When did PCB tracks become 'traces'?

[Paul_RK]

The final printed Oxford English Dictionary, from 1989 with minor revisions in 1991, includes a quote from the New York Times Magazine in 1981 to the effect that among the young and affluent "train station" had thoroughly supplanted "railroad station". It doesn't have any reference to "train station" entering the language on this side of the broad Atlantic.

Paul

[Aub]

No one understands anything anymore, but they "get it".

Why do people ( mainly those under about 40 years old ) start to answer a question with the word "So" ?

Can I get, instead of can I have, or do you have.

A sports person is expected to medal in an event, instead of winning a medal.

Broadcasters who say that a road is blocked by an accident, instead of because of an accident.

A radio or TV station is "All across" something that day.

[Lancs Lad]

My sensibilities have been assaulted three times today by the same 'word'. Both spoken (twice) and in print (once)

The offending word is 'warrantee'. As in '12 Month Manufacturers Warrantee', for example.

A warrantee is the person who is given a warranty - not the actual warranty itself!

Why is the word 'warranty' suddenly being pronounced with the same inflections as 'guarantee'?

It sets my teeth on edge

[Maarten]

English might be turning into Dutch We have a single wordt 'garantie' for both warranty and guarantee. We have no word for warrantee.

[Station X]

Is not a printed circuit board actually a printed wiring board?

Should there be different terms for populated and unpopulated boards?

I've head the term "card" used as well as in "controller card".

[M0FYA Andy]

I agree 'card' is quite commonly used, I think more for the complete assembled board, and perhaps more associated with a plug-in item, so 'card slot'.

Andy

[jjl]

Originally Posted by Station X

Should there be different terms for populated and unpopulated boards?

There are different terms used in my day job - an unpopulated board is a PCB and a populated board is a PCBA - a Printed Circuit Board Assembly.

John

[ms660]

Printed Conductor Board could be another name, It sort of makes sense and can be shortened to the same acronym that folks are used to.

Here's an article about PCB's that mentions printed wiring:

https://americanradiohistory.com/hd2...rch=%22printed circuit%22

Lawrence.

[TonyDuell]

Originally Posted by Station X

Is not a printed circuit board actually a printed wiring board?

Should there be different terms for populated and unpopulated boards?

I've seen 'PWB' (Printed Wiring Board) for the bare board and 'PWA' (Printed Wiring Assembly) for the populated one.

[G6Tanuki]

In the world of computers [particularly IBM] a printed-circuit-board was often described as a "Planar board" - inevitably shortened to PB.

In the IBM world a PB is often a FRU [Field-Replaceable Unit] but some of them were specially built/populated as part of a RPQ [Request for Price Quotation] and in those cases you generally needed to RMA [Return for Maintenance Authorisation] it via your SE [Systems Engineer].

[David G4EBT]

Originally Posted by Paul_RK

The final printed Oxford English Dictionary, from 1989 with minor revisions in 1991, includes a quote from the New York Times Magazine in 1981 to the effect that among the young and affluent "train station" had thoroughly supplanted "railroad station". It doesn't have any reference to "train station" entering the language on this side of the broad Atlantic.

Paul

I've only ever heard the term 'railroad' used in England in the context of forcing something to happen or forcing someone to do something, especially quickly or unfairly as in: "We were railroaded into signing the agreement". I've never hear either of my sons, their wives or our three granddaughters ever use the term 'railroad'.

In fact the only time I've heard 'railroad' (rather than 'railway') used in the UK was more than six decades ago in 1956 when the late Alma Coggan had a record in the Hit Parade entitled 'Middle of the House'. However, the lyrics were written by an American lyricist, Bob Hilliard, who wrote the words songs such as "Alice in Wonderland", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", "Any Day Now", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", "Our Day Will Come", "My Little Corner of the World", "Tower of Strength" and "Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat)".

The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The trains all come through the middle of the house
Since the company bought the land.
They let us live in the front of the house
They let us live in the back
But there ain't no living in the middle of the house
'Cause that's the railroad track.

There were three versions by English singers in the UK Chart simultaneously in Nov 1956.

I've rarely heard anyone use the term 'train' station. We live 250 yards from Cottingham Railway Station, and that's what most people seem to refer to it as, even though 'train' station is easier to say, and maybe more logical.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottin...ailway_station

[kalee20]

I've seen PEC for a populated board (Panel, Electronic Circuit). Not one I use myself, but, like Card, I know what people mean.

I myself use bare-PCB for the unpopulated thing, and PCB Assembly for the built-up unit.

[ajgriff]

Originally Posted by kalee20

I myself use bare-PCB for the unpopulated thing, and PCB Assembly for the built-up unit.

When I first had occasion to refer to the Fluke 70 Series service manual it took me a few double-takes to realise that PCA meant 'printed circuit assembly' ie, the populated PCB. Makes perfect sense really.

Alan

[G8UWM-MildMartin]

In previous employment with a now defunct company, a customer ordered a PCB for a product from the Sales department, which duly sold them one. They complained that it had no components, so were then sold an SA (subassembly) with all components, but untested and unprogrammed. They complained that it didn't work. Our Service department was eventually contacted and explained that the SA had to be fitted to the product to be tested and programmed to be adjusted to the the rest of the product.
The complete product was duly returned and found to have a fault which a competent technician (yours truly!) could repair without replacing the SA or needing to (re-) program.

[TonyDuell]

To drift slightly, I've seen PCBs (or whatever you want to call them) with one part number in the etch and a different part number in the silkscreen. Turned out that the former was the part number for the bare board, the latter for the populated board.

'Planar' board was I think an IBM-ism for what other companies refered to as a motherboard. Certainly in the PC family, expansion boards were 'adapters'.

[Terry_VK5TM]

Just having a flick through Mullards "Transistor Radios - circuitry and servicing" from 1962 and pcb's are referred to as "printed wiring" through most of the book with a bit in the chapter on how they are made using the term "printed wiring board".

[Radio Wrangler]

If a board has tracks, the components are attached with solder
If a board has traces, the components are attached with 'sodder'
It's a railroad station if all the trains have a damned great cow-catcher on the front, otherwise it's a railway station.

David

[emeritus]

"Railroad" was the term used by George Stepenson and was taken to America with the early railway equipment, along with other then-current English terms such as "engineer", and "cross-tie" for "sleeper". There was a transition period where both "railway" and "railroad" were used on both sides of the pond. Some US lines still use "railway", and mail by train was always called the "Railway Post Office".

[kalee20]

Originally Posted by TonyDuell

To drift slightly, I've seen PCBs (or whatever you want to call them) with one part number in the etch and a different part number in the silkscreen. Turned out that the former was the part number for the bare board, the latter for the populated board.

I've been commissioned to do that! Seems daft - as the silk-screen legend is applied by the PCB manufacturer so by the time the bare board arrives at Goods Inwards it already has the number for the populated board on it, even though it is still unpopulated!

[Graham G3ZVT]

The plot of the Laurel & Hardy film "Hog Wild" (1930) involved the pair in putting up a long wire for Mrs Hardy's radio set. It is never referred to as an "antenna", only as an "aerial"