Use of Acronyms and Initialisms in discussions

I am wondering if there is any merit in having a convention for the use of acronyms and initialisms in our discussions? I have been working in electronics for the last 50 plus years but I have not been able to keep up totally with the frontiers or diversity of this science. I have to admit that many times, as I read a description or explanation written by one of the more up-to-date members, I do not understand what they are talking about. The problem is not the ordinary words associated with electronics but rather the PID, TTH, PMBD, ETC. While being able to communicate with such initialisms adds a sense of in-group it is certain to frighten off some of the aspiring beginners as well as the old guys (me). I would propose that when using the Initialism for the first time in a discussion we put it down written out one time first. For example: (We must communicate effectively) WMCE. If "not" WMCE then we are wasting our time. Anyone know if there is a dictionary of electronic initialisms?

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0 jw0752 over 12 years ago

The 722 people who viewed my post have inspired me to take one more step. I have compiled a little over 200 abbreviations, initialisms and acronyms that I will post here. This is just a beginning and I bet you can find several that should be on the list that I have forgotten or missed. If you think something should be on the list that is relevant to our conversations let me know. Also if I have incorrectly listed any of the below let me know. I will wait and try to produce an updated list in the near future.

Thanks John

ADC	Analog to Digital Convertor
A	Ampere
Adiss	Average Dissipation
AF	Audio Frequency
AFE	Analog Front End
AM	Amplitude Modulation
AND	Logical AND
APC	Automatic Power Control
ARMS	Ampere Root Mean Square
ATM	Asychronous Transfer Mode
b	Base
BJT	Bipolar Junction Transistor
c	Collector
CA	Common Anode
CAD	Computer Aided Design
CC	Common Cathode
CCCS	Current Controlled Current Switch
CCD	Charge Coupled Device
CCL	Copper Clad Layer
CMOS	Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
CPU	Central Processing Unit
CT	Center Tapped
d	Drain
DAC	Digital to Analog Converter
DIMM	Dual Inline Memory Module
DIP	Dual Inline Package
DMM	Digital Multimeter
DMOS	Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor
DMX	Demultiplexer
DOF	Degrees of Freedom
DPDT	Double Pole Double Touch (Switch)
DPDTCO	Double Pole Double Touch Center Off (Switch)
DPI	Dots Per Inch
DPST	Double Pole Single Touch (Switch)
DRAM	Dynamic Random Access Memory
DSP	Digital Signal Processing
DTL	Diode Transistor Logic
E	Potential , Voltage, EMF
e	Emitter
EAD	Embedded Antenna Design
EEPROM	Electrically Erasable Programable Read Only Memory
EMF	ElectroMotive Force
EMP	Electro Magnetic Pulse
EOL	End of Life
ESR	Effective Serial Resistance
EV	Electron Volt
F	Farad (Capacitance)
FET	Field Effect Transistor
FIFO	First In First Out
FM	Frequency Modulation
FPAA	Field Programable Analog Array
FPGA	Field Programable Gate Array
FPLA	Field Programable Logic Array
FSR	Force Sensing Resistor
FW	Full Wave
g	Gate
GaAs	Gallium Arsenide
Gb	Giga Bits
GB	Giga Bytes
GFI	Ground Fault Interrupter
GHz	Giga Hertz
GIGA	Billion
Gnd	Ground
GPIO	General Purpose Input Output
GPS	Global Positioning System
GSM	Global System for Mobile (Phones)
H	Henry (Inductance)
HED	Hall Effect Device
hfe	Gain
***	Human User Interface
HV	High Voltage
Hz	Hertz (Frequency)
I	Current
I2C	Phillips protocol Serial Bus
IC	Integrated Circuit
ICSP	In Circuit Serial Programming
IDE	Integrated Development Environment
IEEE	Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IF	Intermediate Frequency
IO	Input Output
Iot	Internet of Things
IP	Internet Protocol
IR	Infra Red
JFET	Junction Field Effect Transistor
K	Kilo (Thousand)
K	Cathode
Kb	Kilo Bits
KB	Kilo Bytes
KV	Kilo Volt
LAN	Local Area Network
LCD	Liquid Crystal Display
LED	Light Emitting Diode
LEP	Light Emitting Polymer
LIFO	Last In First Out
LRC	Inductive Resistive Capacitive
M	Mega (Million)
m	Milla (One Thousandth)
mA	Milli Amps
Mb	Mega Bits
MB	Mega Bytes
MCU	Micro Controler Unit
MDA	Multiple Diode Array
Mho	Conductance (1/Ohm)
MIMO	Multiple Input Multiple Output
MOS	Metal Oxide Semiconductor
MOSFET	Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor
MOV	Metal Oxide Varistor
MPU	Micro Processor Unit
MUX	Multiplexer
NAND	Logical Not AND
NANO	10 to the -9th
NC	Normally Closed
NC	No Connection or No Conductor
nF	Nano Farad
NO	Normally Open
NOR	Logical Not OR
NPN	Negative Positive Negative
OCP	Over Current Protection
OI	Opto Isolator
OPAMP	Operational Amplifier
OR	Logical OR
OVP	Over Voltage Protection
PCB	Printed Circuit Board
PCM	Power Control Module
PE	Piezo Electric
pF	Pico Farad
PF	Power Factor
PLL	Phase Locked Loop
PM	Permanent Magnet
PNP	Positive Negative Positive
PP	Peak to Peak
PPM	Parts Per Million
PRI	Primary
PROM	Programable Read Only Memory
PUT	Programable Unijunction Transistor
PWM	Pulse Width Modulation
PZT	Piezo Electric Transducer
Q	Transistor
Qdiss	Quiescent Dissipation
R	Resistance
RAM	Random Access Memory
RC	Resistive Capacitive
RF	Radio Frequency
RFI	Radio Frequency Interference
RFID	Radio Frequency Identification
RGB	Red Green Blue
RMS	Root Mean Square
ROM	Read Only Memory
RS	Reset & Set
RTD	Resistive Temperature Detector
RTS	Request to Send
Rx	Receive
s	Source
SCL	I2C Serial Clock Line
SCR	Silicon Controled Rectifier
SDA	I2C Serial Data Line
SEC	Secondary
SIM	Subscriber Identification Module
SIP	Single Inline Package
SIPO	Serial in Parrallel Out
SISO	Single Input Single Output
SM	Surface Mount
SMP	Surface Mount Package
SNR	Signal to Noise Ratio
SPDT	Single Pole Double Touch (Switch)
SPDTCO	Single Pole Double Touch Center OFF (Switch)
SPI	Serial Periferal Interface
SPST	Single Pole Single Touch (Switch)
SRAM	Static Random Access Memory
Tb	Tera Bits
TB	Tera Bytes
TC	Time Constant
TCP	Transmission Control Protocol
Tdiss	Total Dissipation
TERA	Trillion
TP	Test Point
TRIAC	Triode for Alternating Current
TTL	Transistor Transistor Logic
TVS	Transient Voltage Suppressor
Tx	Transmit
u	Micro (One Millionth) actually should be μ
U	Integrated Circuit
uF	Micro Farad
uH	Micro Henry
URL	Uniform Resourse Locator
USART	Universal Sychronous Asynchronous Reciever Transmitter
USB	Universal Serial Bus
UV	Ultra Violet
V	Voltage
VA	Volt Ampere
VAC	Volts Alternating Current
VCC	Plus Supply Voltage Collector, Positive rail
VCCS	Voltage Controlled Current Switch
Vdd	Voltage Drain to Drain
VFO	Variable Frequency Oscillator
Vgg	Gate Voltage
VIN	Input Voltage
VOM	Volt Ohm Meter
VPP	Peak to Peak Volts
VREF	Reference Voltage
VSS	0 volts, Ground, negative rail
W	Watt
WH	Watt Hour
X	Crystal
X	Reactance
Z	Impedance
μ	Micro (One Millionth)
Ω	Ohm (Resistnce)

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0 jw0752 over 12 years ago

Thanks John

ADC	Analog to Digital Convertor
A	Ampere
Adiss	Average Dissipation
AF	Audio Frequency
AFE	Analog Front End
AM	Amplitude Modulation
AND	Logical AND
APC	Automatic Power Control
ARMS	Ampere Root Mean Square
ATM	Asychronous Transfer Mode
b	Base
BJT	Bipolar Junction Transistor
c	Collector
CA	Common Anode
CAD	Computer Aided Design
CC	Common Cathode
CCCS	Current Controlled Current Switch
CCD	Charge Coupled Device
CCL	Copper Clad Layer
CMOS	Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
CPU	Central Processing Unit
CT	Center Tapped
d	Drain
DAC	Digital to Analog Converter
DIMM	Dual Inline Memory Module
DIP	Dual Inline Package
DMM	Digital Multimeter
DMOS	Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor
DMX	Demultiplexer
DOF	Degrees of Freedom
DPDT	Double Pole Double Touch (Switch)
DPDTCO	Double Pole Double Touch Center Off (Switch)
DPI	Dots Per Inch
DPST	Double Pole Single Touch (Switch)
DRAM	Dynamic Random Access Memory
DSP	Digital Signal Processing
DTL	Diode Transistor Logic
E	Potential , Voltage, EMF
e	Emitter
EAD	Embedded Antenna Design
EEPROM	Electrically Erasable Programable Read Only Memory
EMF	ElectroMotive Force
EMP	Electro Magnetic Pulse
EOL	End of Life
ESR	Effective Serial Resistance
EV	Electron Volt
F	Farad (Capacitance)
FET	Field Effect Transistor
FIFO	First In First Out
FM	Frequency Modulation
FPAA	Field Programable Analog Array
FPGA	Field Programable Gate Array
FPLA	Field Programable Logic Array
FSR	Force Sensing Resistor
FW	Full Wave
g	Gate
GaAs	Gallium Arsenide
Gb	Giga Bits
GB	Giga Bytes
GFI	Ground Fault Interrupter
GHz	Giga Hertz
GIGA	Billion
Gnd	Ground
GPIO	General Purpose Input Output
GPS	Global Positioning System
GSM	Global System for Mobile (Phones)
H	Henry (Inductance)
HED	Hall Effect Device
hfe	Gain
***	Human User Interface
HV	High Voltage
Hz	Hertz (Frequency)
I	Current
I2C	Phillips protocol Serial Bus
IC	Integrated Circuit
ICSP	In Circuit Serial Programming
IDE	Integrated Development Environment
IEEE	Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IF	Intermediate Frequency
IO	Input Output
Iot	Internet of Things
IP	Internet Protocol
IR	Infra Red
JFET	Junction Field Effect Transistor
K	Kilo (Thousand)
K	Cathode
Kb	Kilo Bits
KB	Kilo Bytes
KV	Kilo Volt
LAN	Local Area Network
LCD	Liquid Crystal Display
LED	Light Emitting Diode
LEP	Light Emitting Polymer
LIFO	Last In First Out
LRC	Inductive Resistive Capacitive
M	Mega (Million)
m	Milla (One Thousandth)
mA	Milli Amps
Mb	Mega Bits
MB	Mega Bytes
MCU	Micro Controler Unit
MDA	Multiple Diode Array
Mho	Conductance (1/Ohm)
MIMO	Multiple Input Multiple Output
MOS	Metal Oxide Semiconductor
MOSFET	Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor
MOV	Metal Oxide Varistor
MPU	Micro Processor Unit
MUX	Multiplexer
NAND	Logical Not AND
NANO	10 to the -9th
NC	Normally Closed
NC	No Connection or No Conductor
nF	Nano Farad
NO	Normally Open
NOR	Logical Not OR
NPN	Negative Positive Negative
OCP	Over Current Protection
OI	Opto Isolator
OPAMP	Operational Amplifier
OR	Logical OR
OVP	Over Voltage Protection
PCB	Printed Circuit Board
PCM	Power Control Module
PE	Piezo Electric
pF	Pico Farad
PF	Power Factor
PLL	Phase Locked Loop
PM	Permanent Magnet
PNP	Positive Negative Positive
PP	Peak to Peak
PPM	Parts Per Million
PRI	Primary
PROM	Programable Read Only Memory
PUT	Programable Unijunction Transistor
PWM	Pulse Width Modulation
PZT	Piezo Electric Transducer
Q	Transistor
Qdiss	Quiescent Dissipation
R	Resistance
RAM	Random Access Memory
RC	Resistive Capacitive
RF	Radio Frequency
RFI	Radio Frequency Interference
RFID	Radio Frequency Identification
RGB	Red Green Blue
RMS	Root Mean Square
ROM	Read Only Memory
RS	Reset & Set
RTD	Resistive Temperature Detector
RTS	Request to Send
Rx	Receive
s	Source
SCL	I2C Serial Clock Line
SCR	Silicon Controled Rectifier
SDA	I2C Serial Data Line
SEC	Secondary
SIM	Subscriber Identification Module
SIP	Single Inline Package
SIPO	Serial in Parrallel Out
SISO	Single Input Single Output
SM	Surface Mount
SMP	Surface Mount Package
SNR	Signal to Noise Ratio
SPDT	Single Pole Double Touch (Switch)
SPDTCO	Single Pole Double Touch Center OFF (Switch)
SPI	Serial Periferal Interface
SPST	Single Pole Single Touch (Switch)
SRAM	Static Random Access Memory
Tb	Tera Bits
TB	Tera Bytes
TC	Time Constant
TCP	Transmission Control Protocol
Tdiss	Total Dissipation
TERA	Trillion
TP	Test Point
TRIAC	Triode for Alternating Current
TTL	Transistor Transistor Logic
TVS	Transient Voltage Suppressor
Tx	Transmit
u	Micro (One Millionth) actually should be μ
U	Integrated Circuit
uF	Micro Farad
uH	Micro Henry
URL	Uniform Resourse Locator
USART	Universal Sychronous Asynchronous Reciever Transmitter
USB	Universal Serial Bus
UV	Ultra Violet
V	Voltage
VA	Volt Ampere
VAC	Volts Alternating Current
VCC	Plus Supply Voltage Collector, Positive rail
VCCS	Voltage Controlled Current Switch
Vdd	Voltage Drain to Drain
VFO	Variable Frequency Oscillator
Vgg	Gate Voltage
VIN	Input Voltage
VOM	Volt Ohm Meter
VPP	Peak to Peak Volts
VREF	Reference Voltage
VSS	0 volts, Ground, negative rail
W	Watt
WH	Watt Hour
X	Crystal
X	Reactance
Z	Impedance
μ	Micro (One Millionth)
Ω	Ohm (Resistnce)

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0 mcb1 over 12 years ago in reply to jw0752

Nice list.
When I started at Airways the acronyms were an issue, so I asked if we had a list.
4 A4 pages later was the best they could do, and it wasn't complete.

We had a boss once that insisted on using them in his morning roundup talk, but never really explained them.
In the end we started making some of our own up and he never did ask what they meant.

mark
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0 kidiccurus over 12 years ago in reply to jw0752

One more for the list:
MOBO = Motherboard
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0 jw0752 over 12 years ago in reply to kidiccurus

Thanks Samuel - I have added it to the master list.
John
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