Connector & Cable Glossary
Quick definitions for connector, cable, and interconnect terminology.
A
AWG (American Wire Gauge)
A standardized numbering system for wire thickness — lower numbers mean thicker wire.
Read full guide →Actuator (ZIF/FPC)
The moving mechanical latch on a ZIF connector that locks or releases a flex cable.
Read full guide →B
BNC Connector
A bayonet-locking coaxial RF connector common in test and video equipment.
Read full guide →Backplane Connector
A high-density connector used to interconnect multiple boards via a backplane.
Read full guide →Backshell
A mechanical housing attached to the back of a connector for strain relief and shielding.
Read full guide →Blind-Mate Connector
A connector designed to align and mate correctly without the installer seeing the interface.
Read full guide →Board-to-Board Connector
A connector that joins two PCBs directly, without a cable in between.
Read full guide →C
Cable Filler/Spline
An internal structural element in a cable that maintains its round shape and stability.
Read full guide →Cable Jacket
The outer protective layer of a cable, over the conductors and insulation.
Read full guide →Circular Mils
A unit of wire cross-sectional area, standard in AWG/NEC references.
Try the converter →Co-Packaged Optics (CPO)
An architecture placing optical engines directly next to compute silicon to cut interconnect loss.
Read full guide →Coaxial Cable
A cable with a central conductor surrounded by shielding, used for RF and video signals.
Read full guide →Connector Housing
The plastic or metal shell that holds and aligns a connector's contacts.
Read full guide →Connector Pitch
The center-to-center spacing between adjacent contacts on a connector.
Read full guide →Contact Plating
A metal coating (gold, tin, etc.) applied to connector contacts for conductivity and corrosion resistance.
Read full guide →Creepage Distance
The shortest path along an insulating surface between two conductive parts.
Read full guide →Crimp Termination
A method of attaching a contact to a wire by mechanically deforming metal around it.
Read full guide →D
Dielectric
An insulating material that doesn't conduct electricity, used to separate conductors.
Read full guide →Differential Signaling
A signaling method using two complementary signals to reject noise.
Read full guide →E
EMI/RFI Shielding
Materials or design features that block electromagnetic/radio interference.
Read full guide →Eye Diagram
A visualization used to assess signal quality in high-speed digital links.
Read full guide →F
FAKRA Connector
A keyed RF connector standard widely used in automotive telematics and infotainment.
Read full guide →FFC (Flat Flexible Cable)
A flat, flexible cable with parallel conductors, commonly used in compact electronics.
Read full guide →FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit)
A flexible circuit board used for space-constrained or moving-part applications.
Read full guide →Fine-Pitch Connector
A connector with very tight contact spacing, enabling miniaturization.
Read full guide →Floating Connector
A connector designed to tolerate misalignment between mating parts.
Read full guide →H
High-Density Connector
A connector packing many contacts into a small footprint, common in servers and AI hardware.
Read full guide →I
IDC (Insulation Displacement Contact)
A termination method that pierces wire insulation to make contact, without stripping.
Read full guide →Impedance Matching
Designing a signal path so impedance stays consistent, minimizing reflections.
Read full guide →K
Keying / Polarization
Physical features preventing a connector from being mated incorrectly.
Read full guide →L
Lay Length
The distance for one complete twist of a paired conductor, affecting crosstalk performance.
Read full guide →Locking Mechanism
A physical feature that secures a connector against vibration or accidental disconnection.
Read full guide →M
Male vs. Female Connector
Designation of which half of a connector pair carries pins (male) vs. sockets (female).
Read full guide →Mating Cycle
One complete connect/disconnect event; connectors are rated for a maximum number.
Read full guide →Mezzanine Connector
A stacking connector that joins two parallel PCBs at a fixed height.
Read full guide →Mini-FAKRA
A smaller-footprint variant of the FAKRA RF connector standard, used for higher-density automotive layouts.
Read full guide →O
OCP (Open Compute Project)
An open hardware standards initiative for data center and server design.
Read full guide →Overmolding
A manufacturing process that encases a cable-to-connector joint in molded plastic for strain relief and sealing.
Read full guide →P
PCIe Connector
A high-speed expansion connector standard used for GPUs, SSDs, and add-in cards.
Read full guide →R
Right-Angle Connector
A connector mounted at 90° to the PCB, used for tight vertical clearance.
Read full guide →S
SMA Connector
A threaded, precision RF coaxial connector used up into microwave frequencies.
Read full guide →SMT (Surface Mount Technology)
A mounting method where components are soldered directly onto a PCB surface.
Read full guide →Second-Sourcing
Qualifying an alternate supplier for a component to reduce supply chain risk.
Read full guide →Signal Integrity
The measure of how well an electrical signal maintains its quality as it travels.
Read full guide →Single Pair Ethernet (SPE)
An Ethernet standard using a single wire pair, common in automotive networks.
Read full guide →Skin Effect
The tendency of high-frequency current to travel near a conductor's surface.
Read full guide →Stackable Connector
A connector system supporting multiple board layers at defined heights.
Read full guide →T
Test Fixture Interposer
A connector-like device used to interface a device under test with test equipment.
Read full guide →Through-Hole Technology (THT)
A mounting method where component leads pass through holes in a PCB.
Read full guide →Twinaxial Cable
A shielded cable with two internal conductors, used for high-speed differential signaling.
Read full guide →U
U.FL Connector
An ultra-miniature RF coaxial connector used for compact PCB-mounted antennas.
Read full guide →USB-C Connector
A reversible connector standard supporting high-speed data and power delivery.
Read full guide →V
Voltage Drop
The reduction in voltage as current travels through a wire's resistance.
Try the calculator →Voltage Rating
The maximum voltage a connector can safely handle before insulation failure.
Read full guide →W
Wire Stranding
The construction of a conductor from multiple thin wires rather than one solid core.
Read full guide →Wire-to-Wire Connector (Circular)
A cylindrical connector style used for rugged, high-reliability wire splicing.
Read full guide →Z
ZIF Connector
Zero Insertion Force — a connector allowing cable insertion without resistance, then mechanically locked.
Read full guide →