B - Symbol for susceptance. See susceptance.
B & S GAUGE - Brown and Sharpe wire gauge used for describing different sizes of copper conductors. It is the same as AWG (American Wire Gauge). See AWG.
BACKBONE - A transmission network that carries information in a fiber optic system. Mainly for indoor applications between floors and areas with different types of cables.
BACKSHELL MOLD - An aluminum mold used to mold a rubber or Neoprene® covering over the backshell of a conductor or plug after it is connected to a cable. The compound is usually chemically cured. Neoprene® is a trademark of the DuPont de Nemours Co.
BALCO® - An alloy of 70% nickel and 30% iron. It is used in devices where self-regulation by temperature is required. Wilbur Driver Company trademark for a resistance wire.
BANDED CABLE - Two or more cables which have been banded together by stainless steel strapping.
BANDMARKING - A circular band applied at regular intervals to the insulation of a conductor for the purpose of color coding or circuit identification.
BANDWIDTH - The frequency range of transmitted electrical or optical signals, expressed in Hertz. The greater or higher the bandwidth, the greater the information carrying capacity.
BARECONDUCTOR - A conductor not covered with any insulating material.
BASEBAND - The frequency band occupied by all the transmitted modulating signals.
BASEPRICE - The price of copper per pound before any adders are applied. To this base price, adders are used to determine price for drawing the copper into a wire and for tinning or insulating the bare copper wire.
BATTERY CABLE - A single conductor cable either insulated or uninsulated used for carrying current from batteries to the point where power is needed. May also be used for grounding.
