Alloy: A combination of two or more metal elements.

Alternating Current (A-C): Current in which the charge-flow periodically and regularly reverses in a cyclic manner.

American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM): An organization that tests materials and attempts to set standards on various materials for industry.

Ampere (A): The unit expressing the rate of flow of an electrical current. One ampere is the current flowing through one ohm of resistance at one volt potential.

Annealing: The process of heating to and holding at a suitable temperature and then cooling at a suitable rate, for such purposes as reducing hardness, improving machinability, facilitating cold working, producing a desired micro-structure or obtaining desired physical, mechanical or other properties.

Anodizing: An electrolytic process for producing a protective or decorative film on certain metals chiefly aluminum and magnesium.

ARIB: An acronym for Association of Radio Industry Broadcasters, a standards organization in Japan.

AWG: Abbreviation for American Wire Gauge, a measure of the size or diameter of a wire or conductor.

Back Reflection (Fiber Optic): A measure of the percentage of power reflected back by a discontinuity in a fiber optic line. It is expressed in dB.

Bandwidth: The frequency range over which the connector or device can operate without degradation of performance. Also the information carrying capacity of digital systems.

Base Metal: The metal from which the connector, contact or other metal accessory is made and on which one or more metals or coatings may be deposited.

Bend Radius: The maximum amount fiber or cable that can be bent without causing damage. Also called minimum safe bending radius.

Braid: The covering formed from textile yarn. Braids provide mechanical and thermal protection to plastic insulation, separate cable segments in multi-conductor cables and act as components in flame retardant cables. See also Shield.

Breakdown Voltage: The voltage at which the insulation between two conductors will break down.

Bundle (Fiber Optic): A number of fibers grouped together (rigid or flexible), usually carrying a common signal (or an image, or a conduit for transfer of light power).

Cable: An insulated conductor or group of individually insulated conductors in twisted or parallel configurations.

Cable Assembly: A completed cable and its associated hardware.

Center Conductor: The inner conductive member in a coaxial structure, such as center contacts.

Cladding (Fiber Optic): A layer of glass (or other material) surrounding the core of a fiber, forming the conduit that carries the light through the fiber. It has a refractive index slightly lower than the core.

Coaxial Line: A transmission line consisting of a center conductor suspended in a hollow cylindrical tube with or without a dielectric support. The hollow cylindrical tube is called the outer conductor.

Concentric: A central core surrounded by one or more layers of materials, all sharing a common central axis.

Conductor: A wire or combination of wires not insulated from one another, suitable for carrying electric current.

Connector: Used generally to describe all devices used to provide rapid connect/disconnect service for wires, cables, and fibers.

Contact Engaging & Separating Force: The force needed to either engage or separate pin and socket contacts when they are in and out of connector inserts.

Contact Inspection Hole: A hole in the cylindrical rear portion of contact used to check the depth to which a wire has been inserted.

Contact Plating: Plated-on metal coating applied to the basic contact metal to provide the required contact resistance and/or wear resistance.

Contact Resistance: The maximum permitted electrical resistance of pin and socket contacts when assembled in a connector under typical service use.

Contact Retention: Defines minimum axial load in either direction that a captive contact must withstand while remaining firmly fixed in its normal position within an insert.

Continuity Check: A test performed on a length of finished wire or cable to determine if the electrical current flows continuously throughout the length. Conductors may also be checked against each other to ascertain that there are no shorts between adjacent members.

Contacts: The conducting members of a connecting device that are designed to provide a separable through connection in a cable-to-cable, cable-to-box or a box-to-box situation.

Core: (1) In cables, a term used to express a component or assembly of components over which other materials are applied, such as additional components, shield, sheath, or armor; (2) In fiber optics, the transparent glass or plastic section with a high refractive index through which the light travels by internal reflections.

Corrosion: Corrosion is the slow destruction of materials by chemical agents and electrochemical reactions. The most common kind of corrosion is that of rusting.

Coupler: An intermediate device to provide for attaching special accessories or to provide special mounting means. the method for connecting two connectors that cannot intermate.

Creepage Path: The path electricity must travel across the surface of a dielectric between two conductors. Lengthening the creepage path reduces the possibility of arc damage or tracking.

Crimp Termination: A connection in which a metal sleeve is secured to a conductor by mechanically crimping the sleeve with pliers, presses or automated crimping machines. Splices, terminals and multi-contact connectors are typical terminating devices attached by crimping. Suitable for all wire types.

Current (I): The rate of transfer of electricity, usually expressed in amperes.

Current Rating: The maximum continuous electrical flow of current recommended for a given wire in a given situation. Expressed in amperes (AMPS).

Cycle: The complete sequence including reversal of the flow of an alternating electric current.

dB: (1) Abbreviation for decibel; (2) The loss of a signal in a conductor expressed in decibels, denoting the ratio of the power input to output; (3) One tenth of a bel.

Delay Line: A cable made to provide a very low velocity of propagation with a long electrical delay for transmitted signals.

Derating Factor: A factor used to reduce a current-carrying capacity of a wire when used in environments other than that for which the value was established.

Dielectric: (1) Any insulating medium that intervenes between two conductors and permits electrostatic attraction and repulsion to take place across it; (2) A non-conductive insulator. An "insert" material.

Dielectric Constant (K): That property of a dielectric that determines the electrostatic energy stored per unit volume for unit potential gradient. Also called permittivity and specific inductive capacity.

Dielectric Strength: The voltage which an insulating material can withstand before breakdown occurs, usually expressed as a voltage gradient (such as volts per mil).

Direct Current (D-C): An electric current that flows in only one direction, substantially constant in value.

Durometer: A measurement used to denote the hardness of a substance, usually an elastomer.

Eccentricity: A measure of the center of a conductor's location with respect to the circular cross-section of the insulation surrounding it, expressed as a percentage of center displacement of one circle within the other.

Elastomer: A material which at room temperature, stretches under low stress to at least twice its length and snaps back to original length upon release of stress. Example: rubber.

Electroplating: The electrode position of an adherent metal coating on a conductive object for protection, decoration, or other purposes.

Engaging and Separating Force: The amount of force needed to engage and/or separate contact elements in mating connectors. See "Contact Pressure."

Environmentally Sealed: A connector provided with gaskets, seals, potting, or other devices to keep out moisture, dirt, air, or dust which might lower its performance.

Epoxy Resin: Plastic materials that become hard, infusible solids upon the addition of a hardening agent. Epoxy resins have excellent adhesive action, high chemical, solvent, and thermal resistance, and low shrinkage on curing.

Extraction Tool: A small, hand-held tool used to extract contacts from a connector.

Feed-Thru: A connector or terminal block usually having double-ended terminals which permit simple distribution and bussing of electrical circuits. Also used to describe a bushing in a wall or bulkhead separating compartments at different pressure levels with terminations on both sides.

Ferrule: A short tube used to make solder-less connections to shielded or coaxial cable. In fiber optics, a tube with a central hole that holds the fiber in a connector.

Fiber (fiber Optic): A short tube used to make solder-less connections to shielded or coaxial cable. In fiber optics, a tube with a central hole that holds the fiber in a connector.

Fiber Optics (F.O.): A general term describing a lightwave or optical communications system. In such a system, electrical information is converted to light energy, transmitted to another location through optical fibers and is there converted back into electrical information.

Flange: A mechanical shoulder on the outside housing, enabling attachment to a panel; can also allow for seals with gaskets or o-rings.

Flexible: That quality of a cable or cable component which allows for bending under the influence of outside force, as opposed to limpness, which is bending that occurs due to the cable's own weight.

Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP): FEP is similar to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTPE) but has a melting point of about 50° C lower and slightly different physical properties.

Frequency: The number of times an alternating current repeats its cycle in one second, expressed in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz).

Front Mounted: A connector is front mounted when it is attached to the outside or mating side of a panel. A front mounted connector can only be installed or removed from the outside of the equipment.