L
Symbol for inductance

Lacing and Harnessing
A method of grouping wires by securing them in bundles of designated patterns

Lacquer
A liquid resin or compound applied to textile braid to prevent fraying, moisture absorption etc.

Laminated Tape
A tape consistinf of two or more layers of different materials bonded together

LAN
Local Area Network. A user-owned, user-operated, high-volume data transmission facility connecting a number of communicating devices within a single building or campus of buildings

Laser Diode
A semiconductor diode that, when pulsed, emits coherent light

Launch Angle
The angle between the radiation vector and the axis of an optical fiber

Lay
Pertaining to wire and cable, the axial distance required for one cabled conductor or conductor strand to complete one revolution about the axis around which it is cabled

Lay Direction
The twist in the cable as indicated by the top strands while looking along the axis of the cable away from the observor. Described as "right hand" or" left hand"

Layer
Consecutive turns of a coil lying in a single plane

L Band
The band of frequencies between 390 and 1,550 megahertz

Leaching and Nonleaching
In a leaching wire the plasticizer will migrate when exposed to heat. A nonleaching wire will retain its plasticizer under extreme temperature conditions and remain flexible after baking

Lead
A wire, with or without terminals, that connects two points in a circuit

Lead Cured
A cable that is cured or vulcanized in a metallic lead mold

Lead-In
The conductor or conductors that connect the antenna proper to electronic equipment

Leakage Current
An undesirable flow of current through or over the surface of an insulating material

Leakage Distance
The shortest distance along an insulation surface between conductors

LED
Light-Emitting Diode; device that accepts electrical signals and converts the energy to a light signal; with lasers, the main light source for optical-fiber transmission, used mainly with multimode fiber

Length of Lay
The axial length of one turn of the helix of a wire or member. See Lay

Level
A measure of the difference between a quantity or value and an established reference

LF
Low Frequency. A band of frequencies extending from 30 to 300 Hz in the radio spectrum, designated by the Federal Communications Commission

Life Cycle Testing
A test to determine the length of time before failure in a controlled, usually accelerated environment

Lightning Ground Cable
A specially stranded single conductor cable used to connect lightning rods (air terminals) to grounding rods

Light Source
An object capable of emitting light. In fiber optics, the light source is normally an LED or a laser

Limits of Error
The maximum deviation (in degrees or percent) of the indicated temperature of a thermocouple from the actual temperature

Limpness
The ability of a cable to lay flat or conform to a surface

Line Balance
The degree to which the conductors of a cable are alike in their electrical characteristics with respect to each other, to other conductors, and to ground

Line Drop
A voltage loss occurring between any two points in a power transmission line. Such loss, or drop, is due to the resistance, or leakage of the line

Line Equalizer
A reactance (inductance and/or capacitance) connected in series with a transmission line to alter the frequency-response characteristics of the line

Line Fault
A fault such as an open circuit, short circuit or ground in an electrical line or circuit

Line Level
The level of a signal at a certain point on a transmission line. Usually expressed in decibels

Line Loss
A total of the various energy losses occurring in a transmission line

Line Voltage
The value of the potential existing on a supply or power line

Litz Wire
Very fine, usually #44 bare copper, each strand is enamel insulated and nylon wrapped (formerly silk). Used for low inductance coil windings

Load
A device that consumes or converts the power delivered by another device

Load Cell Cable
Small multiconductor shielded cables for connecting load cells with instruments in electronic strain gauges. Also used for weighing and force measurement applications

Loaded Line
A transmission line that has lumped elements (inductance or capacitance) added at uniformly spaced intervals. Loading is used to provide a given set of characteristics to a transmission line

Loc Trac®
Alpha's registered trademark for a zipper tubing closure track which does not require any sealants to keep it closed, even during extreme flexing

Local Area Network (LAN)
A network that is located in a localized geographical area (eg an office, building, complex of buildings, or campus), and whose communications technology provides a high-bandwidth, low-cost medium to which many nodes can be connected

Logging Cable
Usually FEP/Tefzel self-supporting instrumentation cable. Generally dropped through borings in subsurface mining or well applications

Longitudinal Shield
A tape shield, flat or corrugated, applied longitudinally with the axis of the cable

Logitudinal Shrinkage
Tape applied longitudinally with the axis of the core being covered

Longwall Machine
A mining machine used to undercut coal

Loop Resistance
The total resistance of two conductors measured round trip from one end. Commonly used term in the thermocouple industry

Loop Test
A lon line test where a good line is connected to a faulty line to form a loop in which measurements will locate the fault

Loss
The portion of energy applied to a system that is dissipated and performs no useful work

Loss Factor
The power factor times the dielectric constant

Low Bond Insulation
An insulation that exhibits a small bond strength to the conductors

Low Frequency
A band of frequencies extending from 30 to 300 kHz in the radio spectrum, designated by the Federal Communications Commission

Low Loss Dielectric
An insulating material that has a relatively low dielectric loss, such as polyetylene or Teflon

Low Noise Cable
A cable specially constructed to eliminate spurious electrical disturbances caused by capacitance changes or self-generated noise induced by either physical movement or adjacent circuitry

Low Tension
Low voltage, as applied to ignition cable

Low Voltage
(1) As defined in the National Electrical Code, a system rated nominal 24 volts or less, supplied from a transformer, converter or battery
(2) A power system voltage rating of 1,000 volts or less

LPF
Low Pass Filter. A filter which greatly attenuates signals of higher than a specified frequency, but passes with minimal attenuation all signals lower in frequency

Lumen
A unit of measurement for light output

LV
Low Voltage