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Newnes Dictionary of Electronics, Fourth Edition PDF

399 Pages·2002·17.58 MB·English
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Newnes Dictionary of Electronics This page intentionally left blank Newnes Dictionary of Electronics Fourth Edition s. w. &llOS, CEng, BSc, MIEE s. R. h l 3 O S , BD, BSc, MISTC Appendix by w. G. A. Dummer, MBE, CEng, FIEE Newnes OXFORD AMSTERDAM BOSTON LONDON NEW YORK PARIS SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO Newnes An imprint of Elsevier Science Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP 225 Wildwood Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801-2041 First published 1981 Reprinted 1982, 1986 Second edition 1987 Third edition 1996 Reprinted 1997, 1998 Fourth edition 1999 Reprinted 2000 Paperback edition 2002 Copyright 0 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. except Appendix (pp. 359-389) Copyright 0 1999 G. W. A. Dummer. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentall to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W 1T 4LP. Applications for the copyright holder’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN 0 7506 433 1 5 Printed and bound by Antony Rowe Ltd, Eastboume For more information on all Newnes publications please visit our website at www.newnespress.com L I Preface to First Edition The British Standards Institution and the International Electrotechnical Commission have issued a number of publications containing definitions of the terms used in electronics. The definitions in these published standards are, however, written by experts and intended, chiefly, for use by experts: they are therefore authoritative and brief. Such definitions are not ideally suited to the needs of engineers and technicians who are working in electronics, students who are studying the subject or amateurs interested in it: this dictionary is intended primarily for their benefit. In this dictionary definitions are supplemented by explanatory material whenever this would seem helpful. Some entries are therefore short essays including diagrams: typical examples are the entries on * camera tube', * digital computer' and *thyristor'. There are also short definitions where a single sentence gives all the information likely to be required: the definition of 'B battery' is an example. The standard circuit arrangements used in electronic equipment, such as the Hartley oscillator, are defined in words but are more readily understood from circuit diagrams. A large number of such diagrams are therefore included in this dictionary and the graphical symbols used in them conform with BS 3939. In the form of presentation adopted definitions are arranged in alphabetical order of the initial letter of the first word. Thus 'characteristic impedance' appears under C and not under I. Cross references are provided to draw the reader's attention to related terms and definitions which should assist understanding and attention is drawn to the most helpful of these by printing them in bold italics. Technical terms used in a definition are normally defined elsewhere in the book. An appendix giving many of the abbreviations and acronyms used in the literature has been added and should serve to guide a reader to the definition of a term known only by its abbreviation. This dictionary is associated with the 'Dictionary of Telecommunications' by S. J. Aries and the 'Dictionary of Audio, Radio and Video' by R. S. Roberts. These subjects are closely related with electronics and share many technical terms. For this reason the authors of the dictionaries collaborated during their preparation to prepare a list of technical terms to be defined, to decide in which dictionary each term should appear and what depth of treatment each should receive. North American terminology was ftilly represented in this list to ensure that the dictionaries have the widest-possible English-speaking readership. It was agreed that some terms for common concepts should appear in all the dictionaries to make them largely self-contained but that detailed explanations of fundamental terms should be confined to the Dictionary of Electronics. Thanks are due to ITT Semiconductors and Motorola Semi-conductor Products for providing information on short-channel MOS transistors. S.W. Amos 1981 Preface to Second Edition In this second edition a number of new definitions have been included and some which appeared in the first edition have been revised or expanded. Most of these changes were adopted to keep the dictionary au fait with recent developments in semiconductor devices, digital techniques, computers and microprocessors. I gratefully acknowledge the willing help given by my son Roger and my neighbour Pat Thwaites in the preparation of the new edition. S.W. Amos Broadway, 1986 Preface to Fourth Edition In an effort to keep up-to-date with the continuous flow of developments in electronics, the publishers decided to produce this new edition of the dictionary to incorporate the new terminology introduced since the third edition was published in 1996. Because this new material is confined chiefly to the field of computing and data-processing equipment and consists largely of acronyms, the Appendix which lists abbreviations and acronyms has been completely rewritten. My son, Roger, and I record our thanks to G. W. A. Dummer, MBE, CEng, FIEE, who supplied most of the text of the new Appendix. As for the previous edition of the dictionary, Roger prepared the camera- ready copy of the new edition for the publishers. S. W. Amos Broadway, 1998 A battery (US) A battery used to provide the low-tension supply for electron-tube heaters or filaments. abend Short for abnormal end. In computing fatal error conditions that require immediate termination of the user's session. aberration In cathode ray tubes, distortion of the image caused by failure of the electron beam to focus all points in the image accurately on the screen. absolute permeability Of a material, the ratio of the magnetic flux density to the magnetising force which gives rise to it. absolute permittivity Of an insulator, the ratio of the electric flux density to the electric field strength which gives rise to it. absolute power level The magnitude of the power level of a signal at a point in a transmission system, usually expressed in decibels, relative to a power of 1 mW, known as zero power level. For example, a signal power level of 1 pW is known as -30 dB. absolute value device A device of which the output signal has an amplitude equal to that of the input signal but always has the same polarity irrespective of the polarity of the input signal. absolute voltage level The magnitude of the voltage level of a signal at a point in a transmission system, usually expressed in decibels, relative to a voltage of 0.775 V, known as zero voltage level. 0.775 V RMS is the voltage corresponding to a power of 1 mW in 600 O. A reference voltage level of 1V is sometimes used in expressing the voltage level of the output of a microphone. absorber circuit In a transmitter, a circuit, usually employing an electron tube, which absorbs power from the transmitter when a break occurs in an oscillatory circuit so preventing the formation of an arc across the break which could cause damage. absorption frequency meter (also known as wavemeter) An instrument for measuring the frequency (or wavelength) of an RF signal, in which a calibrated resonant circuit is coupled to the RF source, maximum energy being absorbed from it when the circuit is resonant at the frequency of the signal. absorption modulation A method of producing amplitude modulation in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied according to the power absorbed from it in a resistance the value of which is made to vary in accordance with the instantaneous amplitude of the modulating wave. A-B test A subjective comparison of the quality of two audio or video signals by switching alternately between the two. Two items of equipment, e.g. hi-fi amplifiers, may be compared in this way. A three-head tape recorder may be tested by switching alternately between the source and playback output while recording a suitable high-quality source. accelerated life test A form of life test so designed that the time taken to determine the probable life of a component or device is appreciably shorter 1

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The revised edition of the Newnes Dictionary of Electronics includes a substantial new section devoted to acronyms and abbreviations. So if you think you know the meaning of ADDER, LAP, FIB, SPICE or WORM, we recommend you check in the Newnes Dictionary of Electronics first. *A concise glossary for
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