.
Crazing: The minute cracks on the surface of plastic materials.
Creep: (property) Any slow change in a dimension or characteristic when a constant stress is applied to a material over a given period of time. (See also cold flow).
Creepage: (electrical) The conduction of electricity across the surface of a dielectric.
Creep Age Path: (electrical) The path across the surface of a dielectric between two conductors. Lengthening the creepage path reduces the possibility of arc damage or tracking.
Crimp: (process/terminal) The final configuration of a terminal barrel after the necessary compression forces have been applied to cause a functional union between the terminal barrel and wire.
Crimp Contact: (component) An electrical terminal or contact having a wire barrel that has been formed or machined into a hollow cylinder or left to remain as an open “U.” After a wire has been inserted, the barrel is swedged into a controlled form that will continue to exert pressure on the wire. A crimp contact is often referred to as a solderless contact.
Crimper: (tooling) The term most commonly used within AMP to identify that part of the crimping die – usually the moving part – which indents or compresses the terminal barrel(s). Also called indenter.
Crimp Height: (measurement) A top to bottom measurement of the crimped barrel, using a Crimp Height Comparator in the prescribed manner. Refer to Instruction Sheet IS 7424.
Crimping Chamber: (tooling) The area of a crimping tool in which a contact or terminal is crimped; the crimping enclosure formed by the mating of the anvil (nest) and crimper (indenter). When the dies or jaws are fully closed or bottomed, it is the crimping chamber that is checked with a go-no-go plug gage to ensure that the crimp produced by the tooling satisfies the crimp height specification. See also die closure.
Crimping Dies: (tooling) A term most commonly used within AMP to identify the shaping tools that when moved toward each other, produce a certain desirable form to the barrel of the terminal or contact that has been placed between them. Crimping dies for open barrel terminals are usually referred to as “crimper and anvil.” Die set components used to crimp closed barrel terminals of the loose-piece variety may be referred to as “indenter and nest,” “moving die and stationary die,” or “male die and female die.” Die sets are sometimes also referred to as die inserts.
Crimping Head: (tooling) Tooling containing jaws and linkage for use in pneumatic or hydraulic powered units to crimp loose piece contacts/terminals that may be too large for hand tool applications.
Crimping Tool: (terminal) A term most commonly used to identify a hand-held mechanical device (hand crimping tool) that is used to crimp a contact, terminal, or splice.
Cross Connect: The physical connection between patch panels or punch down blocks that facilitates connection from the workstation to the host or network.
Cross Crimp: (process/terminal) A crimp that deforms the terminal by exerting pressure on the top and bottom of the terminal barrel without confining the sides. Usually identified by a raised crescent (moon) shaped form on the surface of the crimp.
Cross-Linked: (process) Inter-molecular bonds between long-chain thermoplastic polymers by chemical or electron bombardment means. The properties of the resulting thermosetting material are usually improved.
Crossover: The point at which two conductors – insulated from each other – cross.
Crosstalk: Type of interference caused by audio frequencies from one being coupled into adjacent lines. The unwanted introduction of signals from one channel to another.
Crosstalk, Far-End: Cross talk measured by applying the disturbing signal on one pair at the near end and measuring the pick up on the disturbed pair at the far end.
Crosstalk, Near-End: Cross talk measured by applying and measuring the disturbing signal on two pairs at the same end.
Crush Crimp: (terminal) A crimp used on small contacts with small wire sizes. The wire barrel is preformed with the tips flared outward. During the crimping process, the flared tips slide around the crimper until the wire barrel closes, and then, the tips fold down and away from the center seam.
CSA: Abbreviation for Canadian Standards Association, a non-profit, independent organization that operates a listing service for electrical and electronic materials and equipment. The Canadian counterpart of the Underwriters’ Laboratories.
CSMA/CD: (network) Carrier sense, multiple access, with collision detection. A technique used to allocate and control the communication channel of a local area network and ensure there is no conflict between nodes that wish to transmit.
Cure: (process) To change the physical properties of a material by chemical reaction, by the action of heat and catalysts, alone or in combination, with or without pressure.
Curing Agents: (material) Agents added to accelerate the reaction or curing of thermosetting plastics. They act as catalysts; ie, they do not react directly with the polymer in the polymerization. Cross-linking agents are distinguished from catalysts because they react with molecules and are coupled directly into the cured system as a structural member of the polymer.
Curing Cycle: (process) The time, temperature, and pressure required for curing.
Current: (electrical) The rate of transfer of electricity from one point to another. Current is usually a movement of electrons but may also be a movement of positive ions, negative ions, or holes. Current is measured in amperes, milliamperes, and micro-amperes. Also called electrical current and juice (slang).
Current: Alternating(AC) – Electric current that periodically reverses direction. It is expressed in cycles per second (hertz or Hz) – – Direct (DC) – Electric current that flows in one direction.
Current Carrying Capacity: The maximum current an insulated conductor can safely carry without exceeding its insulation and jacket temperature limitations. It is dependent on the installation conditions.
Current Gain: (measurement) In a transistor, the ratio of output to input current under specified conditions.
Current Rating: The maximum continuous electrical flow of current recommended for a given situation. It is expressed in amperes.
Cut-Through Resistance: The ability of a material to withstand mechanical pressure, usually a sharp edge or small radius, without separation.
Cycle: One complete sequence of values of an alternating quantity, including a rise to maximum in one direction and return to zero; a rise to maximum in the opposite direction and return to zero. The number of cycles occurring in one second is called the frequency.

Glossary

C

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