{"id":501,"date":"2009-12-21T14:24:08","date_gmt":"2009-12-21T19:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/?p=501"},"modified":"2009-12-21T14:24:08","modified_gmt":"2009-12-21T19:24:08","slug":"connector-terms-and-glossary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/connector-terms-and-glossary\/","title":{"rendered":"Connector Terms and Glossary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you a connector newbie? Below is a collection of terms relating to connectors with their corresponding definitions.<\/p>\n

Attenuation <\/strong>– Decrease in power due to resistance or mismatch in transmission line.
\nBack Mounted <\/strong>– When applied to a coaxial connector it is that connector mounted from the rear of a panel with the fixing nut on the outside.
\nBandwidth <\/strong>– Distance between two frequencies over which a RF or microwave device is intended to work.
\nBetween Series Adaptor<\/strong> – An adaptor used to connect two different generic types of connector.
\nBNC<\/strong> – Bayonet Nut Connector.
\nBraid<\/strong> – A weave of metal strands used as an electrical shield for an insulated conductor or group of conductors.

\"Connector\"<\/a>

Connector<\/p><\/div>
\nBulkhead Mount<\/strong> – The type of connector fitted to a chassis using a single cut-out hole.
\nCable Retention<\/strong> – The mechanism that joins the connector to the cable.
\nCable Retention Force<\/strong> – The axial force which a connector \/ cable join can withstand.
\nCaptive<\/strong> – A component such as a contact which is held firmly in position.
\nCharacteristic Impedance<\/strong> – That impedance at which the transmission line is intended to work. A change from the characteristic impedance along its length will cause mismatch and loss of power.
\nClamp <\/strong>– The holding of a cable by use of a screw thread action.
\nClosed Entry Contact<\/strong> – A female contact which is designed to prevent insertion of a contact larger than that specified.
\nCoaxial Cable<\/strong> – A transmission line where the one conductor is concentric inside another, often abbreviated to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153coax\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.
\nCoaxial Termination<\/strong> – A resistive element used to end a coaxial line in its characteristic impedance.
\nCoaxial Terminator<\/strong> – A device for terminating coaxial cable to a PCB or bulkhead mount (a mechanical device and should not be confused with coaxial termination)
\nConhex <\/strong>– Tradename covering SMB and SMC, both in 50 Ohm and 75 Ohm impedance (discontinued)
\nConnector Durability<\/strong> – The number of times a connector can be physically mated and still maintain its specified performance.
\nContact Resistance<\/strong> – The measurement of the DC electrical resistance between a pair of mated contacts. Usually specified as being measured after a given number of mating cycles.
\nCorona <\/strong>– A discharge of electricity caused by the ionisation of the air around a conductor just prior to total breakdown or flashover.
\nCrimp <\/strong>– The action of distorting a metal tube to give intimate contact with a conductor; a good crimp should be gas tight and not be impacted by environmental change.
\nCrimp Dies<\/strong> – The tool inserts which determine the shape of the distortion to create a consistently good crimp.
\nCrimp Tool<\/strong> – The tool which holds crimp dies to apply the necessary force.
\nCross Talk<\/strong> – The amount of signal which may be transferred from one signal carrying line to an adjacent line.
\nCut Off Frequency<\/strong> – The frequency at which the loss exceeds a predetermined level.
\nDecibel (dB)<\/strong> – A unit of measurement of RF power loss.
\nDielectric <\/strong>– The insulating medium which holds the center conductor concentric within the connector or cable.
\nDielectric Constant<\/strong> – The electrical value of dielectric which determines the impedance in cables or connectors with constant diameters.
\nDielectric Withstanding Voltage<\/strong> – The maximum voltage that a dielectric material can withstand without failure.
\nDirect Solder<\/strong> – A common method of terminating connectors to semi-rigid cable by soldering the cable jacket to the connector.
\nDiscontinuity<\/strong> – A dramatic change in characteristic impedance which gives rise to a reflected wave.
\nDissipation <\/strong>– The unused or lost energy in a system e.g. heat.
\nDistortion <\/strong>– An unwanted change in a signal wave form.
\nDummy Load<\/strong> – A device connected to the end of a transmission line to absorb transmitted power and prevent reflected energy.
\nDust Cap<\/strong> – A mechanical device attached to the mating face of an unmated connector to prevent ingress of contaminants and provide protection against mechanical damage.
\nElectromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)<\/strong> – The ability of a device to operate within its intended environment without being effected by or generating electromagnetic interference (EMI).
\nEngagement and Separation Forces<\/strong> – The forces required to mate and unmate a pair of connectors. The forces are usually specified as a max & min for each action.
\nEnvironmentally Sealed<\/strong> – A connector that is provided with seals or other devices to prevent ingress of dust, moisture or other contaminants while mated which might impair performance.
\nFlexible Cable<\/strong> – A coaxial cable where the outer conductor is flexible (usually braided).
\nGigahertz (GHz)<\/strong> – A measure of frequency representing 1 billion Hertz (cycles per second).
\nImpedance <\/strong>– See \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcCharacteristic Impedance\u00e2\u20ac\u2122
\nIn-Series Adaptor<\/strong> – An adaptor which enables the connection of two connectors of the same generic type.
\nInsertion Loss<\/strong> – The loss of power due to a particular component in a transmission line (e.g. cable).
\nInsulation Resistance<\/strong> – The electrical resistance between two conductors separated by an insulating medium.
\nIntermodulation <\/strong>– The mixing of two or more frequencies which are not intended to mix.
\nInterface <\/strong>– The two surfaces of a connector which come into intimate contact when the two halves are mated.
\nInter-series Adaptor<\/strong> – See \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBetween Series Adaptor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122
\nIsolation <\/strong>– The measure of interaction between two or more transmission lines.
\nJack <\/strong>– One half of a mating pair of connectors. The jack interface normally goes inside the plug interface.
\nMean Power<\/strong> – The mean value of the rate at which energy is transmitted from one place to another.
\nMicro Strip <\/strong>– A transmission line consisting of a flat conductor on a dielectric above a single ground plane. (the ground plane is frequently a metalized face of the dielectric).
\n

\"UG909B\/U<\/a>

UG909B\/U Female Bulkhead Clamp Kings Connector<\/p><\/div>Microwave <\/strong>– Very short electromagnetic waves. Frequency range above 1 GHz.
\nMIL-C-39012<\/strong> – The generic specification covering USA Military coaxial connectors.
\nMIL-C-17<\/strong> – The generic MIL spec covering coaxial cables.
\nMismatch <\/strong>– The condition in which the impedance of the source and load are not the = same. This reduces power transfer and causes reflections.
\nMounting Plan<\/strong> – The design of the PCB or panel cut-out used to mount the connector. N Connector – This was the first true microwave connector capable of working to 18GHz, initially designed for test applications.
\nNanohex <\/strong>– Trade name covering SSMB & SSMC (discontinued)
\nNoise <\/strong>– An external electromagnetic signal which interferes with the desired signal.
\nNon-captive – A component such as a contact which does not have a retention feature.
\nPassivation <\/strong>– This is a surface treatment applied primarily to stainless steel. The process removes contaminating iron particles and produces a passive surface.
\nPeak Power<\/strong> – Is the maximum power which may be handled by a connector or cable.
\nPlug <\/strong>– One half of a mating pair of connectors. The plug interface normally goes outside the jack interface.
\nPOSNS <\/strong>– Abbreviation for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153positions\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.
\nPTFE <\/strong>– Abbreviation of polytetrafluorethylene. This is the most commonly used dielectric (insulator) used in professional coaxial connectors.
\nQPL <\/strong>– Qualified Parts List. Parts approved to MIL-C-390 12 specification.
\nReceptacle <\/strong>– A term used to describe a connector assembly usually bulkhead or PCB mounted.
\nReturn Loss<\/strong> – A reason for loosing RF energy due to signals being reflected due to a mismatch in a transmission line.
\nRF Leakage <\/strong>– The RF power lost from a transmission line or device. Measured in dB.
\nRG <\/strong>– The traditional prefix for MIL spec coaxial cables.
\nScrew-on <\/strong>– The mating action of connectors which are joined using a screw thread (e.g. SMC)
\nSealflex2\u00e2\u201e\u00a2<\/strong> – Cannon trade name for a flexible microwave cable assembly which has a performance similar to semi-rigid cable.
\nSemi-rigid Cable<\/strong> – A coaxial cable where the outer conductor is a solid metal tube.
\nSkin Effect<\/strong> – The tendency of alternating currents to flow near to the surface of a conductor; this increases resistance and becomes more marked the higher the frequency.
\nSMD <\/strong>– Sometimes used as an abbreviation for slide-on variants of SMB. This is a misnomer, the more common use is for Surface Mount Device.
\nSnap-on<\/strong> – A term used to describe the mating action of SMB and SSMB connectors.
\nSolderless SMA<\/strong> – An SMA connector that can be connected to semi-rigid cable by compressing the inner body rather than by soldering (sometimes referred to as semi-rigid \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccrimp\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 connectors).
\nStripline <\/strong>– A method of building a microwave circuit. The circuitry is sandwiched between 2 ground planes. Sometimes referred to as Tri-plate.
\nTeflon\u00e2\u201e\u00a2<\/strong> – DuPont tradename for PTFE.
\nTensile Strength<\/strong> – The greatest force a device can withstand without tearing or pulling apart. This is frequently the method of determining the effectiveness of a crimp.
\nTNC <\/strong>– Thread Nut Connector same size as BNC; the only obvious difference is the coupling nut.
\nTri-plate<\/strong> – See Stripline.
\nUG Symbol <\/strong>– Used to indicate a connector made to US government spec.
\nVoltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) <\/strong>– A way of expressing the resultant loss of power as a result of signal reflections due to discontinuity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you a connector newbie? Below is a collection of terms relating to connectors with their corresponding definitions. Attenuation – Decrease in power due to resistance or mismatch in transmission line. Back Mounted – When applied to a coaxial connector it is that connector mounted from the rear of a panel with the fixing nut […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,15],"tags":[1028,1032,9],"class_list":["post-501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connectors","category-guides","tag-connectors","tag-guides","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westfloridacomponents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}