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Previous set of "S" terms and definitions.
STEPPER MOTOR. A motor that operates in discrete angular motions of uniform magnitude. [Stepper Motor Manufacturers]
STEP-TRANSMISSION SYSTEM. A data transmission system that operates on direct current. It consists
of a step transmitter (rotary switch) and a step motor interconnected to transmit data (information)
between remote locations.
STEREO. Short for Stereophonic, basically sound that is reproduce in two or more channels.
STEREO JACK. A jack designed to handles two channels. There are many different sizes and styles of stereo jacks, one example is shown below.
1/4 inch Stereo Phono Jack
STICKOFF VOLTAGE. A low voltage used in multi-speed synchro-systems to prevent false synchronizations. refer to synchro.
STORAGE TEMPERATURE. The minimum or maximum temperature a device may be safely stored while not in use. Storage temperature is normally higher or lower than a devices operating temperature range. Storage temperature is a temperature at which the device may be stored without any power being applied.
Strain Relief. A connector device that prevents the disturbance of the contact and cable terminations. Strain Relief vendors.
STRANDED CONDUCTOR. A conductor composed of a group of wires. The wires in a stranded conductor are usually twisted together and not insulated from each other.
STRANDS. Fine metallic filaments twisted together to form a single wire.
STRATOSPHERE. Located between the troposphere and the ionosphere; it has little effect on radio waves.
STRATUM CLOCK. A clock in a telecommunications system or network that is assigned a number that indicates its quality and position in the timing hierarchy. The highest quality clocks, called stratum 1 clocks, have a frequency offset of 1 x 10-11 or less, which means that they can keep time to within about one microsecond per day. stratum clocks specifications; ANSI standards T1.101-1999 and T1.105.09-1997.
STRIPLINE. Traces routed in inner layers and have two reference planes. In a Printed Circuit Board [PCB] stack-up, striplines are on internal layers. Related definition Microstrip
Stripline Traces
STROBOSCOPE. An instrument that allows viewing of rotating or reciprocating objects by producing the optical effect of a slowing down or stopping motion.
STUB. Short section of a transmission line used to match the impedance of a transmission line to an antenna. Can also be used to produce desired phase relationships between connected elements of an antenna. Related pages Terminating Traces, Dictionary of PCB Terms.
SUBASSEMBLY. Consists of two or more parts that form a portion of an assembly or a unit.
SUBHARMONIC. An exact submultiple of the fundamental frequency. Even sub-harmonics are one-half, one-quarter, and so on. Odd subharmonics are one-third, one-fifth, and so on of the fundamental frequency.
SUBSTRATE. Mounting surface for integrated circuits. May be semiconductor or insulator material depending on type of IC.
SUDDEN IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCE. An irregular ionospheric disturbance that can totally blank out hf radio communications.
| SUMMING NETWORK. A combination of two or more parallel resistors used in servosystems as an error detector. The output of the network is the algebraic sum of the inputs. The circuit example shows an Op Amp summing circuit. |
 Op-Amp Summing Circuit |
SUPERHETERODYNE RECEIVER. A type of receiver that uses a mixer to convert the RF echo to an IF signal for amplification.
SUPERHIGH FREQUENCY. The band of frequencies from 3 gigahertz to 30 gigahertz.
SUPPRESSION. The process of eliminating an undesired portion of a signal.
SURFACE WAVE. Radio waves that travel along the contours of the earth, thereby being highly attenuated.
SURGE. The sudden change in voltage or current in a circuit.
SWAMPING RESISTOR. A resistor used to limit current. Detailed definition of Swamping Resistor.
| SWITCH. A device used to connect, disconnect, or change the connections in an electrical circuit. A device used to open or close a circuit. [Switch Manufacturers]. A Toggle switch is shown as an example. |
 Switch |
SWITCH DEBOUNCE. Refer to the Switch Debounce Definition.
SWITCHING REGULATOR. A regulator that converts the incoming DC to a switched voltage applied to a transistor or FET with a feed-back path to keep the output voltage constant. Read more on Switching Regulators.
SWITCHING TIME. The interval of time between when the input of a device switches states and the output of that device switches state [or referenced at defined levels].
SWR METER. A device that measures the Standing Wave Ratio on a line.
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