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Power Supplies A to Z : "N"

We've included this handy glossary to help with the terminology & abbreviations relating to power products. Pick a letter below to begin.

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Nano

SI prefix multiplier. Multiplies by 10^-9. So 100 nF = 100 x 10^-9 F. Written as 'nano'. Abbreviated to 'n'.

National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)

Industry trade organisation “providing a forum for the standardisation of electrical equipment” with headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia. See https://www.nema.org/

Negative Rail

The more negative of the two conductors at the output of power supply (PSU).

Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC)

A function which decreases with increasing temperature. Usually relates to resistance but may also refer to capacitance, voltage, etc.

NEMA

Acronym for National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

Neutral

The ac return somewhere connected to ground, but which should not be used for ground because it is a current carrying path.

No Load Voltage

Voltage at the output terminals of a power supply (PSU) when no current is flowing. See Open Circuit Voltage.

Noise

The random component on a power supply's output which is unrelated to source and switching frequency. Noise is usually expressed in peak-to-peak units over a specified bandwidth (unless specified otherwise).

Noise Filter

See Filter.

Nominal Value

The stated value. Note, this may well be different to the measured value.

Nominal Voltage

The stated value of a voltage, this may well be different to the measured value (for many reasons, including setting accuracy, etc.).

NTC

See Negative Temperature Coefficient.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X-Z #