B

Bandwidth     A range of frequencies over which a certain phenomenon is to be considered.

Basic Insulation     The insulation applied to live parts to provide basic protection against electric shock. Does not necessarily include insulation used exclusively for functional purposes.

Battery Backup     A power supply system where if the ac line fails, a battery will provide input energy to keep the dc outputs from failing. Refer to Application Notes section for further details.

Blackout     A total loss of electrical power.

Bridge Converter     A DC to DC converter topology (configuration) employing four active switching components in a bridge configuration across a power transformer.

Brown out     A planned voltage reduction by a utility company to counter excessive demand on their generation and distribution system.

Burn-in     Operating a newly manufactured power supply, usually at rated load, for a period of time in order to force component infant mortality failures or other latent defects before the unit is delivered to a customer.