A conductor or portion of a conductor layer on or in a printed board which is maintained at other than ground potential. It can also be used as a common voltage source, for heat sinking, or for shielding.

The absence of any substances in a localized area.

The property of a fluid that enables it to develop and maintain a level of shearing stress dependent upon the velocity of flow and then offer continued resistance to flow. The absolute unit of viscosity measurement is poise, or more commonly, centipoise.

A virtual (computer model) representation of an electronic product that can be used to explore different design scenarios and then verify that the product will work as planned before building a physical implementation.

A plated through-hole used as an interlayer connection and not as a terminating point for a component lead. It may also be blind (incomplete penetration) or buried (non-surfacing).

A plated through-hole whose only purpose is to connect a track on one layer or side of the board through to a track on another layer or side. In a via, there is no intention to insert a component lead or other reinforcing material.

The solder re-flow process that uses a vaporized solvent as the source for heating the solder beyond its melting point,creating the component-to-board solder joint.

A component handling tool with a small vacuum cup for ease of pick-up and removal during de-soldering.