Helpful Words, Abbreviations - Ten-Tec 1253 Assembly And Instruction Manual

Some Helpful Words & Abbreviations
We use plain English as much as possible, but there's no way around using
common electronics terms and abbreviations where appropriate. We simply
try to avoid "jargon" that is unnecessary. The following mini-glossary was
compiled as a help to beginners working on THIS kit. These descriptions are
NOT intended to be complete definitions.
Alignment ► One-time internal adjustment in a radio circuit. (See also: Trimmer)
AM ► Amplitude Modulation
Band ► a related group of frequencies
Board ► short for "printed circuit board," "PC board," or circuit board.
Bridge, Solder ► the unintentional joining of two 0r more points on the solder-side of a
printed circuit board.
Carrier ► the inaudible signal that is the foundation of an AM or FM voice signal. In
most AM or FM radios, the carrier is not heard, because regeneration 0r a BF() or
direct-conversion is required to convert the carrier energy into an audible tone.
Cold (solder joint) ► A defective solder connection resulting from using too little
heat. The joint looks like a ball and is not shiny.
CW, Continuous Wave ► refers to Morse Code signals
DC ► direct current (e.g. battery voltage in contrast to household AC wall outlet.)
Detector ► the section of any radio that changes radio energy into audio energy
intended for listening.
Direct Conversion ► a popular type of simple receiver for CW-SSB which needs no
regeneration control but which does not permit pleasant listening to AM shortwave
broadcasts, because the carrier (see above) as well as the voice modulation can be
heard. Example: T-KIT No. 1056.
Electrolytic (capacitor) ► a capacitor containing an acid or salt paste (electrolytic) and
is generally polarized with a positive and negative side. Correct polarity MUST be
observed when installing electrolytic capacitors.
FET or JFET ► "Field Effect Transistor"
Ground ► Refers to all points and surfaces in an electronic device which are
connected to the -DG side of the power supply or battery. A "ground plane" of a
circuit board is the large area of copper plating that is common to ground. "Earth
ground" refers to water pipes or metal rods in direct contact with Mother Earth!
IC, Integrated Circuit ► A tiny plastic rectangular block with 3, 6, 8, 14 or more
pins, containing a silicon "chip" which provides the equivalent of dozens or hundreds of
individual transistors and resistors.
Inductor ► A coil or loop of wire used in electronic circuits
K ► abbreviation for 1000 ohms. (10K - 10,000 ohms).
kHz ► KiloHertz (1000 Hertz or cycles per second)
MHz ► MegaHertz (one million Hertz)
megohm ► one million ohms
μF► "microfarad," the usual unit of capacitance (1 X 10
μH ► "microhenry" a common unit of inductance (1 X 10
Oscillator ► see Regeneration
pf ► "picofarad," a tiny unit of capacitance (1 X 10
Pad ► a circle or other shape around a circuit board hole for a solder connection.
-6
-12
Farad).
1253 - 13
Farad).
-6
Henry)