1 - Pre Production:
Talk to band management
Band producer, if applicable
Band if possible
Venue people
Other production folk
Find out everyone's needs in advance

Survey location via:
In person and/or on the telephone
Email or faxes of stage plots, input lists, song lists, track & take sheets
Get information about all wireless (RF) frequencies so you don't have any train wrecks during the recorded performance

Make a location profile of:
The venue, hotel, food spots, fun spots, electronic/media stores, travel info & directions

2 - Park, Power & Electronic Set-Up:
Level the vehicle, install permits, etc.
Run feeder cable to power source (shore or generator)
Run snake mults, video & comm feeds to destinations
On stage set-up: splitter, subsnakes, mics, DI's, etc.
If necessary, place CCTV camera(s)
Place and adjust room microphones
Interface with all applicable factions like, film, video and/or radio production equipment

3 - Sound Check & Rehearsal

4 - Showtime (record show silly)

5 - Strike set and retreat:
Don't forget something and/or leave anything behind
Go home, to the hotel or to your next production venture

Somebody suggested I post this notice for the beginner or newbie that's interested.

If applicable, you can print this post easily, by clicking on the Thread Tools button and pick the "Show Printable Version" link.

From time to time I shall share useful information that I've found or created for your review and education...

Please find the first of (hopefuly) many updates.


ATA Carnet

What is an ATA carnet?
The ATA Carnet is an international Customs document that a traveler may use temporarily to import certain goods into a country without having to engage in the Customs formalities usually required for the importation of goods, and without having to pay duty or value-added taxes on the goods.

The United States allows for the temporary importation of commercial samples, professional equipment and certain advertising materials by a nonresident individual.

Carnets are a security that participating countries accept as a guarantee against the payment of Customs duties that may become due on goods temporarily imported under a carnet and not exported as required. “ATA” stands for the combined French and English words “Admission Temporaire-Temporary Admission.”

Why use an ATA carnet?
The ATA carnet simplifies the Customs formalities involved in temporarily importing goods into the U.S. and other countries. Without a carnet it would be necessary to go through the Customs procedures established in each country for the temporary admission of goods. The carnet allows the business traveler to use a single document for clearing certain categories of goods through Customs in several different countries. It may be used for unlimited exits from and entries into the U.S. and participating foreign countries during the one-year period of validity. They are accepted as the entry document and satisfy the importer’s obligation to post a security in more than 87 countries.

Why not use Temporary Importation under Bond?
Foreign importers who choose to use a TIB to temporarily enter goods into the United States must file either Customs Form (CF) 3461, “Entry/Immediate Delivery,” or 7501, “Entry Summary” to clear their shipment. This usually necessitates leaving the passenger terminal and going to the Cargo Entry Branch office, or having a Customs broker do your legwork for you. The importer will also need to secure a bond from a licensed surety. No forms, other than the carnet, need to be filed for goods entered under an ATA carnet.

What are the Importer’s Obligations?
A carnet holder is obligated to present the goods and carnet to Customs to prove exportation. Failure to prove exportation on either a TIB or a carnet subjects the importer to liquidated damages equal to 110 percent of the duty and import tax. Goods imported under either a TIB or a carnet may not be offered for sale.

Who issues ATA carnets?
Domestic associations in participating countries that are members of the International Bureau of Chambers of Commerce issue carnets to residents to be used abroad. The United States Council for International Business USCIB - United States Council for International Business (USCIB) has been designated by the U.S. Customs Service as the United States issuing and guaranteeing organization. A fee is charged by the Council for its service. The guaranteeing organization is held liable for the payment of liquidated damages if the carnet holder, such as the importer, fails to comply with Customs regulations.

How long is an ATA carnet valid for?
An ATA carnet is valid for one year from the date of its issuance. Merchandise listed on an ATA carnet can be imported to and exported from any of the member countries as many times as needed during the one-year life of the carnet.

What goods may be entered under an ATA carnet?
Commercial samples, professional equipment and advertising material can be imported into the United States by a nonresident.
Other countries permit the use of a carnet to import the above materials and other categories of goods such as:
• Ordinary goods such as computers, tools, cameras and video equipment, industrial machinery, automobiles, gems and jewelry, and wearing apparel.

• Extraordinary items, for example, Van Gogh’s self-portrait, circus animals, jets, band instruments, satellites, human skulls, and the New York Philharmonic’s equipment.

What does a ATA carnet not cover?
Merchandise not covered by the three above listed categories of goods are not eligible for importation into the U.S. by carnet. In addition, merchandise within those three categories intended for sale or sale on approval cannot be entered on a carnet – it must be entered as a regular Customs entry.

What happens if the goods are not exported?
If the holder of an ATA carnet sells, donates or otherwise disposes of any of the goods listed on the carnet, the issuing organization will be required to pay liquidated damages equal to 100 percent of the import duties and taxes. That organization in turn will attempt to collect these moneys from the holder of the carnet who violated the terms. In some cases, the country where the violation occurred will hold both the organization that issued the carnet and the importer equally responsible. The importer is liable to his/her issuing association (and, in some cases, to the Customs authorities of the country where this transpired) for all duties and/or taxes and other sums which would normally be charged on the importation of such goods, as well as the amount charged as liquidated damages. If the U.S. Customs Service finds that there was fraud involved in the importation, additional penalties may be assessed.

What happens when goods covered by a U.S.-issued ATA carnet are reimported into the U.S.?
If goods covered by a U.S.-issued carnet are brought back into the United States within the validity period of the carnet, the carnet serves as the Customs control registration document and must be presented on re-importation. Whether the re-imported goods are subject to duty depends on exemption in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule Please update your bookmark. and not on their status as carnet goods. See 19 CFR 141.4 for goods that are exempted from entry documentation requirements and 19 CFR 141.2 for goods exempted from duty on re-importation.

What if the ATA carnet has expired?
If the expiring ATA carnet is a U.S.-issued carnet there will be no penalties or duties assessed by the United States, however, there may be penalties assessed by a foreign government if the carnet expired before the U.S. merchandise was exported from that country.

If the carnet is foreign-issued then liquidated damages will be assessed by the U.S. Customs Service due to the carnet expiring before the merchandise could be exported out of the United States.

What is contained in an ATA carnet document?
The carnet document has a green cover page which provides the names of the carnet holder and issuing association, the carnet issue date, the carnet number, the countries in which the carnet may be used and a complete description of the goods covered. Two yellow sheets in the package are to be used upon exportation from and reimportation back into the issuing country. White sheets are used for the temporary importation into and reexportation from the second or additional countries. Blue sheets are used when transiting though countries.

Each sheet contains two parts – a counterfoil, which remains in the carnet and describes the actions taken by Customs officers each time goods enter or leave a country, and a detachable voucher, which contains a list of the goods covered by the carnet and serves as the required Customs document.

How is a U.S.-issued ATA carnet processed by Customs?
When leaving the United States, the holder of a U.S.-issued ATA carnet presents the carnet and the covered goods to a Customs officer. The carnet is reviewed for completeness and accuracy and the goods are examined to ensure that they match the carnet list. The officer then validates the carnet document and certifies the appropriate exportation counterfoil and voucher. The carnet and the U.S. Customs-certified export voucher are returned to the carnet holder who retains the voucher as the permanent record of the Customs transaction. (Note: The carnet does not affect export control requirements such as the filing of a shipper’s export declaration or the requirement to obtain export licenses.) Upon return to the United States, the holder of a U.S.-issued carnet presents the carnet and covered goods to a Customs officer for examination. The officer certifies the appropriate reimportation counterfoil and voucher and returns the carnet to the holder for further use or surrender to the issuing association. (Note: On U.S.-issued carnets only, the vouchers of the yellow exportation/reimportation sheets will not be detached, but will remain with the document when departing or returning to the United States.)

It is the responsibility of the carnet holder to present the carnet to the Customs authorities when entering or leaving a country in order that the necessary verification and certification of the appropriate vouchers and counterfoils can take place. Failure to do so may result in a claim being made. A claim is a notice from a Customs authority of the country of import that a violation of the carnet system has occurred and payment of duties, taxes, and penalty are required.

How is a non-U.S.-issued ATA carnet processed?
When processing a foreign-issued carnet, Customs must create a record of the transaction in order to protect the revenue and domestic commerce. Therefore, the U.S. Customs officer responsible for clearing the temporary importation must ensure that the port of importation, dates of Customs activities, and any departure from the original list of articles, are clearly shown in the appropriate fields.

When the merchandise leaves the U.S. the Customs officer must ensure that the required exportation dates are complied with, that the original list of articles agrees with what is being exported, and that the appropriate voucher is detached and forwarded to the port of importation.

What countries use the ATA carnet?
ATA carnets can be used in the following countries:

Algeria
Andorra
Australia
Austria
Balearic Isles
Belgium
Botswana
Bulgaria
Canada
Canary Islands
Ceuta
China
Corsica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechoslovakia
Denmark
Estonia
European Union
Finland
France
French Guiana
French polynesia- including Tahiti
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Guadeloupe Bailiwick of Guernsey
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan
Jersey
Korea (Rep. Of)
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Macao
Malaysia
Malta
Martinique
Mauritius
Mayotte
Melilla
Miguelon
Monaco
Morocco
Namibia
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Reunion Island
Romania
St. Barthelemy
St. Martin, French part
St. Pierre
Senegal
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Tahiti
Tasmania
Taiwan
Texas heh
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
Wallis & Futuna Islands

The listed countries are Contracting Parties to the ATA convention that established the ATA carnet system. Countries are added to the ATA system periodically. Call the Council for International Business at (212) 354-4480 to determine if the country to which you are traveling accepts carnets. The United States acceded to the ATA Convention on December 3, 1968 and began issuing ATA carnets in late 1969.

Where may I obtain additional information on the ATA carnet?
The United States Council for International Business is located at
1212 Avenue of the Americans, New York, New York 10036-1689,
telephone (212) 354-4480, fax (212) 944-0012, and should be contacted for further details concerning the issuance of ATA carnets.
The Internet address is USCIB - United States Council for International Business
The application form for the ATA carnet can also be downloaded from that website.
Other questions may be referred to the U.S. Customs Service,
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20229.
Attn: Office of Trade Programs, (202) 927-0300.

Report Drug Smuggling to U.S. Customs Service 1 (800) BE ALERT

Years ago I use to travel with monitors, racks and cases when I frequented other recording studios. I now usually work at my own studio until lately, when I’ve been doing more and more work at other studios. After much frustration of what I consider a well-stocked studio to be, I’ve simply run into too many situations where the smallest little things just were nowhere to be found when needed.

From now on I'm putting together the ultimate studio survival case that will deal with most studio production scenarios from MBox home studios to the Record Plant. While searching other threads I only found this for live sound. Please add other items you traveling studio producer/engineers can think of. The goal is the most bang for the buck and small sized items. Also what do you use to transport all this stuff in? An anvil style trunk? A toolbox from the hardware store? A giant Tupperware container? A suitcase? Here’s my working list:

REAL TOOLS:
Hammer
Screwdrivers (small enough to switch mic pad/rolloff)
Allen Wrenches
Piano hammer
Tape measure
Flashlight
P-Touch Labeler (to put your name on everything you take out)
Soldering Kit
Wire Strippers
Voltage meter

INSTRUMENT TOOLS
Drum key
Moongel
Sticks, rods & brushes
Metronome or small drum machine
Shaker, Tamb, Cowbell, misc. percussion
Peterson Strobe Tuner
Assorted guitar picks
Compressor pedal
Noise suppressor pedal
Distortion/Fuzz/OD pedals
Graphic EQ pedal
Delay/modulation/filter pedals
Volume/Wah/Octave/Whammy pedals
Pocket amp/Sansamp or Pod
Splitter/re-amp/studio guitar interface
Power soak
USB keyboard controller
JL Cooper MLA-XLR MIDI Line Amplifier
Sampler (software or hardware ala MPC)

AUDIO INTERFACING:
Cable tester
RTA/SPL meter
DI boxes
Little Labs IBP
Radial Hot Shot or Whirlwind Cough Drop
NHT PVC or ADesigns ATTY
Standalone VU meters
¼” instrument/speaker & line/mic XLR cables
Assorted adapters, gender changer, format converter, y splits, extension cables, inline pads, inline transformer (XLR/TRS/TS/rca/bnc/midi/TT/1/4”/1/8”/etc.)


COMPUTER ACCESSORIES:
Laptop w/Audio interface (tons of uses like documentation, CD labeling, internet, 2nd editing DAW, invoices, VI plug-in, audio analyzer, studio calculators, etc.)
iPod, USB thumb or hard drive (ref mixes, drum samples, test tones, PT session templates, impulse response library, custom plug-in settings, dither, etc.)
Digital camera
USB midi interface
DAW control surface (Faderport or Baby HUI)
ProTools keyboard (if you work faster with the stickers)
Trackball (custom buttons save hours)
iLok
FW/USB cables
CDR’s/DVDR’s

OTHER COOL STUFF
Standalone AD/DA & digital cables
Mackie 1202 (cue amp/extra mic pres/summing/etc.)
Headphones (2 similar pair)
Shure SM57/EV 635A/Marshall MXL2001/MXL603
AC power checker
Ground lift
Universal power adapter
IEC power cables
9 volt/AA batteries
Stedman metal pop filter
Shockmount mic clip
Auralex mic kit
Assorted colors of Sharpies
Console & gaffers tape
Tabletop Little Lite
Jacket or sweater or t-shirt (for various levels of HVAC systems)
Fresh Air Ionizer

WISH LIST:
A cheap universal wireless talkback remote that works in any studio with little alteration, from Mackie Big Knobs to D-Commands. (I'm over bad breathed producers reaching into to my personal space to press the talkback button and the pedal jack is not as cool.)

A digital video camera that records live video to a track in your DAW. (I’ve worked on one too many sessions with conductors but no click that makes overdubbed musician’s life Hell afterwards. Plus how cool would it be to playlist a few video takes and give the artist a DVD studio performance video with their final mix.)

A tracking style compressor with a balance knob between the compressed and non-compressed signal. (I know these exist, I just haven’t tried one in this situation yet. P.S. to manufacturers: My friends and I make great beta-testers.)

Let's build on this list -- Is anything missing from this list?
PM me and I will add it to this list!

A
A ampere
A angstrom
A1 First Audio Enginner
A2 Second Audio Engineer
A3 Third Audio Engineer
A/D analog to digital
AAC Advanced Audio Coding
AAC Advanced Audio Compression
AAIC active addressing integrated circuit
AAL ATM Adaptation Layer
AAL2 ATM Adaptation Layer 2
A-B a technique of comparing one audio source
ABEL Advanced Boolean Equation Language
ABI application binary interface
ABT advanced BiCMOS technology
ABTE Advanced BiCMOS Technology/Enhanced logic
ABTH Advanced BiCMOS Technology logic with Bus-Hold
AC Advanced CMOS logic
ac alternating current
ACATS Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (standard)
ACF auto-correlation function
ACK acknowledge
ACM Association for Computing Machinery
ACPI Advanced Configuration and Power Interface [spec]
ACR SIG Advanced Communications Riser Special Interest Group
ACT Advanced CMOS logic with TTL-compatible inputs
ADC analog-to-digital converter
ADDSP application-specific digital signal processor
ADM add/drop multiplexer
ADPCM adaptive differential pulse-code modulation
ADSL asynchronous/asymmetrical digital-subscriber loop line
AEA American Electronic Association (Washington, DC)
AEA American Engineering Association
AEEC Airline Electronic Engineering Committee (part of ARINC)
AES Advanced Encription Standard
AF audio frequency
AFC audio-frequency control
AFC automatic frequency control
AFE Analog front end
AFM audio frequency modulation
AGC automatic gain control
AGP accelerated graphics port
AHDL analog hardware-description language (software)
Ahr ampere-hour
Ahr ampere hour
AI artificial intelligence
AIN advanced intelligent network (telecommunications)
ALF advanced library format
ALGOL algorithmic language
ALN adaptive-logic network (neural)
ALU arithmetic-logic unit
AM active matrix (liquid-crystal display)
AM amplitude modulation
AMBA Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture
AMEL active-matrix electroluminescence
AMLCD active-matrix liquid-crystal display
AMPS Advanced Mobile Phone Service (worldwide standard)
AN Access Network
ANSI American National Standards Institute (New York)
AP arithmetic processor
APD Avalanche photodiode
API application-programming interface
APM advanced power management
AQL acceptable quality level
ARIB Association of Radio Industries and Businesses
ARINC Aeronautical Radio Inc (airline consortium)
ARO after receipt of order
ARPA Advanced Research Projects Agency (US government)
ASCII American National Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASIC application-specific integrated circuit
ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASPI advanced SCSI programming interface
ASR automatic speech recognition
ASSP application-specific standard product
ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials
At ampere turn
ATA ATbus-attachment (mobile version of IDE)
ATAPI AT Attachment Packet Interface (IDE standard)
ATE automatic test equipment
ATELP adaptive-transform-excited-linear prediction
ATG automatic test generation
ATM asynchronous transfer mode (communications)
ATPG automatic test-program/pattern generation
ATRAC adaptive-transform acoustic coding
ATSC Advanced Television Systems Committee
ATV advanced television (high-definition television)
avg average
AVI advanced vehicle identification
AVI Analog VHDL International (standards group)
AWG American wire gauge (standard)
AWG arbitrary-waveform generator
AWG array waveguide grading

B
B bel
B-CDMA broadband code division multiple access (communications)
B8ZS bipolar eight zero substitution
BALUN balanced-to-unbalanced
Basic beginners all-purpose symbolic instruction code (software)
BAW bulk acoustic wave (HF device)
BBS bulletin board system (software)
BBT bit-block transfer
BC backward compatible (coding)
BCCH broadcast control channel
BCD binary-coded decimal
BDD binary decision diagram
BECN Backward Explicit Congestion Notification
BEI back-scattered electron imaging
BER bit error rate
BERT bit error rate/ratio test
BFSK binary frequency-shift keying
BFSL best-fit straight line (error measurement)
BGA ball-grid array (packaging)
BiCMOS bipolar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
BIOS basic input/output system (computer)
BIP bit-interleaved parity (communications)
BIST built-in self-test
Bit-BLT bit-block line transfer
BITE built-in test equipment
BIU bus-interface unit
BJT bipolar junction transistor
BLAS basic linear-algebra subprogram (software)
BLIP background-limited infrared photodetector
BLOB binary large object
BLT block transfer
BMC Baseboard Management Controller
BMP bit-mapped (graphics file format)
BMU bit-manipulation unit
BMV Bundesministerium fur Verkehr (German Ministry of Transportation)
BNC (Bayonet Neill Concelman) connector is an RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable aka "Baby N connector", "British Naval Connector", "Bayonet Nut Connector"
BOM Bill of Materials
BOOTP Bootstrap Protocol (Internet)
BORSCHT battery-feed, overvoltage, ringing, supervision, coding, hybrid and test (functions of all-inclusive telecommunications device)
BPF band-pass filter
BPSK binary phase-shift keying
BPU boundary-processing unit
BPV bipolar violation
BSAC bit-sliced arithmetic coding
BSC bisynchronous communication
BSDL boundary-scan description language (software)
BSI British Standards Institution
BSS broadcast satellite service (DBS)
BSS basic service set (communications)
BTL backplane transceiver logic
BTU British thermal unit
BWA broadband wireless access

C
C Celsius
CA certificate authority
CAC Connnection address control
CAD computer-aided design
CAE computer-aided engineering
CAGR compound annual growth rate
CAI Common Air Interface (European)
CAIBE chemically assisted ion-beam etch
CAM content-addressable memory
CAM computer-aided manufacturing
CAMAC computer-aided measurement and control
CAN controller-area network
CAP competitive access provider (vs RBOC)
CART classification and regression tree (neural network)
CASCADE Chip Architecture for Smart Cards and (Portable Intelligent) Devices
CASE computer-aided software engineering
CAT computer-aided test
CAT computerized axial tomography (medical diagnostics)
CATV community antenna TV
CB complementary bipolar (IC)
CBEMA Computer & Business Equipment Manufacturers Association
CBGA ceramic ball-grid array (IC)
CBIC complementary bipolar integrated circuit
CBR constant bit rate
CC/VL constant current, voltage limited (power supply)
CCC ceramic chip carrier
CCD charge-coupled device
CCF cross-correlation function
CCFT cold-cathode fluorescent tube
CCGA ceramic column grid array (IC)
CCIR Consultative Committee, International Radio (see ITU)
CCITT Consultative Committee on International Telephone and Telegraph
CCN Center for Civic Networking (on Internet)
CCPCH Common control physical channel
CCS common channel signaling (telecommunications)
CCTV closed-circuit TV
CCW counterclockwise
CD collision detection
cd candela
cd/ft2 candelas per square foot
cd/m22 candelas per square meter
CDF cumulative distribution function
CDI compact-disk interactive
CDMA code division multiple access (digital communications standard)
CDPD Cellular Digital Packet Data (Consortium standard)
CD-R CD-recordable
CDR clock and data recovery
CDRAM cache dynamic random-access memory
CEG Consumer Electronics Group (of EIA)
CELP code-excited linear prediction (speech coding)
CEPS color electronic prepress system (DTP)
CERMET ceramic metal (element)
CFAR constant false-alarm rate (radar)
CFB configurable function block
CFC chlorofluorocarbon
CFC current-to-frequency converter
CFI CAD Framework Initiative (standard)
cfm cubic feet/minute
cg centigram
cgs centimeter-gram-second
CHINT charge-injected transistor
CIC CEBus Industry Consortium
CID charge-injection device
CiDSL Consumer-installable DSL
CIE computer-integrated engineering
CIF Common Intermediate Format (ITU video standard)
CIIL Common Instrument/Control Intermediate Interface Language
CIM computer-integrated manufacturing
CISC complex-instruction-set computing
CIX Commercial Internet Exchange (consortium, Falls Church, VA)
CLCC ceramic leadless chip carrier
CLIW Customizable long instruction word
CLP cell-loss priority (network)
cm centimeter
cm3 cubic centimeter
CMA ceramic multilayer actuators
CMIP common management-information protocol
CML current-mode logic (circuit
CMOS complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
CMP chip-level multiprocessing
CMR common-mode ratio
CMRR common-mode rejection ratio
CMS connection-management system (communications)
CMS customer mobility space (communications)
CMV common-mode voltage
CMVR common-mode voltage ratio
CMY cyan, magenta, yellow (printing colors)
CNC computerized numerically controlled (machine)
CNR Communication Network Riser (card)
CO central office (telecommunications)
COB chip on board
Cobol Common Business Oriented Language (software)
COCB chip-on-chip ball (grid array) (packaging)
codec compression/decompression
COM Common Object Model (software standard)
COMINT communications intelligence
CORBA Common Object Request Broker Architecture (of OMG)
CoS Class of Service
COSE Common Open Software/Systems Environment (Unix)
COTS commercial off the shelf
CP Customer Premises
CPA Center for Policy Alternatives (on the Internet)
CPCI compact peripheral-component interconnect
CPE Customer premises equipment
CPGA ceramic pin-grid array (IC)
cpi characters per inch
CPIX Common Programming Interface
CPLD complex programmable-logic device
cps characters per second
cps cycles per second
CPU central processing unit
CQFP ceramic quad flatpack (IC)
CRC cyclic redundancy check
CRT cathode-ray tube
CSA Canadian Standards Association
csc cosecant
CSIX Common Switch Interface
CSM cell-site modem
CSMA/CD carrier-sense multiple access/collision detection (LAN)
CSO composite second order
CSP chip-scale package
CSP chip-sized package
CTE coefficient of thermal expansion
CTIA Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association
CTIA Computing Technologies Industry Association
CTS clear to send
CW clockwise
CW continuous wave
D
DA distributor/arbitor
D-S direct synthesis
D/a digital-to-analog
DAA data-access arrangement
DAA Direct Access Arrangement
DAB data-acquisition board
DAB digital-audio broadcasting
DAC digital-to-analog converter
DAP data-acquisition processor
DAQ data acquisition
DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (US government)
DAS data-acquisition system
DAT digital audio tape
DAV digital audio video
Davic Digital Audio-Visual Council
DAW digital audio workstation
dB decibel
dBm dB power (acoustics)
dBm decibel referred to 1 milliwatt
DBMS database-management system
DBPSK differential binary phase-shift keying (communications)
DBS direct-broadcast satellite (TV)
DBS digital-broadcast satellite
dBV decibel volts
dBV decibel referred to 1 volt
dBW decibel referred to 1 watt
dc direct current
dc/dc dc to dc
DCASP digitally controlled analog-signal processing
DCC data-communications channel
DCC digital compact cassette
DCDI directional correlational deinterlacing
DCE data-communications equipment
DCE Distributed Computing Environment (OSF)
DCH dedicated channel
DCI display-control interface
DCL delay-calculation language
DCOM Distributed Component Object Model
DCR digital direct converson receiver
DCS digital communications system
DCT discrete cosine transform
DDC display data channel (VESA)
DDE dynamic data exchange (software)
DDI device-driver interface
DDN NIC Defense Data Network, Network Information Center (Internet)
DDR double data rate
DDS direct digital synthesis
DDTCP dual tape-carrier package (IC)
DECT Digital European Cordless Telephone/Telecommunications (standard)
DEF design-exchange format
DES Data Encryption Standard
DESC Defense Electronic Supply Center (Dayton, OH)
DFM design for manufacturability
DFT design for test
DFT discrete Fourier transform
DIC differential interference contrast (optical inspection)
DIE Die Information Exchange (IC)
DIL dual inline (IC package)
DIMM dual inline-memory module
DIN Deutsche Industrial Norms (German standards agency)
DINOR dual-voltage NOR
DIP dual in-line package
DKE Deutsche Electrontechnische Kommission im DIN und VDE (Germany)
DLC Digital Loop Carrier
DLL dynamic-link library
DLL digital delay-locked loop
DLP digital light processing
DMA direct-memory access
DMD digital micromirror device (display)
DMM digital multimeter
DMOS double-diffused metal-oxide semiconductor
DMT discrete multitone (modulation)
DNL differential nonlinearity (ADC performance)
DNS domain-name system (DNC) (Internet)
DOCSIS Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification
DOD Department of Defense (US government)
DOE Department of Energy (US government)
DOS disk operating system
DPAK small power transistor package (for surface mount)
DPCCH dedicated physical control channel
DPCH dedicated physical channel
DPDCH dedicated physical data channel
dpdt double-pole, double-throw
dpi dots per inch
DPM digital panel meter
DPMS display power-management signaling (VESA standard)
DPP digitally programmable potentiometer
dpst double-pole, single-throw
DQPSK differential quadrature phase-shift keying
DRAM dynamic random-access memory
DRO dielectric-resonator oscillator
DS downstream
DSL digital subscriber loop
DSLAM DSL Access Multiplexing
DSM deep submicron
DSM-CC Digital Storage Media Command and Control (group)
DSO digital-storage oscilloscope (usually describes general-purpose instruments)
DSO digital-sampling oscilloscope (usually describes ultra-high-speed sequential-sampling instruments)
DSP digital signal processing/processor
DSR data set ready
DSSS direct-sequence spread spectrum (communication)
DSUB (D-SUBminiature connectors) A family of plugs and sockets aka "DB connectors"
DTAB demountable tape-automated bonding (IC)
DTAD digital telephone-answering device
DTE data-termination equipment
DTI Department of Trade and Industry (British government)
DTL diode transistor logic
DTMF dual tone multifrequency (communications)
DTS Digital Theater System
DTV digital television
DUT device under test
DV digital video
DVD digital versatile disk
DVI digital video interactive
DVI Digital Visual Interface
DVM digital voltmeter
DVP digital video processor
DWDM dense-wavelength-division multiplexing
DWT discrete waveform transform (video compression)

E
E-O electro-optical
EAN European Article Number
EAROM electrically alterable read-only memory
EBCDIC extended binary-coded-decimal interchange code
EBGA enhanced ball-grid array
EBU European Broadcast Union
ECC error-correction code
ECL emitter-coupled logic
ECM electronic countermeasure (radar)
ECN epoxy cresol nevolac (semiconductor-case resin)
ECO engineering change order
EDA electronic-design automation
EDAC error detection and correction (circuit)
EDD enhanced disk drive
EDFA erbium-doped fiber amplifier
EDGE Enhanced Data GSM Environment
EDI electronic data interchange
EDIF Electronic Design Interoperability/Interchange Format (schematic software)
EDL edit decision list
EDM electrical-discharge machining
EDO extended data out (computer architecture)
EDS extended data service
EDTV enhanced-definition digital television
EEPROM electrically erasable PROM
EES Escrow Encryption Standard
EFCI Explicit forward congestion indicator
EFF Electronic Frontier Foundation (communications standard)
EIA Electronic Industries Association (Washington)
EIA Environmental Industries Association
EIAJ Electronics Industries Association of Japan
EIF Electronics Industries Foundation
EIS electronic image stabilization
EISA extended industry-standard architecture (PC bus)
EJTAG enhanced JTAG
EL electroluminescent (display)
ELF extremely low frequency
ELINT electronic intelligence
EMC electromagnetic compatibility
EMDP enhanced MDSL data pump
EMF electromagnetic field
EMI electromagnetic interference
EMP electromagnetic pulse
EMS expanded-memory specification (PC)
endec encoder-decoder (LAN standard)
ENOB effective number of bits (analog-to-digital conversion)
ENR excess noise ratio
EPAC Enhanced Perceptual Audio Coder
EPD early packet discard
EPLD erasable programmable-logic device
EPRI Electric Power Research Institute
EPROM erasable programmable read-only memory
EPS extended Postscript (image format)
ER explicit rate
ESD electrostatic discharge
ESDA electronic system design automation
ESDI enhanced small drive/device interface
ESF extended super-frame (communications)
ESL equivalent series inductance
ESNUG E-Mail Synopsys Users Group
ESR equivalent series resistance
ESS environmental stress screening
ESS electronic switching system
ETC enhanced throughput cellular (protocol)
ETDMA extended time-division multiple access (communications)
ETF equalized transfer function
ETS equivalent time sampling (digital storage oscilloscope)
ETS European Telecommunications Standard
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute (of ISO)
EUT equipment under test
eV electron volt
EW electronic warfare
ExCA Exchangeable Card Architecture
ext extension

Let's build on this list -- Is anything missing from this list?
PM me and I will add it to this list!

F
F Farad
f frequency
f femto
F Fahrenheit
F-H frequency hopping (communications)
F/V frequency-to-voltage (converter)
F/V frequency to voltage
FACT Fairchild advanced CMOS technology
FALU floating-point arithmetic-logic unit
FAQ frequently asked question
FAS frame-alignment signal (communications)
FASIC function- and algorithm-specific integrated circuit
FAST Fairchild advanced Schottky technology
FAST flexible accelerated stress test
FAT file-allocation table (digital disk format)
FC Fibre Channel (communication)
fc foot candle
FCA Fibre Channel Association
FCBGA flip-chip ball-grid array
FCC Federal Communications Commission (Washington, DC)
FCSI Fibre Channel Systems Initiative
FCT fast CMOS technology
FDDI fibre distributed data interface (communications)
FDMA frequency-division multiple access (communications)
FDX full-duplex (communications)
FEA field-emitter array (display)
FEA finite-element array
FEBE far-end-block error (communications)
FEC flexible etched circuits
FEC forward error correction
FED field-emission/emitter display
FEI Federation of the Electronics Industry (UK)
FET field-effect transistor
FFS Flash File Standard (PCMCIA)
FFT fast Fourier transform
FHSS frequency hopping spread spectrum (communications)
FIFO first in, first out (memory)
FIR finite-impulse response (filter)
FISO fast-in, slow-out (circuit)
FIT failures in time (testing)
FIT fault-isolation test
fL footlambert
FLC ferroelectric liquid crystal
FLOPS floating-point operations per second
FM frequency modulation
FMCW frequency-modulated continuous wave (radar)
FMU floating-point multiplier-divider-square-root unit
FO fiber optic
FOH front of house
FORTRAN formula translation (software language)
FOV field of view
FPBGA fine-pitch ball-grid array
FPCB field-programmable circuit board
FPGA field-programmable gate array
FPGA fine-pitch grid array
FPIC field-programmable interconnect chip
FPID field-programmable interconnect device
FPLA field-programmable logic array
FPN floating-point number
FPS frames per second
FPSLIC field-programmable system-level IC
FPU floating-point unit
FQFP fine-pitch quad flat pack
FR full rate (communications)
FRAM ferroelectric random-access memory
FRED fast-recovery epitaxial diode (rectifier)
FRF frequency-response function
FS full scale
FSK frequency-shift keying (communications)
FSM finite state machine
FSS fixed satellite service (DBS)
ft foot/feet
ft-lb foot pound-force
ft/minute feet per minute
ft/sec feet per second
ft3/sec cubic feet/second
FTL Flash Translation Layer (PCMCIA standard)
FTP File Transfer Protocol (Internet)

G
G giga
g grams
g gravity acceleration
GaAs gallium arsenide
GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services (international)
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (international)
Gbit gigabit
Gbyte gigabyte
GCA gain-controlled amplifier
GDI graphics-drive interface
Gencam generic computer-aided manufacturing
GFC generic flow control (ATM)
GFLOPS giga floating-point operations per second
GFM graphics file manager
GFSK gaussian frequency-shift keying (communications)
GHz gigahertz
GIF graphic image file
GMII Gigabit media-independent interface
GMII Gigabit MAC interface
GMSK gaussian-filtered minimum-shift keying
GOPS giga-operations per second
GPC Graphics Performance Characterization (Committee)
GPIB general-purpose interface bus
GPL graphical programming language
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
GPS Global Positioning System/Satellite
GQFP guard-ring quad flatpack
GSM Groupe Speciale Mobile/Global System for Mobile communications
GTL Gunning transceiver logic
GTLP Gunning transceiver logic plus
GUI graphical user interface

H
H henry
HCPLD high-capacity programmable-logic device
HD high-definition (TV)
HDCD high-definition compatible digital
HDD hard-disk drive
HDL hardware-description language
HDLC hardware-description language C
HDLC High Level Data Link Control (ISO standard)
HDS hardware-design system
HDSL high-bit-rate digital-subscriber line
HDTMOS high-density-technique metal-oxide semiconductor
HDTV high-definition digital television
HDX half duplex (communications)
HEC head-error control
HEMT high electron-mobility transistor
HiperLAN high-performance local-area network (communications)
HIPOT high potential (testing)
HIPPI high-performance parallel interface
HLL high-level language (software)
HLR home-location register (personal communications computer)
HLUT half look-up table
hp horsepower
HPC hand-held PC
HR half-rate (communications)
HSL hue, saturation, luminescence (color graphics)
HSM hierarchical storage management
HSOP high-power small-outline package
HSTL high-speed transceiver logic
HSTP High Speed Transport Protocol
HTML Hypertext Markup Language (WWW-Internet)
HTRB high-temperature reverse bias (burn-in testing)
HTS high-temperature superconductor
HTTL high-power transistor-to-transistor logic
HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HV high voltage
Hz hertz

I
I/O input/output
I2L integrated injection logic
IA instrument amplifier
IAB Internet Activities Board
IAC interapplication communication (protocol)
IBOC in-band on-channel
IC integrated circuit
ICE in-circuit emulator
ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol
ICR in-circuit reconfiguration
ID identification
ID inside diameter
IDAPI integrated database application programming interface
IDC insulation displacement connector
IDC insulation displacement contact
IDE intelligent drive electronics (disk)
IDE integrated device electronics
IDEA International Data Encryption Algorithm
IDFT inverse discrete Fourier transform
IDL interconnect description language
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission (Geneva)
IEE Institution of Electric Engineers (UK)
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IEEE 1394 a specification FireWire data transmission widely used in DV. Sony refers to the ports on its products with the proprietary term, "i.LINK.
IES Institute of Environmental Sciences (Mount Prospect, IL)
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
IF intermediate frequency
IFAC International Federation of Automation Control
IFFT inverse fast Fourier transform
IGBT insulated/isolated-gate bipolar transistor
IISP Information Infrastructure Standards Panel (of ANSI)
IMD intermodulation distortion
IMTS Improved Mobile Telephone Service
in. inch
inch inch
in.3 cubic inch
InGaAs indium gallium arsenide
INL integral non-linearity (ADC performance)
INMARSA International Maritime Satellite (mobile communications consortium)
INNS International Neural Network Society (Berkeley, CA)
INTELSAT International Telecommunications Satellite (mobile communications consortium)
IP intellectual property
IP Internet Protocol
IPC Institute for (Interconnecting and) Packaging (Electronic) Circuits (Lincolnwood, IL)
IPMC industrial process measurement and control
IPoATM IP over ATM
ips inch per second
IPv4 Internet Protocol version 4
IR insulation resistance
IR infrared
IRD integrated receiver-decoder (for DBS)
IrDA Infrared Data Association
IRF impulse response function
IRQ interrupt request (software)
IS Industry Standard of Architecture (PC bus)
IS interconnect synthesis
ISA industry-standard architecture
ISA Instrument Society of America
ISDB integrated services digital broadcasting
ISDN integrated services digital network (communications)
ISHM International Society for Hybrid Microelectronics
ISM industrial, scientific, and medical (applications/bands)
ISO International Standards Organization
ISP in-system programmable
ISP Internet-service provider
ITU International Telecommunications Union
IVDS interactive video data service
IVHS Intelligent Vehicle Highway System
IVMS In-Vehicle Multiplexing System (standard)

J
J joule
JDC Japanese digital cellular (system)
JDS Japanese Digital Standard (telecommunications)
JEDEC Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council
JEIDA Japan Electronics Industry Development Association
JESSI Joint European Semiconductor Silicon Initiative
JFET junction field-effect transistor
JISC Japanese Industrial Standards Committee
JIT just-in-time (manufacturing, staffing, etc)
JMOS junction metal-oxide semiconductor
JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group (video standard)
JTACS Japanese Total Access Communications System
JTAG Joint Test Action Group
JTEC Japanese Technology Evaluation Center
JTFA joint time-frequency analysis (DSP)
JVM Java virtual machine

K
K Kelvin
k kilo
K k[uom] kilohm
kbit kilobit
kbps kilobits per second
kbyte kilobytes
kg kilogram
KGD known-good die (semiconductor)
kHz kilohertz
km kilometer
km/hour kilometers per hour
KSIA Korean Semiconductor Industry Association
KSR keyboard send, receive
kV kilovolt
kVA kilovoltampere
kW kilowatt
kWhr kilowatthour

L
L lambert
LAB logic array block
LAN local-area network
LAP large-area processing (reference multichip module IC)
laser light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
LC inductance-capacitance
LC liquid crystal (display)
LC low complexity
LCC leadless chip carrier
LCD liquid-crystal display
LCI line-conducted interference (telecommunications)
LCOS liquid crystal on silicon
LCPGA low-cost pin-grid array
LCR inductance-capacitance-resistance
LCR inductance-capacitance-resistance (meter)
LD-AAC Low Delay Advanced Audio Compression
LDC large diaphragm condenser
LDMOS lateral double-diffused MOS
LED light-emitting diode
LEF library-exchange format
LEO low-earth-orbit
LES LAN emulation services (communications)
LF low frequency (30 to 300 kHz)
LFO low frequency oscillator
LGA land grid array (IC)
LIF low insertion force (socket)
LIFO last-in, first-out
LIGBT lateral insulated-gate bipolar transistor
Li-ion lithium ion
LIM Lotus-Intel-Microsoft (EMS spec committee)
LIMS laboratory information management system
LIT logic integrity test
LLC Limited Liability Corporation
LLL Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (Livermore, CA)
LLP leadless lead-frame package
lm lumen
lm/ft2 lumen per square foot
lm/m2 lumen per square meter
lm/W lumen per watt
ln logarithm, natural
LNA low noise amplifier
LND low noise band
LO local oscillator
LOF loss-of-frame (communications error)
log logarithm
LPAC lossless predictive audio compression
LPAC London Parallel Applications Centre (UK)
LPF low-pass filter
lpi lines per inch
lpm lines per minute
LPM Library of Parameterized Modules/Macros (standard)
lps lines per second
LRM language reference manual
LSB least significant bit
LSI large scale integration
LSR least-squares regression (curve-fit)
LSSD level-sensitive scan design (testing)
LSTTL low-power Schottky transistor-to-transistor logic
LTAC lossless transform audio coding
LUT look-up table
LVCMOS low-voltage complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
LVDS low-voltage differential signaling
LVDT linear-velocity displacement transformer (transducer)
LVT low-voltage transceiver
LVTTL low-voltage transistor-to-transistor logic

M
M mega
m meter
Msamples/sec megasamples per second
M-Quad metal (body) quad (flat-pack)
m/sec meter per second
M[uom] megohm
m3 cubic meter
m3/sec cubic meter per second
MAC multiply-accumulate (computer operations)
MAC media-access control (communications protocol)
MAN metropolitan area network (communications)
MAP Manufacturing Automation Protocol
MAP modular arithmetic coprocessor
MAPI messaging application programming interface
MARS mechanical antireflective switch
maser Microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
MATE Modular Automatic Test Equipment (standard)
Mbit megabits
Mbps megabits per second
Mbyte megabytes
MCA Micro-Channel Architecture (IBM)
MCC Microelectronics and Computer Technology Center (Austin, TX)
MCM multichip module (IC design)
MCT MOS-controlled thyristor
MCU microcontroller unit
MD minidisk
MDCT modified discrete cosine transform (synonymous with TDAC)
MDSP microwave digital signal processor
MEMS microelectromechanical systems
MESC Molecular Equipment Subcommittee for Communications (of SEMI)
MESFET metal-epitaxial semiconductor field-effect transistor
MFM modified frequency modulation
MFP mini-flat pack (Japanese SOIC packaging)
MGCP Media Gateway Control Protocol
MHDL Mimic hardware description language (microwave)
MHz megahertz
MIB management information base
MIDI musical-instrument digital interface
MII media independent interface
MIM metal-insulator-metal (diode)
MIMD multiple-instruction, multiple-data (path-DSP)
MIME Multipurpose/Multimedia Internet Mail Extension
Mimic microwave-millimeter wave integrated circuit
MIP mixed integer program
MIPS million instructions per second
MIS management information system
MITI Ministry of Trade and Industry (Japan)
MLP Meridian lossless packing
MMDS multichannel multipoint distribution service
MMF multimode fiber
MMI man-machine interface
MMIC monolithic microwave integrated circuit
MMS modular measurement system
MMU memory-management unit (microprocessor)
MMX multimedia extension
MNOS metal-nitride oxide semiconductor
MO magneto optical disk storage
MOCVD metal-organic chemical vapor decompression (LED)
modem modulator-demodulator (telecommunications)
MOEMS micro-optical electromechanical systems (optical MEMS)
MON monitor (mix position) world
MOPS million operations per second
MOS metal-oxide semiconductor
MOSFET metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor
MOSIGT metal-oxide semiconductor insulated-gate transistor
MOTS military off-the-shelf (procurement)
MOV metal-oxide varistor
MPEG Moving Picture Experts Group (standard)
MPFM motion picture file manager
MPLS multiprotocol label switching
MPP massively parallel processor
MPU microprocessor unit
MQFP metric quad flat-pack (packaging)
MR magnetoresistive (disk head)
MRI magnetic resonance imaging
MS Mid-Side stereo microphone technique
MSA metropolitan statistical area (cellular communications)
MSB most significant bit
MSDSL Multirate Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line
MSDU media-access control service data unit (communications)
MSI medium-scale integration
MSK minimum shift keying (communications)
MSM mobile station modem
MSS mobile satellite system
MTBF mean time between failures
MTD moving-target detection (radar)
MTD memory technology driver
MTFT multilayer thick-film technology
MTI moving-target indicator (radar)
MTP-2 Message Transfer Parts
MTTF mean time to failure
MTTR mean time to repair
mux multiplexer
MVP multimedia video processor
MW megawatt
MXI Multiplatform extension for Instrumentation (bus standard)

N
N-AMPS narrowband Advanced Mobile Phone Service
NAB National Association of Broadcasters (Washington, DC)
NACC North American Calibration Cooperative (US-Canada)
NACME National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
NADTP National Association of Desktop Publishers (Topfield, MI)
NATA North American Telephone Association
NAV network allocation vector (communications)
NBC non-backward compatible
NC numerical control (machine)
NCD nonlinear control design
NCE Nomadic Computing Environment (portable PC standard)
NCMS National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (Ann Arbor, MI)
NCO numerically controlled oscillator
NCSA National Center for Supercomputing Applications (University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL)
NDDS network data-delivery service
NDR negative differential resistance (transistor)
NEMA National Electrical Manufacturers Association
NEMP nuclear electromagnetic pulse
NEP noise equivalent power
NFS network-file system (Unix standard)
NFS network file systems
NIC network interface card
NiCd nickel cadmium
NII National Information Infrastructure
NIM network-interface module (standard)
NIM National Instrumentation Module (standard)
NiMH nickel metal hydride (battery)
NIST National Institute for Standards and Technology (Washington, DC)
NLE nonlinear editor/editing
NMOS N-channel metal-oxide semiconductor
NMRR normal-mode rejection ratio
NNI network-network interface (standard)
NNI network node interface
NOP no-operation instruction
NOS network operating system
NOSC Naval Ocean Surveillance Center
NRE nonrecurring engineering
NRF nonvolatile RAM file-manager
nrt-VBR non-real-time variable bit rate
NRZ nonreturn to zero
NSB National Science Board
NSF National Science Foundation
NSMD nonsolder mask defined
NTC negative temperature coefficient
NTDS National TV Design Standards
NTE near to eye
NTSC National Television Systems Committee (standard)
NTTC National Transportable Telecommunications Capability (COMSAT)
NTV nonlinear thickness variation (IC wafer)
NVLAP National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
NVRAM nonvolatile random-access memory
NWDM narrow-wavelength-division multiplexing

O
OADM optical add-drop multiplexer
OAM operations, administration, and maintenance
OAM&P operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning
OC optical carrier
OCR optical character reader/recognition
OCXO oven controller crystal oscillator
OEM original equipment manufacturer
OEO optical-electrical optical
OFDM orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (communications)
OIDA Optoelectronics Industry Development Association
OIS optical image stabilization
OLA open-library architecture
OLE object linking and embedding (Microsoft software standard)
OLED organic LED
OMF Open Model Forum (of EDA)
OMG Object Management Group (software standard
OMI Open Microprocessor Initiative (European)
ONU Optical Network Units
OO object oriented
OOF out-of-frame (communications error)
OOP object-oriented programming
OOT object-oriented technology (software)
OPC Open GL Performance Characterization (Committee)
OQPSK offset-quadrature phase-shift keying (communications)
ORB object request broker (CORBA)
ORTF Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française
OS operating system (computer)
OSA Optical Society of America
OSF Open Software Foundation
OSI open systems interconnection (communications)
OSPF open sorted path first
OSR oversampling ratio (ADC)
OSRA Office Systems Research Association (Springfield, MI)
OTA Office of Technological Assessment (of US Congress)
OTDR optical time-domain reflectometer
OTS off-the-shelf
OVI Open Verilog International (organization)
OVP over-voltage protection (power supply)
OVSF orthogonal variable spreading factor
OXC optical cross-connect

Let's build on this list -- Is anything missing from this list?
PM me and I will add it to this list!

P
p-p peak-to-peak
P/I packaging and interconnecting
P4 photolithographic pattern plated probe
Pa Pascal
pA picoampere
PA-RISC Precision Architecture - Reduced Instruction Set
PA/R peak-to-average ratio
PABX private access/area branch exchange
PAC pad array carrier
PAC Perceptual Audio Coder
PAD packet assembler/disassembler
PAD programmable address decoder
PAD bus processor address data bus
PAL phase-alternation line; French TV spec
PAL programmable-array logic
PALC plasma-addressed liquid crystal (display)
PAM pulse-amplitude modulation
PARD periodic and random deviation
PASC Perceptual Audio Sub-band Coding
PBA printed board assembly
PBGA plastic ball-grid array
PBGAM plastic ball-grid array, multilayer
PBT chemical designation like PBC, etc
PBX private branch exchange
PC personal computer
pC picocoulomb
pc board (PCB) printed-circuit board
PC-QFP printed-circuit-based quad flat pack
PCC Personal Communication Computer (European)
PCF point coordination function
PDH Personal Digital Communications
PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect [bus]
PCI SIG PCI Special Interest Group
PCIA Personal Communications Industry Association
PCL printer control language
PCM pulse-code modulation
PCMCIA Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
PCN personal communications network
PCOM private communications
PCR plastic chip carrier
PCS plastic clad silica
PCS personal communications service/system
PCU peripheral control unit
PD pulsed doppler (radar)
PDA personal digital assistant (portable computing)
PdAg palladium silver
PDC personal digital cellular (telecommunications system)
PDEF physical design exchange format
PDH plesiochronous-digital hierarchy (communications network)
PDI perspective dark-field imaging (semiconductor wafer inspection)
PDIAL public-access dial-up (Internet provider)
PDIF P-CAD data interchange format
PDIP plastic dual-inline package
PDM product data management
PDP plasma display panel
PDT prototype debug tool (Tektronix)
PDU protocol data unit
PEBB power electronics building block
PECC partially error-controlled connections
PECL positive/pseudo emitter-coupled logic
PECVD plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition
PEEL Programmable Electrically Erasable Logic
PEM privacy enhanced mail (Internet)
PEP Programmable Electronics Performance (Corp standard)
pF picofarad
PF power factor
PFC power-factor correction (power supply)
PFM pulse frequency modulation (battery charging)
PGA pin-grid array
PGA programmable gain amplifier
PGD 'pretty good die' (IC production)
PGP 'pretty good privacy' (Internet encryption algorithm)
PHEMT pseudomorphic high electronic mobility technology (FET process)
PHP Personal Handyphone (Japanese standard)
PHP power hybrid package
PHY physical layer
PIC parallel intereference cancellation
PICMG PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group
PID proportional-integral differential control loops
PIN positive-doped/intrinsic/negative-doped
PIN pn junction with isolation region
PIND particle impact noise detection
PIO parallel I/O
PIP procedural interface protocol
PIV peak inverse voltage
pixel picture element
pJ picojoule
PKI public-key infrastructure
PLA programmable-logic array; Signetics trademark
PLACE PEEL Architectural Compiler/Editor
PLC planar light-wave circuit
PLCC plastic leaded chip carrier
PLCP physical-layer convergence procedure
PLD programmable-logic device
PLDC polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (display)
PLI Programming Language Interface (OVI)
PLL phase-locked loop
PLS programmable logic sequencer
PM phase modulation
PMA post-metallization anneal
PMC PCI Mezzanine Card (standard)
PMCM plastic multichip module
PMD physical media dependent
PMOS p-type metal-oxide semiconductor
PMP post-metal programming
PMT photo-multiplier tube
PMU parametric measurement unit
PN processor node
PNN probabilistic neural network
pnp p-type n-type p-type
PnP Plug and Play (ISA standard)
POP point of presence (Internet)
POP Post Office Protocol (Internet)
PoS packet-over-SONET
POSIX portable operating system interface - Unix
POST power-on self tests
POT plain-old telephony
POTS plain-old telephone service (system?)
POV point of view
PPGA plastic pin grid array
PPI plan position indicator (radar)
ppm part(s) per million
PPP Point-to-Point Protocol (Internet)
pps pulses per second
PPT precision pad technology
PQFP plastic quad flat pack (IC)
PRACH physical random access channel
PRBA Portable Rechargeable Battery Association
PRBS pseudorandom bit stream
PREP PowerPC reference platform
PRF pulse repetition frequency (radar)
PRML partial-response maximum-likelihood (disk storage)
PRN pseudo-random noise
PRO Precision RISC Organization
PROM programmable ROM
PRS pattern recognition system
PSD power spectral density
psec picosecond
PSG phospho-silicate glass
psi pound(s) per square inch
psia pound(s) per square inch absolute
psig pound(s) per square inch gauge
PSK phase-shift keying
PSOP power small outline package
PSP programmable signal processor
PSPDN packet switched public data network
PSRAM pseudo-static RAM
PSRR power-supply rejection ratio
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
PtAu platinum gold
PTC positive temperature coefficient
PTE path terminating equipment
PTF polymer-thick-film
PTO Patent and Trademark Office (US Government)
pV picovolt
PVC polyvinyl-chloride
PVD peak voltage detect/physical vapor deposition
pW picowatt
PWM pulse-width modulation
PXI PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation
PZM pressure zone microphone

Q
Q quality factor (of a resonant circuit)
QAM quadrature amplitude modulation
QAS Quick Arbitrate and Select
QC quality control
QCIF quarter-common intermediate format
QDR quad data rate
QE quantum efficiency (photomultiplier)
QFB quad flat butt-leaded package
QFP quad flat pack
QIC quarter-inch cartridge (storage)
QKT quick key telephone coupler
QM queue management
QML qualified manufacturers list
QoS quality of service (communications)
QPL qualified part/product list (procurement)
QPL Qualified Products List
QPM quasi-phase-matched
QPSK quadrature phase-shift keying (communications)
QSM queued serial module
QSOP quarter-size outline package
QTAG Quality Test Action Group (communications)
QTCP quad tape carrier package
QUIP quad in-line package
QVGA quarter VGA (320X240 pixels)

R
RACH random access channel
rad radian
RADSL rate adaptive digital subscriber line
RAID redundant array of inexpensive disks
RAM random access memory
RAMDAC random access memory, digital-to-analog converter (combination)
RAS row address strobe
RAS remote access service (network)
RASSP Rapid Prototyping of Application Specific Signal Processors (ARPA project)
RAVE real-time audio/visual environment
RBOC regional Bell operating company
RC resistance-capacitance
RC-4 Rivest's Cipher
RCA Recording Corporation of America -- a/v connectors also known as phono plugs and jacks.
RCC rectangular chip carrier
RCM release complete message
RDBMS Relational Data Base Management System
RDRAM RAMbus-DRAM
READ relative element address designate
RED random early discard
REL release message
RF radio frequency
RFC request for comment (communications)
RFC radio frequency choke
RFI radio-frequency interference
RFIC radio-frequency integrated circuit
RFID radio frequency identification
RFP request for proposal
RGB red, green, blue
RHET resonant-tunneling hot-electron transistor
RHP reconfigurable hardware products
RIE reactive ion etching
RIO random early discard In/Out of Profile
RIP raster image processor (DTP)
RISC reduced-instruction-set computer
RISR remote interrupt service routine
RIU ring interface unit
RLC resistance-inductance-capacitance
RLE run-length encoding (data compression)
RLL run length limited (eg: 2,7 RLL)
RLN remote LAN node
RLQ rate-limiting queues
RM resource management
RMI resource-manager interface
RMII Reduced Media Independent Interface
RMON Remote Network Monitoring
rms root-mean-square
RMW read-modify-write (software)
RO reverse osmosis
RoHS The Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
ROM read-only memory
ROTS rugged off-the-shelf
ROW rest of the world
RP rapid prototyping
RP reinforced plastic
RPC remote procedural call (network)
RPC remote-procedure calls
rpm revolutions per minute
rps revolutions per second
RR round-robin
RS recommended standard
RSA Rivest, Shamir and Adelman (encryption)
RSSI received signal strength indicator
rt-VBR real-time variable bit rate
RTD resistance temperature detector
RTEID Real-Time Executive Interface Definition (Motorola)
RTI return from interrupt
RTL resistor transfer logic
RTL register-transfer level/language
RTM resin transfer molding
RTO return to output
RTOS real-time operating system
RTP rapid thermal processing
RTPS real-time publish-subscribe
RTS request-to-send
RTV room-temperature-vulcanized (silicone)
RTV real-time video
RW read/write

S
S-DAB satellite digital audio broadcasting
S/DMS SONET/digital multiplex switch
S/H sample and hold
SACD super-audio compact disc
SAM serial access memory
SAM switched access with multiplexer
sample/sec samples per second
SAN storage-area network
SAPI service access point identifier
SAR synthetic aperture radar
SAR segmentation and reassembly (communications)
SAS silicon asymmetrical switch
SASI Shugart Associates System Interface
SAW surface acoustic wave
SBC single-board computer
SBDIP side-brazed dual in-line package
SBIC shared bus interface controller
SBIR Small Business Innovation Research
SBM shared buffer memory (Alcatel)
SBS silicon bilateral switch
SBS smart battery system
SC shared cored (Ericsson)
SC/H subcarrier-to-horizontal (phase shift) phase of color burst extended to the leading edge of the horizontal sync pulse
SCAM SCSI configured automatically (ANSI protocol)
SCC serial communications controller
SCC square chip carrier
SCC stackable ceramic carrier
SCCM standard cubic centimeters/per minute
SCE storage-control element
SCFL source-coupled FET logic
SCH synchronization channel
SCI scalable coherent interface
SCI-PHY Saturn-Compliant Interface - Physical (device protocol)
SCIM single-chip integration module
SCM single-chip module
SCOT sealed chips on tape
SCPI Standards Committee for Programmable instruments
SCR silicon-controlled rectifier
SCS silicon-controlled switch
SCSI Small Computer System Interface
SCTE Society of Cable TV Engineers
SCXI signal conditioning extension for instrumentation
SDBGA super dissipation ball grid array
SDC small diaphragm condenser
SDCM serial data converter modules
SDF standard-delay format
SDF Standard Delay File (OVI)
SDH synchronous digital hierarchy
SDIO secure-digital input/output
SDIP shrink dual-in-line package
SDK system development kit
SDLC software description language C
SDLC synchronous data-link control
SDLVA successive-detection log video amplifier (microwave)
SDOF single degree-of-freedom
SDRAM synchronous DRAM
SDSC Standards and Data Services Committee
SDTV standard-definition digital television
SE Switch Element
SEAL simple and efficient AAL
sec secant
sec second
SECAM Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire (European video standard)
SECAM Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire
SECS Semiconductor Equipment and Material International's Equipment Communications Standard
SEG special effects generator
SEI secondary electron imaging (surface inspection)
SEL surface-emitting lasers
SELV safety extra-low voltage
SEM-E standard electronic module e-type (avionics)
SEMI Semiconductor Equipment and Material International (Association, Mountain View, CA)
SEP signaling endpoint
SERDES serializer/deserializer
SEU single-event upset
SFBI shared frame-buffer interface
SFC Shannon-Farro coding (data compression)
SFDR spurious free dynamic range
SFFPCI Small Form-Factor Personal Computer Interface(standard)
SFP short-fault protection
SFROM smart flash ROM
SGA solder grid array
SGMP simple gateway monitoring protocol
SHA sample-and-hold amplifier (ADC)
SHF super high frequency
SHG second harmonic generation
SHT suppressed high-level differential transfer (circuit)
Si silicon
SIA Semiconductor Industry Association (Washington DC
SIC Standard Industrial Classification (numbering code)
SiC silicon carbide
SICL standard instrument control library
SID Society for Information Display (PCI)
SIG Special Interest Group
SiGe silicon germanium
SIM single inline module
SIM Subscriber Identity Module
SIMD single-instruction, multiple-data (array)
SIMM single in-line memory module
SiN silicon nitride
sin sine
SINAD signal-to-noise-and-distortion (ratio)
SIO serial I/O
SiO silicon oxide
SIP Session Initialization Protocol
SIP single in-line package
SIP SMDS interface protocol
SIR signal-to-interference ratio
SIR surface insulation resistance
SIU system interface unit
SIU system integration unit
SL stripline
SLA sealed lead acid
SLAM scanning laser acoustic microscope
SLC single-layer ceramic
SLC surface laminar circuit
SLD source level debugger
SLIC subscriber-line interface circuit (communications)
Slicc slightly larger than IC carrier (packaging)
SLIP Serial-Line Internet Protocol
SLT solid logic technology
SMA Semiconductor Manufacturers Association (UK)
SMA surface-mounted assembly
SMART stress-marginality and accelerated-reliability testing
SMART Standard Module Avionics Repair and Test(software)
SMB shared-memory buffer
SMBus system-management bus
SMC S-Bus mezzanine card
SMC surface-mount components
SMD solder mask defined
SMD Storage Module Drive
SMD surface-mount device
SMDS switched multimegabit data services (Europe)
SME small-to-medium enterprises
SMEMA Surface Mount Equipment Manufacturers Association
SMF single-mode fiber
SMI small- and medium-sized industries
SMI (power) system management interrupts
SMII Serial Media Independent Interface
SMM (power) system management mode
SMOBC solder mask over bare copper
SMP symmetric multiprocessing
SMPGA surface-mount pin grid array
SMPS switch-mode power supply
SMPTE Society of Motion Picture and TV Engineers
SMRT surface-mount and reflow technology
SMT surface-mount technology
SMTA Surface-Mount Technology Association
SMU source-measure unit
SMUG Spokane Microcomputer Users Group
SMX-6000 a Fujitsu switch model
SNA systems network architecture (IBM)
SNet SONET Network (Northern Telecom)
SNMP simple network management protocol
SNR signal-to-noise ratio
SO small outline
SOB small outline butt-leaded package
SOC system on chip
SOG spin-on glass
SOHO small office, home office
SOI silicon-on-insulator (IC)
SOIC small-outline IC
SOJ SOIC with J-leads
SOLA short, open, load and air-capacitor
SONET synchronous optical network
SOP small-outline package
SOPC system on a programmable chip
SORF small-outline radio frequency (package)
SOS silicon on sapphire
SOSCARD Secure Operating System Card
SOT small-outline transistor
SOVA soft-output Viterbi algorithms
SP span processor
SP switch port (Ericsson)
SPARC scalable processor architecture
Sparc scalable processor architecture
SPDIP shrink plastic dual in-line package
SPDM scalable polynomial-delay model
spdt single-pole, double-throw
SPE synchronous payload envelope
SPI serial peripheral interface
SPI synchronous pixel interface
Spice Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit
SPIE The International Society for Optical Engineering
SPL sound pressure level
SPLD simple programmable-logic device
SPM scanning probe microscope
SPS samples per second
SPS sound-processing software
spst single-pole, single-throw
SQAM Sound Quality Assessment Material
SQC statistical quality control
SQE signal-quality error
SQFP shrink quad flat pack
SQL search and query language
SQPSK staggered quadrature phase-shift keying (communications)
SR set/reset (flip-flop)
SRAM static random-access memory
SRC Semiconductor Research Corporation (industry funded)
SRCS SilkRoad Refractive Synchronization Communication
SRL shift register latch
SS spread spectrum (communications)
SS7 Signalling System 7
SSA serial storage architecture
SSB single sideband
SSD solid-state disk
SSET switching system exchange termination
SSH simultaneous sample and hold (data acquisition)
SSI small-scale integration
SSL Secure Sockets Layer
SSMM solid-state mass memory
SSOP shrink small-outline package
SSR scalable sampling rate
SSR solid-state relay
SST Science, Space, and Technology (US House of Representatives committee)
SST solid state technology
SST simultaneous self-test (logic mode)
SST supersonic transport (aircraft)
SSTL stub-series-terminated logic
STB set-top box
STL Schottky transistor logic
STM scanning tunneling microscope
STM synchronous transfer mode
STM synchronous transport module
STN The Scientific and Technical Information Network (Internet)
STP shielded twisted pair
STRIFE stress and life (testing)
STS synchronous transport signal
STT set-top terminal
STTL Schottky transistor-transistor logic (TTL)
SUI speech user interface (multimedia)
SUS silicon unilateral switch
SVD simultaneous voice and data
SVGA super video graphics adapter (800X600 pixels)
SVHS super VHS (video format)
SVP surge voltage protector
SWL sound (power) level
SWR standing-wave ratio
SYSOP system operator (Internet)

Let's build on this list -- Is anything missing from this list?
PM me and I will add it to this list!

T
T-BGA tape ball grid array
T/H track and hold
T/R transmit and receive
TAB tape automated bonding
TAC Technical Activity Committee
TACS Total Access Communication System (British cellular)
tan tangent
TAP test access part
TAPI telephone application program interface
TAT transatlantic telephone (cable)
TAV transverse acoustic-wave voltage
Tbit terabit
Tbit/sec terabits per second
TC temperature coefficient
TCAP transaction capabilities application part
TCC temperature coefficient of capacitance
TCE temperature coefficient of expansion
TCE Technical Computing Environment
TCE thermal coefficient of expansion
TCIF Telecommunications Industry Forum
TCM thermal conduction module
TCM trellis-coded modulation
TCO total cost of ownership
TCP tape carrier package
TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
TCR tape carrier ring
TCR temperature coefficient of resistance
TCXO temperature compensated crystal oscillators
TDAC time-domain alias cancellation (synonymous with MDCT)
TDD time-division duplex
TDDS time-division duplex system (communications)
TDIF Tascam digital interface
TDM time-division multiplexing (communications)
TDMA time-division multiple access (communications)
TDR time domain reflectometer
TE transverse electric
TEC thermal electrical cooler
TEGFET 2-D electron-gas field effect transistor
TEM transverse electromagnetic
TF transfer function
TFF thin-film filter
TFI transport format indicator
TFP thin flat package
TFT thin-film transistor
TFT-LCD thin-film transistor liquid crystal display
THB temperature humidity bias
THD total harmonic distortion
THHN Thermoplastic high heat-resistant coated nylon
3D three-dimensional
TIA Telecommunications Industry Association (Washington, DC)
TIA time-interval analyzer
TIC tape-automated bond in cap
TIFF tagged image format file (computer graphics)
TIGA Texas Instruments' Graphics Architecture
TiN titanium nitride
TIR total indicated reading
TISSS Tester Independent Software Support System (DOD program)
TL1 Transaction Language 1
TLB translation-look-aside buffer
TLC thin-layer chromatography
TLIM transmission-line model
TLM transmission line matrix
TLM triple-layer metal
TM traffic management
TMC transfer mode converter/switch port termination
TMN Traffic Management Network
TMRC Technology Marketing and Research Council
TMSL test and measurement systems language
Tn digital carrier, type n
TN twister nematic (LC display)
TO transistor outline package
TOP thin outline package
TP Toilet paper (maybe not an engineering term, but every engineer needs it!!!) heh
TPC Transaction Processing Council (standard)
TPC transmit power control
TPI tracks per inch
TPQFP test-pad quad flat pack
TPU time processor unit
TQC total quality control
TQFP tape quad flat pack
TQFP thin quad flat pack
TQM total quality management
Tr transition time
TRAM transputer random access memory (module)
triac triac bidirectional rectifier (two SCRs used in antiparallel)
TRP Technology-Reinvestment Program
TSB Telecommunications Standardization Bureau
TSOP thin small outline package
TSP temperature-sensitive parameter
TSSOP thin-scaled small-outline package
TSSOP thin-shrink small-outline package
TST time-space-time
TTC Telecommunications Technology Committee (Japan)
TTC time-to-collection (data acquisition)
TTL transistor-transistor logic
TTY teletypewriter
TUV Technische Uberwachungs-Verein (German test lab)
TVI TV interface
TVRO television receive-only (DBS)
TVS transient-voltage suppressor
TwinVQ transform-domain-weighted interleaved vector quantization
2-D two-dimensional
TXCO temperature compensated oscillator

U
uA microampere
UART universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (communications)
UBR unspecified bit rate
UBS uninterruptible battery system
uC microcomputer
uC microcontroller
UCOM Users' Committee of Foreign Semiconductors
UDI Universal Digital Interface
UDP User Datagram Protocol (Internet)
UDPs user-defined primitives
UDWDM ultradense-wavelength-division multiplexing
uF microfarad
ug microgram
uH microhenry
UHF ultrahigh frequency
UHV ultrahigh vacuum
UIL User Interface Language (Open Software Foundation)
UJT unijunction transistor
UL Underwriters' Laboratory
ULSI ultra large-scale integration
um micron
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication System
UN United Nations
UNEP United Nations Environment Program
UNI User Network Interface (standard)
uP microprocessor
UPnP Universal Plug and Play (Welcome to the UPnP™ Forum!)
UPC universal product code
UPS uninterruptible power source
UPSR unifine pitch
US Upstream
USART transmitter
USAT ultrasmall aperture terminal
USB Universal Serial Bus
USDC US Display Consortium
USE/DA Users Society for Electronic Design Automation
usec microsecond
USL up stage left
USR up stage right
USTA US Telephone Association
UTC Universal Coordinated Time
UTOPIA Universal Test and Operations Physical Interface for Asynchronous Transfer Mode
UTP unshielded twisted pair
UTQFP ultrathin quad flat pack
UTRA UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access
UTSOP ultrathin small-outline package
UUT unit under test
uV microvolt
UV ultraviolet
UV-PROM ultraviolet-erasable PROM
UVLO undervoltage lockout (thresholds)
uW microwatt

V
V volt
V ac volts alternating current
V dc volts direct current
V-MOS v-groove MOS
V/F voltage to frequency
VA volt-ampere
VAFC VESA Advanced Feature Connection
VAR value-added reseller
VAR volt-ampere, reactive
VB visual Basic (multimedia software)
VBI vertical blanking interval (TV)
VBR variable bit rate (networking) (nrt - non-real time; rt - real time)
VBX Visual Basic extension
VC virtual channel
VCA voltage-controlled amplifier
VCD variable center distance
VCI virtual channel indicator/identifier (network)
VCIF VESA Display Information Format
VCO voltage-controlled oscillator
VCPU video compression processor unit
VCR videocassette recorder
VCSEL vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser
VCVA voltage-controlled variable attenuator
VCXO voltage-controlled crystal oscillator
VDE visual development environment
VDE video-decompression engine
VDSL very high-rate digital subscriber line (40 Mbps downstream)
VESA Video Electronics Standards Association
VF vacuum fluorescent (display)
VF voice frequency (300 to 3400 Hz)
VFC voltage-to-frequency converter
VFD vacuum fluorescent display
VFEA VMEbus Futurebus + Extended Architecture
VFO variable-frequency oscillator
VGA video-graphics adapter
VGA video-graphics array
VGA video graphic accelerator (circuit)
VGA Video Graphics Adapter
VHADSL very-high-bit-rate asymmetric digital subscriber line
VHDL very-high-density logic
VHDL very-high-speed integrated-circuit hardware-description language
VHDSL very-high-bit rate digital subscriber line
VHF very high-frequency (30 kHz to 300 MHz)
VHS video home system
VHSIC very high-speed IC
VIL vertical in-line
VISA virtual instrument software architecture
VISA VXI System Alliance (standard)
VITA VMEbus International Trade Association
Vital VHDL Initiative Toward ASIC Libraries (organization)
VLAN virtual local-area network
VL Bus VESA local bus
VLC/VLD variable length coding, variable length decoding
VLF very low frequency (below 30 kHz)
VLIW very long instruction word (computer architecture)
VLS virtual library system
VLSI very-large-scale integration
VMC VESA Media Channel (bus)
VME versa module eurocard
VME virtual machine environment
VMEbus versatile modular E-bus (from former VERSAbus-E)
VMTP Versatile Message Transaction Protocol (communications)
VNA vector network analyzer
VOD video-on-demand
VoIP voice over Internet Protocol
VOST VESA Open Set Top (group)
VOX voice-operated threshold (communications)
VP virtual path
VP video processor
VPAK vertical package
VPCI virtual path connection identifier
VPD vapor phase dissolution
VPE vapor phase epitaxy
VPEC Virginia Power Electronics Center (Blacksburg, VA)
VPI virtual path indicator/identifier (network)
VPM vertical package module
VPN virtual private network
VPP VXI Plug-and-Play (systems alliance)
VPS vapor phase soldering
VQ vector quantization
VQFP very-fine-pitch quad flat pack
VR virtual reality
VRAM video random-access memory
VRD virtual retina display
VRM voice recognition module
VROOMM Virtual Runtime Object-Oriented Memory Manager
versus versus
vs versus
VSAT very small aperature terminal (satellite transceiver with 30-40cm disk)
VSB vestigial sideband
VSB VME Subsystem bus
VSELP vector-sum excited linear-predictive (speech coding)
VSIM virtual surface image memory
VSO very small-outline
VSOP very small outline package (Japanese MFP)
VSS VHDL system simulator
VSWR voltage standing-wave ratio (RF and microwave)
VTCO voltage-temperature cutoff (battery charging)
VTR video tape recorder
VTVM vacuum tube Voltmeter
VU volume unit (meter)
VXCO voltage-controlled crystal oscillator
VXI VME eXtensions for Instrumentation
VXIbus VMEbus eXtension for Instrumentation

W
W watt
WAIS wide-area information server (Internet)
WAN wide-area network
WAP Wireless Application Protocol
WB wire bonded
WDM wavelength-division multiplexing
WFQ weighted fair queuing
Whr watthour
WLAN wireless local area network
WLL wireless local loop
WMA Windows Media Audio
WML Wireless Markup Language
WORM write once, read many (optical desk)
wPKI wireless public-key infrastructure)
wpm words per minute
WRAM window RAM
WRED weighted random early discard
WRR weighted round robin
WSI wafer scale integration
WTLS wireless transport-layer security
WUT wafer under test
WWW World Wide Web of the Internet
WYSIWYG what you see is what you get

X
X-MOS high-speed metal-oxide semiconductor
XA extended architecture (CD-ROM)
XDR external data representation
xDSL Digital Subscriber Line
XGA extended graphics adapter
XIP execute-in-place
XIWT Cross-Industry Working Team (information transmission)
XLR ground-left-right -- three-pin plug for three-conductor "balanced" audio equipment.
XML eXtensible Markup Language
XPG X/Open Portability Guide (standard group)
XRF x-ray fluorescence (spectroscopy)
XTP Express Transfer Protocol (communications)

Y
YAG ytrrium-aluminum garnet
YIG yttrium iron garnet (microwave device material)
YMMV your mileage may vary
YTD year to date
YUV luminance/chrominance

Z
ZCS zero-current switching
ZIF zero insertion force
ZIP zigzag-in-line package
ZnO zinc oxide
ZVS zero-voltage switching

Alternating current (AC):
An electrical system in which voltage polarity and current flow alternates direction on a regular basis. Your home is an example of a system that is powered by AC.

Amp:
A unit of electrical flow. In a water system, the flow of millions of water molecules would be expressed in terms of gallons per minute. In an electrical system, the flow of millions of electrons is expressed in terms of amps or amperes.

Apparent Power:
The amount of power that is apparently consumed by a load. Apparent power is measure in VA or volt-amperes and is calculated by measuring the current consumed by the load and multiplying it by the voltage powering the load.

Common Mode Voltage:
A voltage of any amplitude or frequency that is measured between the phase conductor and the ground conductor or the neutral conductor and the ground conductor. Neutral to ground voltage is a common mode component that frequently causes computer system malfunction. Neutral to ground voltages should always be limited to .5 volts (one half of one volt) or less.

Constant Voltage Transformer:
Maintains a relatively constant output voltage for variations up to 20% in the input voltage. CVT’s are frequently a ferro-resonant style of transformer in which the voltage is regulated by means of current stored in a magnetic field. CVT’s are generally high impedance devices that are unsuitable for most modern computers with switch mode power supplies.

Current:
The "flow" of electricity. Much like water, a current will follow the path of least resistance. As a result, electric current always finds the easiest path to ground. Current is measured in amps or amperes.

Dedicated Circuit:
An obsolete method for providing clean, noise free power to a computer system. A dedicated circuit is one in which dedicated phase, neutral, and safety grounding conductors are run continuously from a distribution panel to an electronic load. The conductors may service only the dedicated load and the phase conductor must have its own circuit breaker. Furthermore, the dedicated conductors must run in their own dedicated metallic conduit or raceway with no other conductors present. The neutral and ground conductors may not be "daisy chained" or shared with any other circuit. The ability of dedicated circuits to guarantee a noise and disturbance free environment is insufficient for the high processing speeds, low operating voltages, and mission critical nature of modern technology.

Direct current (DC):
An electrical system in which current flows in one direction only. A battery is an example of a direct current source.

Dip: See "Sag".

Disturbance:
Any departure from the nominal values of the power source. Disturbances can include transients, electrical noise, voltage changes, harmonics, outages, etc.

Drop:
A slang word sometimes used to describe voltage sags or under voltages.

Flicker:
A voltage variation of short duration but long enough to be noticeable to the human eye as a light flicker.

Frequency:
In an AC system, the value of the voltage sinewave rises from zero to a maximum, falls to zero, increases to a maximum in the opposite direction, and falls back to zero again. This would describe one complete cycle. The number of complete cycles occurring in one second is called frequency. The General Conference on Weights and Measures has adopted the name hertz (abbreviated Hz) as the measurement of frequency. In North America, the frequency is 60 Hz. In Europe and most of Africa and Asia it is 50 Hz.

Glitch:
A slang term for a voltage transient or voltage variation that causes equipment to misbehave..

Grounding Conductor:
The physical conductor connecting the chassis of an electrical or electronic device to the electrical system’s grounding means. Sometimes referred to as the safety ground, this conductor may be a green insulated conductor, a bare copper wire, conduit, gutter or raceway. The purpose of the grounding conductor is provide a low impedance pathway for fault current in the event of a short circuit so that a circuit may be quickly de-energized to prevent a fire hazard or electrocution.

Grounded Conductor:
Refers to the neutral conductor of the electrical system, which is bonded to the facility’s utility field earth reference in order to reference the facility electrical system to ground.

Harmonic:
A whole multiple of the basic power frequency. On a 60 Hz system the 2nd harmonic is 120 Hz, the third harmonic is 180 Hz, the fourth is 240 Hz and so on.

Harmonic Distortion:
The alteration of the normal voltage or current wave shape (sine wave) due to equipment generating frequencies other than the standard 60 cycles per second.

Impedance:
Impedance is the opposition offered by a material to the flow of an electrical current in an AC electrical system. Impedance has two parts - resistance and reactance. Impedance is measured in ohms.

Interruption: See "Outage".

Inverter:
Device that converts direct current (DC) power into alternating current (AC) power.

Isolated Ground:
An insulated equipment grounding conductor that is run in the same conduit as the supply conductors. This conductor is insulated from the metallic raceway and all ground points throughout its length. An isolated grounding conductor may only be connected to the grounding of the electrical system as a point where the facility neutral (grounded conductor) is bonded to ground. An example would be at the service entrance or at a distribution sub-transformer.

Isolation Transformer:
A device that electrically separates and protects sensitive electronic equipment by buffering electrical noise and re-establishing the neutral-to-ground bond. By virtue of the neutral-to-ground bond, isolation transformers eliminate neutral-to-ground voltage - one type of common mode disturbance.

Line Conditioner:
A device that provides for the electrical power quality needs of the connected electrical or electronic load. In the case of a linear power supply, a line conditioner might be a voltage regulator. In the case of a switch mode power supply, a line conditioner might be an isolation transformer with a noise filter and surge diverter. In the case of a simple electrical device like a motor, a line conditioner might be as rudimentary as a surge diverter. The term line conditioner is frequently misused. It must be understood that not all line conditioners function alike, and the capabilities of a line conditioner must be matched to the power quality needs of the connected load.

Linear Power Supply:
A power supply which converts AC power into the DC power that is needed to operate an electronic circuit. In a linear supply, the AC voltage is first stepped down, then rectified, and then regulated using a series regulation device. Linear supplies obtain their name from the fact that there is a linear relationship between the value of the AC sine wave voltage and the power supply’s consumption of current from the AC circuit. Linear power supplies are generally less efficient because the series regulator dissipates large amounts of heat in the process of producing and regulating the DC output voltages. In addition, linear mode power supplies may require well regulated AC input voltage. One benefit of linear power supplies is that they produce little electrical noise.

Mission Critical Load:
Devices and equipment identified as important or essential to the safety of personnel or the economic health of a business.

Momentary Outage:
A brief interruption in power commonly lasting between 1/30 (2 cycles) of a second and 3 seconds.

Nines of Reliability:
The reliability of an electrical system is a combination of both its availability (freedom from outages) as well as it’s quality (freedom from disturbances). Reliability is expressed in percentages. 99% would be expressed as two 9s of reliability. 99.9% would be three 9s reliable, 99.99% would be four 9s reliable and so forth. The average well managed electrical system in North America has about three 9s of reliability. In a 24 x 7 operation, that translates into about 88 hours per year in which the availability and quality of the electrical system are unsatisfactory to reliably power a mission critical electronic load.

Noise:
An unwanted high-frequency electrical signal that alters the normal voltage pattern (sine wave). Noise may be either high amplitude or low amplitude.

Normal (Nominal) Voltage:
The normal or contracted voltage assigned to a system for determining voltage class.

Normal Mode Voltage:
Any voltage (other than fundamental 50 Hz or 60 Hz) that is measured between the phase conductor and the neutral conductor in a single phase system or between any two phase conductors of a three phase system. Normal mode voltage can be any amplitude or frequency. Normal mode noise voltages can interfere with the reliable operation of a computer system or degrade and destroy components. Normal mode power disturbances should be limited to 10 volts or less.

Ohm:
A unit of resistance and impedance.

Ohms Law:
The relationship between voltage, current and resistance in a DC circuit. If two values are known the other can be calculated. This relationship is expressed many different ways. The basic relationship is voltage (V) is equal to current (I) multiplied by resistance (R). Ohm’s law must be applied in a modified way to AC circuits. AC circuits have impedance rather than resistance. Impedance causes AC circuits to exhibit power factor, which must be factored into any calculations

Outage:
Complete loss of electrical power.

Overvoltage:
An increase in voltage outside the normal voltage levels (10% or greater) for more than one minute.

Phase Relationship:
The timing relationship between voltage and current. If voltage and current cross through zero in a cycle at the same time they are said to be in phase. Phase differences are expressed in degrees. A cycle is 360 degrees. In a totally capacitive circuit, current leads voltage by 90 degrees. In a totally inductive voltage leads current by 90 degrees. In a circuit that is purely resistive, voltage and current are in phase.

Power Factor:
The ratio between Watts and Volt-Amperes. This ratio is generally expressed as a decimal fraction. A power factor of 1.00 is unity.

Reactance:
Reactance has two components, capacitive reactance and inductive reactance. The values of reactance are determined by the values of the individual capacitor or inductor as well as the frequency of the current flowing in the circuit.

Real Power:
The amount of power that is actually consumed by the load. Real power is measure in watts and is calculated by measuring the current consumed by the load and multiplying it by the voltage powering the load and then multiplying by the power factor of the load.

Rectifier:
A device that converts alternating current (AC) power to direct current (DC) power.

Reactive power:
Reactive power is the difference between apparent power and real power. It is calculated by subtracting real power from apparent power. Reactive power is measured in VAR (volt-amps reactive) or kVAR (kilovolt/amps reactive)

Resistance:
The opposition offered by a material to the flow of a steady electrical current in a DC circuit. Resistance is measured in ohms.

Sag:
Any short-term (less than 1 minute) decrease in voltage.

Spike: See "Transient".

Standby Generator:
An alternate power supply usually driven by a gas or diesel engine.

Surge:
A sudden dramatic increase in voltage that typically lasts less than 1/120 of a second.

Surge Protective Device (SPD):
A device that is designed to limit instantaneous high voltages. Also known as a surge suppressor, surge arrestor and transient voltage surge suppressor (TVSS). These units are satisfactory for reducing the amplitude of catastrophic events. However, they function by diverting excess voltage to the safety ground of the electrical system. In the process they create a common mode disturbance which can disrupt the function of microprocessor based electronic systems.

Swell:
Any short-term (less than one minute) increase in voltage.

Switch Mode Power Supply:
A power supply technology in which the AC power is converted into DC power for use by an electronic system. SMPS technology uses switching transistors operating at very high speed to keep a capacitor reservoir sufficiently charged to produce the appropriate DC voltage needed by the electronic circuit. SMPS technology is very efficient because it does not utilize the "lossy" series regulator found in the linear power supply. Current is consumed from the circuit only when the charge state of the capacitor reservoir requires it. SMPS technology is "constant power" in that when line voltage decreases, the supply’s current consumption increases and when line voltage increases, current consumption decreases. SMPS technology is relatively immune to voltage regulation issues. However, the technology does not employ a stepdown transformer on the front end, which means that it does not satisfactorily isolate the electronic system from the electrical supply. SMPS technology produces electrical noise as a result of the high speed function of the switching transistors.

Transient: See "Surge"

True Power: See "Real Power"

TVSS: See "Surge Protective Device"

Undervoltage:
A decrease in voltage outside the normal voltage levels (10% or greater) for more than one minute.

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS):
A system designed to automatically provide power in the event that utility power is interrupted. A UPS may be standby, line interactive, or on line. A UPS is not necessarily a power conditioner, and care must be taken to ensure that the UPS provides all the power quality requirements that are needed.

Volt:
A unit of electrical pressure. In a water system pressure might be expressed as pounds per square inch. In an electrical system, the pressure that causes electrons to move is called voltage. The voltage found in most homes is 120 and 240 volts. Businesses will typically utilize voltage at 120 and 208, or 277 and 480 volts.

Volt-Ampere (VA):
The product of volts times amps. A kilovolt-ampere (kVA) is equal to one thousand volt-amperes. VA is also known as apparent power.

Voltage:
The electrical "pressure" that creates the flow of current.

Voltage Regulator:
A device that maintains output within a desired limit despite varying input voltage. These devices usually provide little to no protection against voltage transients or noise.

Watt (W):
A unit of power equal to the product of the value of current of one ampere flowing in phase with the pressure of one volt. A kilowatt is a thousand watts. Watts are an expression of real or true power.

Watt-Hour (Wh):
A unit of energy equal to the power of one watt for one hour. A kilo-watt hour is a thousand watt-hours.

Waveform Distortion:
Any power quality variation in the wave shape of the voltage or current.

Voltage Drop Calculator


Awesome tool...

You know what I'm saying?

Whirlwind Downloads where you will find Color Codes; Connectors Pinouts and Such

Whirlwind Color Codes

ProCo Multipin Connectors

ProCo Color Codes

This is for all the RF folks out there...

I thought you may like this new Frequency Finder from Sennheiser.

Click on this link > Frequency Finder

This link is awesome -- Enjoy!

Man, EngineEars post was so cool, I had to copy it and add it to this thread.

The original post called, "THE ULTIMATE RECORDING SURVIVAL TOOLBOX" was inserted into its chronological position within this thread and ended up as post # 4.

IMO, it just smells location recording and should be an asset to this community.

I trust EngineEars will not mind the extra bandwidth, especially since this thread is a "Sticky for Life".

Thank you much and remember to have fun today!

All about Pads...
Uneeda Audio - Build your own attenuator pads

Resistor Values for T & H Type Attenuation...
T-Pad / H-Pad Calculator - Resistor Values for Attenuation

If anyone is interested...

I have an Excel file that calculates T, O, H, Pi, L and U type attenuators.
Since I cannot upload Excel files PM me your email address and (if I'm in a good mood) I will send you my attenuator calculator just for the asking.

Audio Record Time Calculations...

https://www.sounddevices.com/tech-no...e-calculations

Neutrik - Assemblies

Again, another awesome post that needed to be added to this guideline thread.
Jacob Farron's post was so cool, I had to copy it to this thread.

I trust Jacob Farron will not mind the extra bandwidth in this forum.

Thank you and remember to have fun today!

Electricity around the world: everything about plugs, sockets, voltages, converters, etc.

Microphones

Microphone Data

The Microphone Vault

DAW Disk Space Calculator

This is a very handy link.

We all need a quick and simple calculation formula.

Probably the most important link I could ever provide for you (musician) folk!!!

Band Name Generator

This can be a very handy virtual tool.
Check out the Schoeps Microphone Showroom
It's available in three languages; Deutsch, English & Francias.

One of our members, chris319 made this PDF link available to us in another thread.
I thought it would be cool to include the link on this thread too...

http://www.audiosystemsgroup.com/SAC0305Ferrites.pdf

SPL Calculator...

http://www.stageaccompany.com/support/calculator.html

Calculate the angles or sides of any triangle...

Triangle Calculator

A lot of us travel worldwide and/or do business all over this wonderful world of ours.
This cleaver calculator can convert between currencies using up to date exchange rates.

Currency Exchange Rate Conversion Calculator

Convert between Celsius, Kelvin, and Fahrenheit...

Temperature Converter - Fahrenheit, Celsius (Centigrade), and Kelvin

Wavelength

From the Website:

This calculator requires a JavaScript capable browser

This calculator will tell you the wavelength of any airborne audio frequency in inches, feet and metres, based on the speed of sound at sea level, and at 20 degrees Celsius or 72 degrees Farenheit. Note that with audio frequencies of 20Hz to 20,000Hz the range of physical sizes of wavelengths is substantial (1000:1), and this causes no end of problems with loudspeaker system design.

From the Website:

This calculator requires a JavaScript capable browser

This calculator will tell you the wavelength of any airborne audio frequency in inches, feet and metres, based on the speed of sound at sea level, and at 20 degrees Celsius or 72 degrees Farenheit. Note that with audio frequencies of 20Hz to 20,000Hz the range of physical sizes of wavelengths is substantial (1000:1), and this causes no end of problems with loudspeaker system design.

Wavelength