T
Thermoplastic vinyl, building wire, 60ºC

Take-Up
The process of accumulating wire or cable into a reel, bobbin, or some other type of pack. Also, the device for pulling wire or cable through a piece of equipment or machine

Tank Test
A dielectric strength test in which the test sample is submerged in water and voltage is applied between the conductor and water as ground

Tap
(1) Baseband - the component of a connector that attaches a transceiver to a cable
(2) Broadband - (also called a directional tap or multitap) a passive device used to remove a portion of the signal power from the distribution line and deliver it onto the drop line

Taped Insulation
Insulation of helically wound tapes applied over a conductor or over an assembled group of insulated conductors

Taped Splice
A joint with hand-applied tape insulation

Tape Wrap
A spirally applied tape over an insulated or uninsulated wire

TC
A UL cable type. See Tray Cable, NEC Art. 340

TCLP
Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. A test created by the EPA to determine whether an item can be safely discarded in an ordinary (nonhazardous) landfill

T Connector
A cable adapter that attaches a PC with a network interface module to the network

Tear Strength
The force required to initiate or continue a tear in a material under specified conditions

Technical and Office Protocols (TAP)
A Boeing version of the MAP protocol aimed at office and engineering applications

Teflon®
Trademark of the DuPont Co. for FEP, PTFE and PFA polymers

Telemetry Cable
Cable used for transmission of information from instruments to the peripheral recording equipment

Temperature Rating
The maximum temperature at which an insulating material may be used in continuous operation without loss of its basic properties

Tensile Strength
The maximum load per unit of original cross-sectional area that a conductor attains when tested in tension to rupture

Terminals
Metal wire termination devices designed to handle one or more conductors, and to be attached to a board, bus or block with mechanical fasteners or clipped on

Terminator
A resistive device used to terminate the end of cable or an unused tap into its characteristic impedance. The terminator prevents interference-causing signal reflections

Test Lead
A flexible, insulated lead wire used for making tests, connecting instruments to a circuit temporarily, or for making temporary electrical connections

TEW
Canadian Standards Association type appliance wires. Solid or stranded single conductor, plastic insulated, 105ºC, 600V

Textile Braid
Any braid made from threads of cotton, silk, or synthetic fibers

TF
A UL cable type. Fixture wire, thermoplastic-covered solid or 7 strands, 60ºC

TFE
One of three types pf Teflon. Also known as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)

TFF
Same as TF but flexible stranding, 60ºC

TFFN
Same as TFF but with nylon outer jacket

TFN
Same as TF but with nylon outer jacket

TG
Flexible nickel or nickel-clad copper conductor, Teflon tape, glass braid, 200ºC

TGGT
PTFE Teflon tape insulation with an insulation covering of wrapped glass yarn and an overall sheath of braided glass yarn impregnated with a moisture, heat, flame and fraying resistant compound. 600V, 250ºC appliance wire

TGS
Solid or flexible copper, nickel-clad iron or copper, or nickel conductor. Teflon tape, silicone braid, 600V 250ºC

Thermal Aging
Exposure to a thermal condition or programmed series of conditions for predescribed periods of time

Thermocouple
A device consisting of two dissimilar metals in physical contact, which when heated will develop an emf output

Thermocouple Element
A thermocouple designed to be used as part of an assembly, but without associated parts such as terminal block, connecting head, protecting tube

Thermocouple Extension Cable
A cable comprised of one or more twisted thermocouple extension wires under a common sheath

Thermocouple Extension Wire
A pair of wires of dissimilar alloys having emf temperature characteristics complementing the thermocouple with which it is intended to be used, such that when properly connected allows the emf to be faithfully transmitted to the reference junction

Thermocouple Lead Wire
An insulated pair of wires used from the thermocouple to a junction box

Thermoplastic
A material which softens when heated and becomes firm on coolin

Thermoset
A material which has been hardened or set by the application of heat or radiation, and which, once set, cannot be resoftened by heating. The application of heat or radiation is called "curing"

THHN
A UL cable type. 600V, 90ºC nylon-jacketed building wire

Three-Phase Current
Current delivered through three wires, with each wire serving as a return for the other two

Three-Phase Three-Wire System
An alternating current supply system comprising three conductors over which three-phase power is sent

Three-Quarter-Hard Wire
As applied to aluminum, wire that has been processed to produce a strength approximately midway between that of half-hard wire and that of hard-drawn wire

Three-Wire System
A DC or single-phase AC system comprising three conductors, one of which is maintained at a potential midway between the potential of the other two

THW
A UL cable type. Thermoplastic vinyl-insulated building wire. Flme-retardant, moisture and heat resistant. 75ºC dry and wet locations

THWN
A UL cable type. Same as THW but with nylon jacket overall. Rated 75ºC wet and 90ºC dry

TIA
Telecommunication Industries Association

Tinned Wire
See Coated Wire

Tin Overcoat (TOC)
Tinned copper wire, stranded, then coated with pure tin

Tinsel Wire
A low voltage stranded wire, with each strand a very thin conductor ribbon spirally wrapped around a textile yarn

TKGT
PTFE Teflon tape insulation with an insulating covering of felted K-fiber yarn and an overall sheath of braided glass yarn impregnated with a moisture, heat, flame and fraying resistant compound. 250ºC 600V apparatua and Motor Lead wire

TNC
A threaded connector for miniature coax; TNC is said to be an abbreviation for threaded-Neill-Concelman. Contrast with BNC

TOP
Technical Office Protocol. An OSI profile designed for the technical and office LAN equipment

Topcoat
Bare (untinned) copper wire, stranded then coated with pure tin

TPE
Thermoplastic Elastomer

Tracer
A means of identifying polarity

Transceiver
A device required in baseband networks which takes the digital signal from a computer or terminal and imposes it on the baseband medium

Transceiver Cable
Cable connecting the transceiver to the network interface controller allowing nodes to be placed away from the baseband medium

Transition Splice
A cable splice which connects two different types of cable

Transmission
The dispatching of a signal, message, or other form of intelligence by wire, radio, telegraphy, telephony, facsimile, or other means (ISO); a series of characters, messages, or blocks, including control information and use data; the signalling of data over communications channels

Transmission Cable
Two or more transmission lines. See Transmission Line

Transmission Line
A signal-carrying circuit with controlled electrical characteristics used to transmit high-frequency or narrow-pulse signals

Transmission Loss
The decrease or loss in power during transmission of energy from one point to another. Usually expressed in decibels

Transposition
Interchanging the relative positions of wires to neutralize the effects of induction to or from other circuits or, to minimize interference pickup by the lead-in during reception

Trolley Wire
A round or shaped solid, bare, hard conductor ordinarily used to supply current to motors through travelling current collectors

Tray
A cable tray system is an assembly of units or sections, and ancillary fittings, made of noncombustible materials used to support cables. Cable tray systems include ladders, troughs, channels, solid bottom trays, and similar structures

Tray Cable
A factory-assembled multiconductor or multipair control cable approved under the National Electrical Code for installation in trays

Treeing
Microscopic tree-like channels in medium voltage, eg., 15 kV, cable insulation that can lead to cable failure

Triaxial
A three conductor cable with one conductor in the center, a second circular conductor concentric with and insulated from the first, and a third circular conductor insulated from and concentric with the second, and an impervious sheath overall

Triboelectric Noise
Noise generate in a shielded cable due to variations in capacitance between shielding and conductor as the cable is flexed

Trunk Cable
A main cable used for distribution of signals over long distances throughout a cable system

True Concentric
A cable conductor in which each successive layer has a reversed direction of lay from the preceding layer

TR-XLP
Water tree retardant cross-linked polyethylene

Tubing
A tube of extruded nonsupported plastic material

Turnkey System
Any system that is completely assembled and tested and that will be completely operational by turning it "on"

TV Camera Cable
Multiconductor (often composite) to carry power for camera, lights, manoeuvring motors, intercom signals to operators, video, etc. Usually heavy duty jacketed

TW
A UL cable type. Thermoplastic vinyl-jacketed building wire, moisture resistant 60ºC

Twinaxial Cable
A shielded coaxial cable with two central insulated conductors

Twin Cable
A pair of insulated conductors twisted, sheathed, or held together mechanically and not identifiable from each other in a common covering

Twin Coaxial
A configuration containing two separate, complete coaxial cables laid parallel or twisted around each other in on unit

Twin-Lead
A transmission line having two parallel conductors separated by insulation material. Like impedance is determined by the diameter and spacing of the conductors and the insulating material and is usually 300 ohms for television receiving antennas. Also called balanced transmission line and twin-line

Twinner
A device for twisting together two conductors

Twinning
Synonymous with pairing

Twisted Pair
A pair of insulated copper conductors that are twisted around each other, mainly to cancel the effects of electrical noise; typical of telephone and LAN wiring