Glossary
Glossary of commonly used words, abbreviations and terms within electronics with description.
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
AC/DC Converter
Device converting alternating current to direct current or vice versa.
Accelerometer
Sensor measuring proper acceleration in multiple axes.
Active High
Signal that is considered 'on' at logic high voltage level.
Active Low
Signal that is considered 'on' at logic low voltage level.
ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
Digital circuit performing arithmetic and bitwise operations.
AM (Amplitude Modulation)
Modulation technique where carrier amplitude varies with signal.
Ampere-Hour (Ah)
Unit of electric charge capacity in batteries.
Analog Comparator
Circuit comparing two analog voltages and outputting digital result.
Attenuation
Reduction of signal strength during transmission.
B
Ballast Resistor
Resistor limiting current flow in circuits like LED arrays.
Bandgap Reference
Voltage reference circuit stable across temperature variations.
Baud Rate
Number of signal changes per second in communication channels.
Bias Voltage
DC voltage applied to set operating point of active devices.
Bipolar Signal
Signal swinging both positive and negative relative to ground.
Bleeder Resistor
Resistor safely discharging capacitors when power is off.
Boost Converter
DC-DC converter increasing input voltage level.
Breakdown Voltage
Voltage causing insulator or semiconductor to conduct.
Bus Pirate
Open-source hacker tool for debugging serial protocols.
C
CAN Bus
Robust vehicle communication protocol using differential signaling.
Capacitive Coupling
Energy transfer between circuits via electric fields.
Charge Pump
Circuit generating higher voltages using capacitors/switches.
Choke
Inductor blocking high-frequency AC while passing DC.
Clock Signal
Oscillating signal synchronizing digital circuit operations.
Common Mode Rejection
Ability to reject signals common to both inputs (e.g., in op-amps).
Comparator
Device comparing two voltages and outputting digital signal.
Core Saturation
Magnetic core reaching maximum flux capacity in inductors.
Coulomb Counter
Device measuring battery charge/discharge in real-time.
Crowbar Circuit
Overvoltage protection that short-circuits power supply.
Current Mirror
Circuit copying current through one device to another.
D
Darlington Pair
Transistor configuration providing very high current gain.
Debouncing
Eliminating contact noise from mechanical switches.
Decade Counter
Digital counter advancing through 10 states sequentially.
Depletion Mode
FET that conducts when gate-source voltage is zero.
Derating
Using components below maximum ratings for reliability.
Dielectric Absorption
Capacitor retaining charge after short-circuiting.
Differential Pair
Two conductors carrying equal/opposite signals.
Digital Potentiometer
Electronically controlled variable resistor.
Diode Bridge
Four-diode configuration for full-wave rectification.
DIP Switch
Dual in-line package switch for board configuration.
Dithering
Adding noise to improve ADC resolution in measurements.
DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw)
Switch with two independent circuits and two positions.
Duty Cycle Corrector
Circuit maintaining 50percent duty cycle in clock signals.
E
EEPROM
Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory.
Electret Microphone
Microphone using permanently charged dielectric material.
EMF (Electromotive Force)
Voltage generated by energy source.
Enclosure
Protective housing for electronic projects.
ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance)
Internal resistance in capacitors affecting performance.
F
Fall Time
Time for signal to transition from 90percent to 10percent of maximum.
Fanout
Number of inputs a logic gate can drive simultaneously.
Faraday Cage
Enclosure blocking external electromagnetic fields.
Fault Current
Abnormally high current from short circuits.
Feedthrough Capacitor
Component filtering RF noise at entry points.
Ferrite Core
Magnetic material concentrating inductor flux.
Flash Memory
Non-volatile memory allowing block-wise erasure.
Floating Input
Unconnected input susceptible to noise pickup.
Flyback Converter
Isolated power supply using transformer energy storage.
Frequency Counter
Instrument measuring signal frequency precisely.
Full Duplex
Simultaneous two-way communication capability.
G
Gate Driver
Circuit providing sufficient current to switch power MOSFETs.
Ground Plane
Copper layer in PCB acting as common reference.
Guard Ring
Conductive trace preventing leakage currents.
H
Hall Effect Sensor
Device measuring magnetic field strength.
Haptic Feedback
Tactile response using vibration motors.
Henry (H)
Unit of inductance.
Hertz (Hz)
Unit of frequency (cycles per second).
High-Side Switch
Switch placed between power and load.
Hipot Test
High potential dielectric strength test.
Hysteresis
Dependence on both current and history of system state.
I
I²S (Inter-IC Sound)
Serial bus for digital audio devices.
Impedance Matching
Adjusting input/output impedances for maximum power transfer.
Inrush Current
Temporary surge current during power-up.
Interrupt
Signal halting microcontroller's main program flow.
ISO 9141
Diagnostic communication standard for vehicles.
J
J-Lead
Surface-mount component lead shaped like letter J.
Jitter
Timing variations in digital signal transitions.
Joule Thief
Circuit extracting residual energy from batteries.
K
Kelvin Connection
Four-wire resistance measurement technique.
Kickback Diode
Diode suppressing voltage spikes from inductive loads.
L
LAN (Local Area Network)
Computer network covering small physical area.
Latch-Up
Parasitic short-circuit in CMOS devices.
LC Circuit
Resonant circuit with inductor and capacitor.
Leakage Current
Small unwanted current through insulator.
Level Shifter
Circuit converting logic voltages between families.
Litz Wire
Stranded wire reducing skin effect losses.
Load Cell
Force sensor using strain gauges.
Logarithmic Amplifier
Output proportional to input logarithm.
Logic Family
IC group with compatible voltage levels (TTL, CMOS).
Low Dropout Regulator
Voltage regulator with small input-output differential.
LVDT (Linear Variable Differential Transformer)
Position sensor using electromagnetic coupling.
M
Magnetic Hysteresis
Lag between magnetic field and material magnetization.
Manchester Encoding
Synchronization-embedded data encoding method.
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
Reliability metric for components.
Memristor
Resistor with resistance dependent on charge history.
Mesh Networking
Network topology where nodes relay data.
Metastability
Unstable state in digital flip-flops during setup violations.
Microstrip
Transmission line on PCB surface over ground plane.
Miller Effect
Capacitance multiplication in amplifier stages.
Modbus
Serial communication protocol for industrial devices.
Monostable Multivibrator
Circuit producing single output pulse.
Moore's Law
Observation on transistor density doubling periodically.
Multiplexed Display
Driving multiple segments with shared lines.
N
NAND Flash
Non-volatile storage using NAND gate architecture.
Noise Floor
Background noise level in measurement systems.
Non-Volatile Memory
Retains data without power (e.g., Flash).
Nyquist Frequency
Half the sampling rate in digital systems.
O
Oscillator Startup Time
Delay before stable oscillations begin.
Overcurrent Protection
Circuit preventing excessive current flow.
Oversampling
Sampling at higher rates than required.
P
Packet Sniffer
Tool capturing network data for analysis.
Pad
Metallized area on PCB for component attachment.
Parallel Termination
Impedance matching at receiver end.
Passband
Range of frequencies passed by filter.
Peak Detector
Circuit capturing maximum signal value.
Phase-Locked Loop (PLL)
Control system synchronizing output with input.
Photodiode
Light sensor converting photons to current.
PID Controller
Control loop mechanism with proportional-integral-derivative terms.
Pinout
Diagram showing IC pin functions.
PoE (Power over Ethernet)
Delivering power through Ethernet cables.
Pogo Pin
Spring-loaded contact for temporary connections.
Pull-Up Resistor
Resistor connecting signal line to VCC.
PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)
Encoding analog levels via duty cycle variation.
Q
QFN (Quad Flat No-leads)
Surface-mount IC package with perimeter pads.
Quiescent Current
Circuit's idle state current consumption.
R
Radial Capacitor
Component with leads exiting same end.
Rainflow Counting
Algorithm analyzing mechanical fatigue cycles.
Rechargeable Battery
Energy cell allowing multiple charge cycles.
Redundant Array
Multiple components for fault tolerance.
Reluctance
Magnetic resistance in flux path.
Reset Vector
Memory address where CPU starts execution.
Ripple Voltage
AC component remaining in DC supply.
Rise Time
Signal transition from 10percent to 90percent of maximum.
RS-232
Standard for serial binary data signals.
S
Safe Operating Area (SOA)
Voltage/current limits for power devices.
Sample & Hold
Circuit capturing analog signal at instant.
Sawtooth Wave
Linear ramp waveform with sharp reset.
Schottky Diode
Diode with low forward voltage drop.
Scratch Protection
Coating preventing PCB trace damage.
Self Resonance
Frequency where inductor becomes capacitive.
Shielded Cable
Cable with conductive layer blocking EMI.
Signal Integrity
Preserving signal quality in transmission.
Single Point Ground
Grounding technique preventing loops.
Slew Rate
Maximum rate of output voltage change.
Snubber Circuit
Suppresses voltage transients in switching.
SOIC (Small Outline IC)
Surface-mount package with gull-wing leads.
Solder Mask
PCB coating preventing accidental shorts.
SOT-23
Small transistor surface-mount package.
SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw)
Switch with one input and two outputs.
SPICE (Simulation Program)
Software modeling electronic circuits.
Spread Spectrum
Technique distributing energy across frequencies.
SSOP (Shrink Small Outline Package)
Tighter pitch IC package.
Star Quad Cable
Four-conductor cable for noise rejection.
Substrate
Base material for semiconductor devices.
Supercapacitor
High-capacity electrochemical capacitor.
Surface Mount Technology (SMT)
Components mounted directly on PCB.
Suspend Mode
Low-power device standby state.
Switched Capacitor
Circuit using capacitors as charge buckets.
T
Termination Resistor
Impedance matching at transmission line end.
Thermal Cutoff
Temperature-activated circuit breaker.
Three-Way Handshake
Connection establishment protocol.
Time Constant
RC or RL circuit response time (τ=RC, τ=L/R).
Tinning
Coating copper traces with solder.
Topology
Arrangement of circuit elements.
Totem Pole Output
Push-pull output stage in TTL gates.
Transceiver
Combined transmitter and receiver.
Transient Suppressor
Device clamping voltage spikes.
TRIAC
Bidirectional thyristor for AC switching.
Twisted Pair
Cable with intertwined conductors reducing EMI.
U
UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter)
Serial communication hardware.
Undersampling
Sampling below Nyquist rate (aliasing).
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
Backup power during outages.
V
Varactor Diode
Diode with voltage-dependent capacitance.
VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator)
Oscillator with frequency set by voltage.
VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language)
Language for digital circuit design.
Voltage Follower
Op-amp buffer with unity gain.
W
Wave Soldering
Mass soldering through-hole components.
Wire Gauge
Standard for electrical wire diameters.
X
XOR Gate
Outputs true when inputs differ.
Y
Y Capacitor
Class-approved EMI suppression capacitor.
Yield Strength
Stress causing permanent deformation.
Z
Zener Breakdown
Reverse bias breakdown in Zener diodes.
Zero Crossing Detector
Circuit identifying AC voltage transitions.
ZIF Socket (Zero Insertion Force)
IC socket with locking mechanism.
Zigbee
Wireless mesh networking standard for IoT.
