Parts Express - Tech Terms Glossary

Tech Terms Glossary

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Back Focal Distance: The distance from the rear most portion of the lens to the image plane.

Back Light Compensation (BLC): A feature on newer CCD cameras which electronically compensates for high background lighting to give detail which would normally be silhouetted.

Balance Weight: A weight to balance the tone arm and adjust the tracking force. Also called "counterbalance".

Battery: An electro-chemical device, consisting of separate cells connected together to sum their voltages or current capabilities. Examples: lead-acid, alkaline, 9-volt, gel cell and many others.

BL: A measurement of the motor strength of a speaker driver. Measured in Newtons per Ampere (N/A), Tesla meters Tm, pounds per Ampere (lbs/A) or Tesla feet (T/ft)

Blooming: The halation and defocusing effect that occurs around the bright areas of the picture (highlight) whenever there is an increase in the brightness intensity.

Black Level: The level of the video signal that corresponds to the maximum limits of the black areas of the picture.

Blanking: The process of cutting off the electron beam in a camera pickup device or picture tube during the retrace period. It is a signal that is composed of recurrent pulses at line and field frequencies. It is intended primarily to make the retrace on a pickup device or picture tube invisible.

Bridging: A term indicating that a high impedance video line is paralleled, usually through a switch, to a source of video. Also the use of two outputs of an audio amplifier to drive a single speaker load.

Brushless Motor: A motor eliminating sliding contact conductive material or carbon blocks and using instead an electronic switching circuit to change the polarity of the stator. There is no direct contact between rotor and stator.

Butt Connector: crimp connector used to attach two stripped ends of wire, end to end.