Electrical termination of a signal involves providing a terminator at the end of a wire or cable to prevent an RF signal from being reflected back from the end, causing interference. The terminator is placed at the end of a transmission line or daisy chain bus (such as in SCSI), designed to match impedance and hence minimize signal reflections.
Contents |
Types of terminators
Simple resistor
Often the terminator is a resistor. There are also active terminators which contain an electric circuit to perform the same basic function.
Dummy loads
Dummy loads are commonly used in HF to EHF frequency circuits.
50 ohm
10BASE2 networks absolutely must have proper termination with a 50 ohm BNC terminator. If the bus network is not properly terminated, too much power will be reflected, causing all of the computers on the bus to lose network connectivity.
75 ohm
A terminating resistor for a television cable is often in the form of a cap, threaded to screw onto an F connector. It is nicknamed "Schwarzenegger device".
Other meaning
Electrical termination sometimes refers to manufacturing operations which connect wires together. This includes crimping, soldering, and related operations. See electrical connector.
