Glossary of Terms

AJAX progress indicator
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  • Ground:Used to indicate a negative side or ground side of a battery or electrical supply (ac or dc).
  • Hall Effect Sensor:An electronic device that changes state (voltage output) when exposed to a magnetic field.
  • Header:The part of a switch that groups terminals or wires together to allow entry or exit.
  • Heat Rise:An indirect measurement of a contact resistance used by rating agencies. The temperature rise of a contact carrying a prescribed current is measured to determine acceptable limit.
  • Hermetic:An environmental seal specification grade that requires no air, gas or liquid will leak into, or out of, the switch.
  • High Inrush:A brief pulse of very high electrical current, much greater than the design load, that occurs when the electrical load is initially applied to the circuit.
  • Housing:A three-dimensional enclosure, a container for a switch.
  • Hz:1 Hz= 1/sec
  • IC (Integrated Circuit):An electrical circuit composed of many components etched on a semiconductor chip.
  • IEC:International Electrotechnical Commission
  • IECQ:IEC’s Quality Assessment system for Electronic Components, created in 1983 to facilitate national and international trade in certified electronic components. A worldwide certification system which provides a method whereby electronic components made and handled by approved manufacturers and(...)
  • Immersion Proof:A switch or product able to withstand submersion in water to a depth of 3 feet or more for 30 minutes without leaking.
  • Inductive Load:A load in which the initial current on making (closing) of the contacts is lower than steady state and rises slowly. On breaking (opening) of the contacts, the current is greater than steady state. The stored energy of the inductor provokes a long and severe arcing time. Current lags voltage(...)
  • Inrush:The initial transitory high-level of current at contact closing (making). A characteristic of capacitive and some resistive loads. The inrush currents can be large and long enough to cause severe degradation of the contacts. See Resistive Load. Capacitive Load. Power Factor.
  • Inrush Current:Current that drawn by electrical motor during start-up transitioning or by a lamp filament during heating to its operating resistance.