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M2M
|
Machine-to-machine or machine-to-mobile communications, via wireless technologies such as cell phone network technologies, WLAN, Bluetooth, and RFID (radio frequency identification). Applications include automatic meter reading, fleet management, vending, monitoring and control, security and alarms, and telemedicine. |
|
mA
|
Milliampere, or milliamp: 1/1000 of an Ampere. Ampere is the basic unit for measuring electrical current. |
| MAC |
See MAC Address
|
|
MAC Address
|
Media Access Control Address (maca, MAC): A hardware address that uniquely identifies each node of a network, as in IEEE-802 (Ethernet) networks. The MAC layer interfaces directly with the network medium. |
| maca |
See MAC Address
|
| Machine-to-machine |
See M2M
|
| machine-to-mobile |
See M2M
|
|
mAh
|
Milliamps/hour |
| Make-Before-Break |
See MBB
|
|
Manchester Data Encoding
|
Manchester encoding is a form of binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) that has gained wide acceptance as a modulation scheme for low-cost radio-frequency (RF) transmission of digital data. Its key characteristic is that it encodes data in a way that insures there will never be long strings of continuous zeros or ones. The guaranteed transitions means that the clock can be derived from the transmitted data, allowing the link to function with variable signal strengths from transmitters with imprecise, low-cost, data-rate clocks.
Details: See the application note, Manchester Data Encoding for Radio Communications. |
| Manchester Encoding |
See Manchester Data Encoding
|
| manganese dioxide |
See Lithium batteries
|
| manganese lithium |
See Lithium batteries
|
|
MAP
|
Manifold absolute pressure |
| Master Out Slave In |
See MOSI
|
|
Max. DNL (LSB)
|
Maximum differential nonlinearly expressed in least significant bit(s). |
|
Max. Hold Step (MV)
|
When switching between sample mode and hold mode, charge injection from stray capacitance causes the maximum voltage of the hold capacitor to change. |
|
Max. INL (± %FSR)
|
Maximum integral nonlinearity expressed as a percentage of full-scale range. |
| MaxBass |
See Bass Boost
|
|
MAXTON
|
Maximum time-on |
|
MBB
|
Make-before-break: In a switching device, a configuration in which the new connection path is established before the previous contacts are opened. This prevents the switched path from ever seeing an open circuit.
Applies to mechanical systems (e.g. that use relays or manual switches) and to solid-state analog multiplexers and switches. |
|
MBC
|
Main booster converter |
| Mbps |
See Bandwidth
|
|
MC
|
Multicommunicator |
|
MCM
|
1. Multi-Chip Module (MCM): An integrated circuit package that contains two or more interconnected chips.
2. MCM is an abbreviation for thousands of circular mils, an old measurement of wire gauge. 1 MCM = 1 kcmil = 0.5067 square milimeters. A mil is 1/1000 inch. A wire 200 mils in diameter is 40 MCM.
MCM is generally used for very large-diameter wire. Most wire uses AWG. |
| Mcps |
See MHz
|
|
MDAC
|
Multiplying digital-to-analog converter |
| Media Access Control Address |
See MAC Address
|
|
MegaBaud
|
RS-232 logic-level compatible data rates that are 1Mbps or higher. |
| megabits |
See Bandwidth
|
| Megachips per Second |
See Mcps
|
| Megacycles per Second |
See Mcps
|
| megahertz |
See MHz
|
|
MEMS
|
Acronym for Acronym for "Micro Electronic Mechanical Systems," or microelectromechanical systems: Systems that combine mechanical and electrical components and are fabricated using semiconductor fabrication techniques. Common examples are pressure and acceleration sensors which combine the sensor and amplification or conditioning circuitry. Other applications include switches, valves, and waveguides. |
|
MESFET
|
A Metal-Semiconductor Field-Effect-Transistor uses a metal-semiconductor (Schottky) junction to create the conductive channel, rather than using a p-n junction as a JFET does; or a metal-oxide-semiconductor layer as a MOSFET uses. |
|
Metal Oxide Varistor
|
A Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV, or surge-suppressor) is a discrete electronic component that diverts excessive voltage to the ground and/or neutral lines. |
| Metal-Semiconductor Field-Effect-Transistor |
See MESFET
|
|
MFSK
|
Multiple frequency-shift keying |
|
MHz
|
Megahertz (MHz): Measurement of frequency -- million cycles per second. |
| Microamp |
See uA
|
| microampere |
See uA
|
| Microelectromechanical systems |
See MEMS
|
|
MicroLAN
|
A 1-Wire network. A low-cost network in which PCs or microcontrollers communicate digitally over twisted-pair cable using 1-Wire components. |
|
MicroMonitor™
|
A device that monitors three conditions vital to processor-controlled systems: power supply, software execution, and external override. |
|
Microprocessor Supervisor
|
A device that monitors a host microprocessor or microcontroller's supply voltage and, in some cases, its activity. It monitors for a fault condition and takes appropriate action, usually issuing a reset to the microprocessor. |
| Milliamp |
See mA
|
| Milliampere |
See mA
|
| Millivolt |
See mV
|
|
MIMO
|
A Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) system has multiple antennas and multiple radios. It takes advantage of multipath effects, where a transmitted signal arrives at the receiver through a number of different paths. Each path can have a different time delay, and the result is that multiple instances of a single transmitted symbol arrive at the receiver at different times.
Usually multipath is a source of interference, but MIMO systems use the fact that data will arrive at the receiver at different times through different paths to improve the quality of the data link. For example, rather than relying on a single antenna path to receive an entire message, the message can be pieced together based on fragments received at the various antennas. This can act to either increase the data rate at a given range, or increase system range for a given data rate.
MIMO is used in the implementation of the 802.11n standard. |
|
Min LOS Sens.
|
The minimum sensitivity attainable with a programmable loss-of-signal feature. |
|
Min Stable Closed Loop Gain
|
The minimum closed-loop gain for which the amplifer is stable. |
|
MISI
|
Master-in, slave-out isolated input |
|
MISO
|
Master-in, slave-out isolated output |
| ML |
See Lithium batteries
|
|
mm
|
Millimeter(s) |
|
MMI
|
Man-machine interface |
|
Monotonic
|
A sequence increases monotonically if for every n, Pn + 1 is greater than or equal to Pn. Similarly, a sequence decreases monotonically if for every n, Pn + 1 is less than or equal to Pn.
In plain language, the value rises and never falls; or it falls and never rises.
|
|
MOSFET
|
Metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor; metal-oxide silicon field-effect transmitter.
In a MOSFET, the conductive channel between the drain and source contacts is controlled by a metal gate separated from the channel by a very thin insulating layer of oxide. The gate voltage establishes a field that allows or blocks current flow.
Compare to a JFET, in which a p-n junction controls the channel; or a MESFET, which uses a metal-semiconductor (Schottky) junction. |
|
MOSI
|
Master Out Slave In: One of the four Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) pins. |
| MOV |
See Metal Oxide Varistor
|
|
MPU
|
Microprocessing unit |
|
MPW
|
Multiproject wafer |
|
MQFP
|
Metric quad flat pack |
|
mrad
|
Milliradian(s) |
|
ms
|
Millisecond(s) |
|
MSA
|
Measurement Systems Analysis is a method for ensuring product test measurements are reliable, robust, and of good statistical merit. |
|
MSB
|
Most-significant bit. In a binary number, the MSB is the most weighted bit in the number. Typically, binary numbers are written with the MSB in the left-most position; the LSB is the furthest-right bit.
|
| Msps |
See Samples per Second
|
| MT |
See Transfer
|
| MT/s |
See Transfer
|
|
MTIMD
|
Multitone intermodulation distortion |
|
MTPR
|
Multitone power ratio |
| Multi-Chip Module |
See MCM
|
|
Multipath
|
In radio transmission, multipath refers to the simultaneous reception of two copies of the signal, that arrive via separate paths with different delays.
A common example is when a signal bounces off a building or other object and is received along with the direct (unbounced) signal. In television reception, this causes "ghosting" -- one sees a faded echo on the screen horizontally displaced from the main image.
Another common example is in radio (especially AM radio), where the signal bounces off the ionosphere and one receives that delayed signal along with the directly transmitted signal.
Usually, multipath is an undesired effect but in MIMO systems, separate antennas deliberately send replicas and sophisticated receivers piece together the fragments to improve performance. |
| multipath interference |
See Multipath
|
| Multiple Input-Multiple Output |
See MIMO
|
|
Multiplex
|
1. Combining two signals (which can be analog or a digital stream) into one in such a way that they can later be separated. Examples are OFDM; standard FM stereo broadcast (in which left and right are multiplexed onto one baseband signal); standard television in which video and several audio signals shared the channel; and time-division multiplexing which gives each signal a separate time-slice.
2. An array of analog switches, usually on a single CMOS chip, that allows one input signal to be routed to any of several output lines, depending on the value of a set of digital control lines.
A multiplexer can also be used in the opposite direction, allowing the array to connect one of several input lines to the output, depending on the control lines.
Several of these can be implemented on one chip to make a multi-channel version.
Maxim makes hundreds of these parts. See the Analog Switch and Multiplexer Product Line page. |
| Multiplexer |
See Multiplex
|
| Multiplexing |
See Multiplex
|
| Multiplexor |
See Multiplex
|
|
Murphy's Law
|
"Anything that can go wrong, will." |
| mutual conductance |
See Transconductance Amplifier
|
| MUX |
See Multiplex
|
|
mV
|
A millivolt (mV) is 1/1000 of a volt. |
|
mW
|
Milliwatt(s) |
|
MW
|
Megawatt(s) |
