Electronics & Electrical Abbreviations
82 abbreviations · part of Science & Engineering Abbreviations
Abbreviations from electronics and electrical engineering: types of current and power (AC, DC, RMS), components and semiconductors (IC, LED, MOSFET, IGBT), displays (LCD, OLED), digital logic and programmable chips (CMOS, FPGA, MCU), circuit boards and assembly (PCB, SMT), interfaces and buses (SPI, I2C, UART), radio and signal terms (AM, FM, SNR), test equipment and electrical safety devices and codes (GFCI, RCD, NEC, AWG). Units such as volt, ampere and ohm are listed with measurement abbreviations.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AC | Alternating current | Electric current that reverses direction many times a second, following a sine wave, the form delivered by power grids to homes and businesses. |
| ADC | Analog-to-digital converter | Circuit that samples a continuously varying analog signal, such as a voltage from a microphone or sensor, and converts it into digital numbers a processor can handle. |
| AFCI | Arc-fault circuit interrupter | Circuit breaker or outlet that detects the electrical signature of dangerous arcing, from damaged cords, loose connections or nails through cables, and cuts power… |
| AM | Amplitude modulation | Method of transmitting audio by varying the strength (amplitude) of a radio carrier wave, used by AM broadcast radio on medium-wave frequencies, as well as by aviation… |
| AMOLED | Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode | OLED display in which each pixel is driven by its own thin-film transistor, enabling the large, fast, high-resolution screens used in smartphones and smartwatches. |
| ASIC | Application-specific integrated circuit | Chip custom-designed for a particular use rather than general-purpose computing, such as a bitcoin mining chip, a hearing-aid processor or an AI accelerator. |
| AWG | American wire gauge | Standard system for specifying the diameter of round electrical wire in North America, in which larger gauge numbers mean thinner wire. |
| BGA | Ball grid array | Surface-mount chip package with an array of solder balls on its underside instead of leads around the edges, allowing hundreds or thousands of connections in a small… |
| BJT | Bipolar junction transistor | Transistor made of three layers of doped semiconductor, either NPN or PNP, in which a small current into the base controls a larger current between collector and emitter. |
| BLDC | Brushless DC motor | Electric motor in which permanent magnets on the rotor are driven by electronically switched currents in stationary windings, eliminating the brushes and commutator of… |
| CMOS | Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor | Chip technology that pairs n-channel and p-channel MOSFETs so that, in a steady state, almost no current flows, giving very low power consumption. |
| CPLD | Complex programmable logic device | Programmable logic chip, smaller and simpler than an FPGA, that holds its configuration in non-volatile memory and works instantly at power-up. |
| CT | Current transformer | Transformer that produces a small, proportional secondary current from a large current in a conductor passing through its core, allowing safe measurement of high… |
| DAC | Digital-to-analog converter | Circuit that converts digital audio data into the analog electrical signal that drives headphones and speakers. |
| DC | Direct current | Electric current that flows steadily in one direction, as supplied by batteries, solar panels and the power adapters of phones and laptops. |
| DIP | Dual in-line package | Rectangular chip package with two parallel rows of pins spaced 0.1 inch apart, designed for through-hole mounting or insertion into sockets and breadboards. |
| DMM | Digital multimeter | Handheld or bench instrument that measures voltage, current and resistance and often continuity, capacitance, frequency, temperature and diode tests, showing results on… |
| DPDT | Double-pole, double-throw | Switch or relay with two independent poles, each able to connect to either of two terminals, all operated together. |
| DSO | Digital storage oscilloscope | Oscilloscope that digitizes input signals and stores them in memory, displaying voltage over time on a screen and allowing capture of single events, measurements and… |
| EDA | Electronic design automation | Software tools for designing electronic systems, from schematics and circuit board layout to chip design, simulation and verification. |
| EMC | Electromagnetic compatibility | Ability of electronic equipment to operate correctly in its electromagnetic environment without causing or suffering unacceptable interference. |
| EMI | Electromagnetic interference | Unwanted electrical noise from one device that disrupts another, conducted along wires or radiated through the air. |
| ESD | Electrostatic discharge | Sudden flow of static electricity between two objects at different voltages, such as the spark from a finger after walking across carpet. |
| ESR | Equivalent series resistance | Small internal resistance of a capacitor, modeled as a resistor in series with an ideal capacitor, which causes heating and limits how well the capacitor filters ripple. |
| FET | Field-effect transistor | Family of transistors in which an electric field from a voltage on the gate controls the conductivity of a channel between source and drain, drawing almost no input… |
| FM | Frequency modulation | Method of transmitting audio by varying the frequency of a radio carrier wave, giving clearer, less noisy sound than AM. |
| FPGA | Field-programmable gate array | Integrated circuit containing a large array of configurable logic blocks and programmable interconnects that engineers can rewire after manufacture to implement custom… |
| GFCI | Ground-fault circuit interrupter | Outlet or circuit breaker that cuts power within a fraction of a second when it detects current leaking to ground, as through a person touching a faulty appliance in… |
| GND | Ground | Reference point of zero volts in a circuit against which other voltages are measured, and the return path for current. |
| GPIO | General-purpose input/output | Uncommitted digital pin on a microcontroller, processor or single-board computer that software can configure as an input, to read buttons and sensors, or as an output… |
| HDL | Hardware description language | Specialized programming-like language used to describe the structure and behavior of digital circuits, which tools then simulate and synthesize into gates for FPGAs and… |
| HV | High voltage | Electrical voltage high enough to require special safety measures and insulation; under common IEC definitions, above about 1,000 volts AC or 1,500 volts DC. |
| I2C | Inter-Integrated Circuit | Two-wire serial bus, using a data line (SDA) and clock line (SCL), that lets a microcontroller talk to many chips such as sensors, real-time clocks, EEPROMs and small… |
| IC | Integrated circuit | Complete electronic circuit, with transistors, resistors and their connections, fabricated on a single small piece of semiconductor, usually silicon, and sealed in a… |
| IF | Intermediate frequency | Fixed frequency to which a radio receiver shifts incoming signals before amplifying and filtering them, making it easier to achieve good selectivity across a whole… |
| IGBT | Insulated-gate bipolar transistor | Power semiconductor combining a MOSFET-like insulated gate with bipolar-transistor conduction, able to switch hundreds to thousands of volts and amperes efficiently. |
| JFET | Junction field-effect transistor | Field-effect transistor in which a reverse-biased p-n junction, rather than an insulated gate, controls the channel. |
| JTAG | Joint Test Action Group | Standard interface, IEEE 1149.1, for testing circuit board connections by "boundary scan" and for programming and debugging chips such as microcontrollers, processors… |
| LCD | Liquid-crystal display | Flat-panel display that uses liquid crystals between polarizing filters to block or pass light from a backlight, pixel by pixel, with color filters creating full color. |
| LCR | Inductance, capacitance and resistance (meter) | Test instrument that measures the inductance (L), capacitance (C) and resistance (R) of components, often at selectable test frequencies, along with related values such… |
| LDO | Low-dropout regulator | Linear voltage regulator that keeps a steady output even when the input voltage is only slightly higher, typically a few hundred millivolts. |
| LDR | Light-dependent resistor | Component whose resistance falls as light intensity rises, typically from millions of ohms in darkness to a few hundred ohms in bright light. |
| LED | Light-emitting diode | Semiconductor device that emits light when current passes through it, as electrons and holes recombine and release photons whose color depends on the material. |
| LNA | Low-noise amplifier | Amplifier designed to boost very weak signals from an antenna while adding as little noise as possible, usually placed as the first stage of a radio receiver. |
| MCB | Miniature circuit breaker | Compact automatic switch that protects a circuit from overload and short circuit by tripping when current exceeds its rating, then can be reset. |
| MCU | Microcontroller unit | Single chip combining a processor core, memory and peripherals such as timers, ADCs and communication interfaces, designed to control a specific device. |
| MOSFET | Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor | Transistor in which a voltage on an insulated gate controls current flowing between source and drain through a semiconductor channel. |
| NC | Normally closed | Describes a switch or relay contact that is closed, conducting current, when the device is at rest and opens when it is activated. |
| NEC | National Electrical Code | US standard for the safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment, published by the National Fire Protection Association as NFPA 70 and revised every three years. |
| NO | Normally open | Describes a switch or relay contact that is open, not conducting, at rest and closes when the device is activated, as with a doorbell button or a start push button. |
| NTC | Negative temperature coefficient (thermistor) | Describes a material or component whose resistance decreases as temperature rises; NTC thermistors are inexpensive, sensitive temperature sensors used in thermostats… |
| OLED | Organic light-emitting diode | Display technology in which each pixel is made of organic compounds that emit their own light, so pixels can switch off completely for perfect black and extreme… |
| op-amp | Operational amplifier | High-gain integrated amplifier with two inputs and one output, used with feedback components to build amplifiers, filters, comparators, buffers and signal conditioning… |
| PCB | Printed circuit board | Flat board of insulating material, usually fiberglass-epoxy laminate called FR-4, with thin copper tracks etched onto one or more layers to connect electronic… |
| PCBA | Printed circuit board assembly | Printed circuit board with all its electronic components mounted and soldered, ready for testing and installation in a product. |
| PLL | Phase-locked loop | Feedback circuit that locks the frequency and phase of an internal oscillator to a reference signal. |
| PTC | Positive temperature coefficient (thermistor) | Describes a component whose resistance increases with temperature; PTC thermistors act as self-resetting fuses that limit current when overheated, and as… |
| PWM | Pulse-width modulation | Technique that controls the average power delivered to a load by switching it fully on and off rapidly and varying the fraction of time it is on, the duty cycle. |
| RCD | Residual-current device | Safety device that disconnects a circuit when it detects an imbalance between the current going out on the live conductor and returning on the neutral, indicating… |
| RFI | Radio-frequency interference | Electromagnetic interference in the radio-frequency range, which disrupts radio, TV, Wi-Fi, GPS and other wireless reception or affects nearby electronics. |
| RMS | Root mean square | Way of expressing the effective value of a varying voltage or current: the DC value that would deliver the same power to a resistor. |
| SCR | Silicon-controlled rectifier | Four-layer semiconductor switch, a type of thyristor, that conducts in one direction once triggered by a gate pulse and stays on until current falls below a holding… |
| SMD | Surface-mount device | Electronic component designed to be soldered directly onto pads on the surface of a circuit board, without wire leads passing through holes. |
| SMPS | Switched-mode power supply | Power supply that converts electricity by switching transistors on and off at high frequency and storing energy in inductors, transformers and capacitors, reaching… |
| SMT | Surface-mount technology | Method of building circuit boards by placing components directly on surface pads coated with solder paste and melting the paste in a reflow oven. |
| SNR | Signal-to-noise ratio | Ratio of the strength of a desired signal to the background noise, usually expressed in decibels. |
| SoC | System on a chip | Integrated circuit that combines most of a computer's components, typically CPU cores, a GPU, an NPU, memory controllers, modems and media engines, on a single piece of… |
| SPDT | Single-pole, double-throw | Switch or relay that connects one common terminal to either of two other terminals, choosing between two circuits. |
| SPI | Serial Peripheral Interface | Fast, full-duplex serial bus used on circuit boards to connect microcontrollers to flash memory, displays, sensors and SD cards, using separate clock, data-out and… |
| SPICE | Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis | Circuit simulation program, and family of descendant programs, that predicts voltages and currents in analog and mixed-signal circuits from a netlist of components and… |
| SPST | Single-pole, single-throw | Simplest type of switch, which makes or breaks one circuit, like an ordinary on-off light switch. "Pole" counts the separate circuits a switch controls, and "throw"… |
| TFT | Thin-film transistor | Tiny transistor deposited on the glass of a display to control each subpixel individually, the basis of active-matrix LCD and OLED screens. |
| THT | Through-hole technology | Method of mounting components whose wire leads pass through drilled holes in a circuit board and are soldered on the opposite side. |
| TTL | Transistor-transistor logic | Family of digital logic chips built from bipolar transistors, running on 5 volts, that dominated electronics from the late 1960s into the 1980s. |
| UART | Universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter | Hardware that sends and receives serial data one bit at a time without a shared clock, framing each byte with start and stop bits at an agreed speed such as 9600 or… |
| UPS | Uninterruptible power supply | Battery backup device that keeps computers, network equipment and other electronics running for minutes during a power outage and protects them from surges and brownouts. |
| Vcc | Collector supply voltage | Label for the positive power supply rail of a circuit, originally the voltage applied to the collectors of bipolar transistors. |
| VCO | Voltage-controlled oscillator | Oscillator whose output frequency changes in response to an input control voltage. |
| Vdd | Drain supply voltage | Positive supply voltage label used mainly for MOSFET and CMOS circuits, named for the drain terminals of field-effect transistors. |
| VHDL | VHSIC Hardware Description Language | Hardware description language developed for the US Department of Defense's Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) program and standardized as IEEE 1076 in 1987. |
| Vpp | Volts peak-to-peak | Voltage measured from the most negative to the most positive point of a waveform, commonly used to describe AC signals, audio levels, oscillator outputs and ripple on… |
| Vss | Source supply voltage | Label for the negative supply or ground connection of MOSFET and CMOS circuits, named for the source terminals of field-effect transistors. |