Fun With Micros

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Published on Tuesday, 08 November 2011 05:00

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This is a list of terms and acronyms used in the electronics industry and can be helpful to understand the lingo in journal articles and this web site.

PCB - Printed Circuit Board - A board consisting of a layer of insulating material in the center and metall ic circuit traces on outer layers.  The metallic layers have some of the material removed in order to create the equivalent of wiring between connection points. The mst common PCB is has two layers of metallic material (top and bottom layers). Advanced circuit board can be four or more layers where multiple alternate layers  of insulating and metallic layers are sandwiched together to create more complex circuit arrangements.

Resistor - a device that has a defined amount of impedance and is used to reduce the flow of current in a circuit.

0402 - this refers to the size of a surface mount component. The values for 04 and 02 refer to the length and width of the component in hundreds of an inch. An 0402 part is 0.04 inches in length and 0.02 inches in width. Other typical SMT sizes are 0201, 0603, 0805, 1206, 1201, 1806, 1218 and 2010.

SMD - Surface Mount Devices (active, passive and electromechanical components)
SMT - Surface Mount Technology (assembling and montage technology
SOP - Small Outline Package (case)
SOT - Small Outline Transistor
SOIC - Small Outline Integrated Circuit -dual-in-line, 8 or more pins, gull-wing lead form, pin spacing 1.27 mm
LCC - Leadless Chip Carrier - contacts are recessed vertically
PLCC - Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier -square, J-lead, pin spacing 1.27 mm
LCCC - Leadless Ceramic Chip Carrier

QFP - Quad Flat Package, various sizes, with pins on all four sides
LQFP - Low-profile Quad Flat Package, 1.4 mm high, varying sized and pins on all four sides
PQFP - Plastic Quad Flat Package, a square with pins on all four sides, 44 or more pins

TQFP - Thin Quad Flat Package, a thinner version of PQFP