| J |
| |
| Jacket |
The outer protective covering of wire or cable that may also present additional insulation |
| |
| JIT |
Just In Time |
| |
| Joint |
Section of the conductor where the ends of groups of wires are joined by brazing, soldering, welding, or by mechanical means |
| |
| Jumper |
A short length of conductor or flat cable used to make a connection between terminals or around a break in a circuit or between circuit boards |
 |
| K |
| Kynar |
North America trade name for polyvinylidene fluoride, a fluorocarbon material typically used as insulation for wire wrap |
| |
| L |
| Laminated Cable |
Insulated or uninsulated wires encapsulated by two sheets of laminate material to maintain a predetermined pitch |
| |
| LAN |
Local Area Network. A data network connecting any number of users, intended to serve a small area |
| |
| Lay |
The length calculated along the axis of a wire or cable required for a single strand (in stranded wire) or conductor (in cable) to make one complete turn around the axis of the conductor or cable |
| |
| Lay Direction |
The direction of the spiral twist in a cable while looking along the axis of the cable away from the observer |
| |
| Lead Dress |
The placement or routing of wiring and component leads in the electrical circuit |
| |
| Lead-in |
Cable providing the route for RF energy between the antenna and the receiver |
| |
| Leakage |
The undesirable passage of current over the surface of or through an insulator |
| |
| LF |
Low Frequency |
| |
| Limpness |
Ability of a cable to bend in a short radius |
| |
| Line Drop |
Voltage loss occurring between two points in either a transmission or power line |
| |
| Longitudinal Shrinkage |
A term most commonly applied to heat shrink tubing that specifies the axial length lost through heating in order to obtain the recovered diameter |
| |
| Loss |
Energy or signal lost without accomplishing useful work |
| |
| Low Frequency |
International Telecommunications Union designation for the 3 to 30 MHz band of frequencies |
| |
| Low Loss Dielectric |
An insulating material that has a relatively low dielectric loss |
| |
| M |
| Margin |
Distance between reference edge of cable and nearest edge of first conductor or center of first conductor |
| |
| MIL |
Military Specification |
| |
| Moisture Absorption |
The amount of moisture, in percentage, that a material will absorb under certain conditions |
| |
| Moisture Resistance |
The ability of a material to resist absorbing moisture from the air or when immersed in water |
| |
| Molded Cable |
Cable assemblies that possess molded connectors on an end |
| |
| MTW |
Thermoplastic insulated Machine Tool Wire |
| |
| Multi-Conductor Cable |
Cable with more than one conductor |