BABT: The British Approvals Board for Telecommunications.
An independent organiza-tion
with approval authority for telecomm-unications
equipment sold in the UK. The BABT grants approvals
and accredits test laboratories.
Back Ripple Current: See Reflected Ripple Current.
Bakelite: A plastic resin used as a case material for power
conversion modules. Part of the family phenol-formaldehyde
plastics.
Balun Filter: See Common Mode Filter.
Baseplate: A metal plate or substrate to which circuit components
are mounted or the power supply is attached. Used to
draw heat away from critical circuit components or mechanical
stability). See Heat Sink.
Baseplate Temperature: See Case Temperature.
Battery: A multicell device that produces DC electricity via an
electrochemical action. Battery cells are connected in parallel
(to produce a required current) and/or series (to produce a
required voltage).
Battery Backup: An electronic equipment subsystem that
provides temporary power in the event of input power loss.
Battery backed systems range from short term options for AC/
DC power supplies to high VA Uninterruptible Power Systems.
See Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS).
Battery Charger: A power supply or power supply output that
is used to charge a storage battery or battery system.
Bench Power Supply: A cased power supply with displays
and controls that can be used to precisely adjust its operating
characteristics. Usually an ac input device, bench supplies
are sometimes referred to as Laboratory Supplies.
Bleeder Resistor: A resistor that provides a path for current
drain. Often used in filter circuits provide a discharge path
for capacitors.
Bobbin: A spool (typically nonmetallic) used in the winding of
transformers and inductors. Bobbins provide a physical frame
that supports the transformer or inductor windings and keeps
the windings isolated from the core.
Bode Plot: For a control loop, a plot that shows the relationship
of gain and phase vs frequency. The loop stability of a
power supply is verified using a bode plot.