Glossary
NI 5401 User Manual G-2 www.natinst.com
B
b bit—one binary digit, either 0 or 1
B byte—eight related bits of data, an eight-bit binary number. Also used to
denote the amount of memory required to store one byte of data.
BNC a type of coaxial signal connector
buffer temporary storage for acquired or generated data
bus the group of conductors that interconnect individual circuitry in a computer.
Typically, a bus is the expansion vehicle to which I/O or other devices are
connected. Examples of PC buses are the AT bus (also known as the ISA
bus) and the PCI bus.
C
C Celsius
CalDAC calibration DAC
clock hardware component that controls timing for reading from or writing to
groups
CMOS complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
continuous trigger mode repeats a staging list until waveform generation is stopped
counter a circuit that counts external pulses or clock pulses (timing)
coupling the manner in which a signal is connected from one location to another
D
DAC digital-to-analog converter—an electronic device, often an integrated
circuit, that converts a digital number into a corresponding analog voltage
or current
dB decibel—the unit for expressing a logarithmic measure of the ratio of two
signal levels: dB = 20 log10 V1/V2, for signals in volts
dBc decibel referred to carrier level