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CM2115
Glossary
load dump
A surge in the power line caused by the disconnection of a vehicle battery from
the alternator while the battery is being charged. The peak voltage of this surge
may be as high as 120 V and may, unless precautions are taken, affect other loads
connected to the alternator.
logic ground
Ground pins for the microprocessor and logic peripherals.
logic power
Power pins for the microprocessor and logic peripherals.
low-side output
An output that provides a switched ground voltage to an external load.
Nyquist criterion
A theorem stating that a reconstructed signal will match the original signal
provided that the original signal contains no frequencies at or higher than one-half
the sampling frequency
open load
The disconnection of a load from an output, often because of a broken or worn
wire or connector pin.
overcurrent
A fault state that occurs when a load draws more current than specified for an
output, which results in the output shutting down to protect the circuitry of the
product.
overvoltage
A situation in which the voltage in a circuit rises above its upper design limit.
power control input
A digital input that is used to turn on the product. When the input is active, the
product turns on and operates in normal mode; when the input is inactive, the
product powers down and will not operate.
pull-down resistor
A resistor that connects an input to a ground reference so that an open circuit can
be recognized by the microprocessor, which is typically used on active-high
digital inputs or analog inputs.
