Cord used for lacing and tying cable forms, hook-up wires, cable ends, cable bundles, and wire harness assemblies. Available in various materials and impregnants.
Greek letter used to represent the measurement of the wavelength in a signal waveform.
Non-insulated wire that is encapsulated by two sheets of material to maintain a predetermined center-to-center spacing. Insulated wires may be laminated to a single film of insulation.
A portion of a conductive pattern that is usually, but not always, used for the connection and/or attachment of components. Also called pad, boss, terminal point, blivet, tab, spot or donut.
A device attached to certain connectors to permit uncoupling and separation of connector halves by pulling on a wire or cable or cord.
A joint in which two conductors are joined by placing them side-by-side so they overlap. Also called parallel splice.
A laptop computer, also called a notebook computer, is a battery or AC powered personal computer that is generally smaller than a briefcase. These Laptop computers can also be easily transported and conveniently used in temporary spaces such as airplanes, libraries, temporary offices, and meetings. A laptop typically weighs less than 5 pounds and is 3 inches or less in thickness.
An electrically large integrated circuit which contains between 100 and 10,000 transistors.
A device that amplifies light waves and coherently concentrates them in a narrow, very intense beam.
A selective soldering technique that uses a programmable laser system. The laser soldering system is effective for high volume, selective soldering of wire-wrapping pins to back-planes, power planes, and PCBs.
A device or circuit that maintains an assumed position or condition until it is reset to its former state by external means.
In fiber optics, the angle between the input radiation vector and the axis of an optical conductor.
Pertaining to wire and cable, the axial distance required for one cabled conductor or conductor strand to complete one revolution about the axis around which it is cabled.
The twist in a cable, as indicated by the top strands while looking along the axis of the cable, that proceeds away from the observer. Described as "right hand" or "left hand."
Lead covered.
Leadless Chip Carrier. An type of integrated circuit package. It appears not to have leads when looked at from the top or side. The LCC mounts and connects on the top of a PCB through surface mounting termination.
See also Chip Carrier.
Leaded Ceramic Chip Carrier
See Chip Carrier.
Liquid Crystal Display. A display device that consists of a liquid crystal hermetically sealed between two glass plates. The readout is made up of dark characters on a dull, but light background. It has a very low power consumption.
Liquid Crystal Polymer. A type of plastic material of high crystallinity with excellent high temperature applications, very high strength, and excellent chemical resistance. One disadvantage is the high cost compared to other standard connector materials. The name is taken from the persistence of "crystals" in the liquid or molten state of the material in the molding process, creating high crystallinity in the final molded part.
The original generic term for chip carriers. Today, a more specific term that identifies the type of chip carrier is used.
A term for the male contact of an electronic interconnect device. Also called a Pin or Post.
The placement or routing of component leads in an electrical circuit.
A metal frame, including the leads of a plastic encapsulated package; the frame holds the leads in place prior to encapsulation and is cut away after encapsulation.
See Chip Carrier.
The undesirable passage of current over the surface of or through an insulator.
A minute current that flows through a switch on the surface or in the body of the insulating material.
The resistance of the path through which or over which leakage current flows.
Local Exchange Carrier. A regulated local telephone company.
Length-to-Critical Length Ratio 
A ratio used to normalize transmission line lengths in regards to critical length.
Low Energy Safety Circuit Wire
A measure of the difference between a quantity or value and an established reference.
A system for categorizing interconnect devices, developed in 1989 by a consortium of connector manufacturers, under the auspices of NEDA, and industry educational organization.
The companies involved were: Premium line, AMP, Burndy, Robinson Nugent, Augat, Du Pont Electronics, Texas Instruments, Autosplice, Panduit, and Thomas & Betts.
The five levels of packaging, referred to as "levels" are:cription
Level 0: IC Chip or Chip-to-PackageIn this integrated circuit chip is attached to a plastic or ceramic carrier to form the IC package. No interconnection devices are used.
Level 1: IC Package or Package-to-BoardIC packages are connected to the circuit or PCB through a permanent or pluggable interconnect device called the IC socket. IC sockets, in turn, are terminated to the PCB by solder, wire wrap, press fit, or surface mount methods.
Level 2: PC Board-to-BoardJoins a PCB to other subassemblies within a cabinet. The connection is usually made using wire, cable, or flexible circuitry jumper.
Level 3: Wire-to-Board or Subassembly-to-SubassemblyJoins a PCB and subassembly, or two subassemblies. A subassembly is a component of an electronic product. This level also includes some wire-to-wire connectors. Each subassembly (also called a chassis) has its own grouping of PCBs and IC packages and performs distinct functions.
Level 4: Box-to-Box or Input/OutputAlso known as cabinet-to-cabinet connectors. They provide power or signal connections. A common rule of thumb is that, if a connection involves audio or video signals, or is used to network computers, a Level 4 connector is probably used.
See .
Low Force Low FrequencyHelix. A Premium line-designed contact for high-pin-count signal applications where there is a need for reliability and performance. Available in both cable I / O and board-to-board versions, the system's low insertion forces promote high cyclability (5,000 cycles office environment) and make it ideal for packaging multiple lines in a limited space.
Low Insertion Force
See LED.
The ability of a cable to lay flat or conform to a surface.
A voltage loss that occurs between any two points in a power or transmission line. Such loss, or drop, is due to resistance, reactance, or leakage of the line.
A reactance (inductance and/or capacitance) connected in series with a transmission line to alter the frequency-response characteristics of the line.
Impedance measured across the terminals of a transmission line.
The level of a signal at a certain point on a transmission line. Usually expressed in decibels.
The value of the potential existing on a supply or power line.
Having an output that varies in direct proportion to the analog input. Non-digital. Analog.
See LCD.
Temperature at which an alloy is completely molten.
See Hot Plugging, First Mate Last Break.
See Hot Plugging, First Mate Last Break.
A connector that may be installed or removed by means of an insulated stick while the conductor is energized. Also called hot-line clamp.
Leadless Ceramic Chip Carrier
See Chip Carrier.
A connector designed to close and interrupt current on energized circuits.
A transmission line that has lumped elements (inductance or capacitance) added at uniformly spaced intervals. Loading is used to provide a given set of characteristics to a transmission line.
See Loaded Line.
The part of the telephone network extending from the central (switching) office to the subscriber.
Device for positioning terminals, splices, or contacts in crimping dies.
See also Stop Plate.
A connector locking feature that locks onto a male header or guide frame.
A feature on a contact or insert that retains the contact in an insert or body. Also called contact retainer, locking barb or locking tang.
Windows in a housing by which terminals are locked in position.
A troubleshooting instrument for digital circuits.
Any conductor length in excess of one-half of a wavelength. In a residential television installation, a horizontal run of unshielded lead-in will act as a long-wire antenna and introduce additional signal on top of the regular antenna signal, causing ghosts.
An indent shape in which the longest dimension is in line with the connector barrel.
The inductance of a conductor in which the current loops through another conductor and flows in the opposite direction. The loop defined by the current flow also defines the loop inductance of that conductor, and is important in multi-conductor analysis of complex connectors. Inductance between the conductors of oppositely-travelling currents is generally called line inductance (a special case of mutual inductance derived from an equivalent circuit model of a distributed transmission line) and includes also the inductances of both the external and internal magnetic fields.
See also Inductance (Line).
The total resistance of two conductors measured round trip from one end (twisted pair, shield and conductor, etc.)
Terminals supplied in loose form.
Terminals/pins that are not held together in any way after manufacture and are usually accumulated in a bag/box.
A protective tube loosely surrounding a cabled fiber, often filled with gel.
Loss Factor
The loss factor of an insulating material is equal to the ratio of its complex out-of-phase (or loss index) dielectric constant to its real in-phase dielectric constant. Dielectric (energy loss) is proportional to the loss index, frequency, and square of the RMS electric field.
Implies energy dissipative. Thus a lossy dielectric loses energy through a charging/uncharging hysteresis cycle. A lossy transmission line can have the latter and/or a high skin effect AC resistance, attenuating the signal strength down the length of the line.
A soft solid with a low melting point that has surface free energies below 500 ergs/cm2, which means a surface of a substrate that is difficult to wet, making poor adherence or working of an adhesive. On the other hand, in the case of liquid adhesives, the adhesive is intentionally designed with a comparative low energy surface in order to better "spread" or wet the surface of a relatively high energy surface substrate. That is, the high energy surface 'pulls' the low energy liquid surface to spread or wet its surface, creating an overall system effect of minimum surface energy.
See High Energy Surface.
A band of frequencies extending from 30 to 300 kc in the radio spectrum. Designated by the Federal Communications Commission.
An insulating material, such as polyethylene, which has a relatively low energy loss (low conductance) for a high frequency signal.
See also Lossy, Loss Factor.
Low Voltage Differential Signal (LVDS)
A differential transmission line using low voltage signals. Popular in high speed/density applications.
Low Profile Edge Card. An edge card connector with a profile significantly lower than that of standard edge cards.
A wire terminal.
See Low Voltage Differential Signal.
Radio hookup wire with polyvinyl insulation, 300 in.
