patchboard
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A panel or board, often used in telephone exchanges or early computing systems, containing numerous sockets into which short electrical cables (patchcords) are plugged to establish temporary connections and complete circuits.
Usage
A patchboard is a physical hardware component used to manually route and connect signals. It allows for flexible configuration by enabling operators to change connections by rearranging the patchcords. - The technician reconfigured the telephone system by rearranging the cords on the patchboard. - Early computer operators used a patchboard to program the machine by setting up specific wiring patterns.
Advanced Usage
- "to wire a patchboard": The act of inserting patchcords into a patchboard to create a specific set of connections or a program.
- Wiring the patchboard for the new telephone routing took several hours.
Variants and Related Words
- Patch panel (n): A modern equivalent or synonym for a patchboard, commonly used in network and server rooms to organize cable connections.
- All the network cables terminate at the patch panel in the server closet.
- Patchcord (n): A short cable with connectors on both ends, used to make connections on a patchboard or patch panel.
- He replaced the damaged patchcord to restore the connection.
Synonyms
- Switchboard: A board or panel with switches for making connections in a telephone system or other electrical circuits. (Note: A switchboard typically uses switches, while a patchboard uses physical cords.)
- Plugboard: A board with sockets for plugs to make electrical connections, very similar to a patchboard and often used interchangeably.
Related Terms
- Cross-connect: A facility or system for interconnecting circuits, often using a patchboard or patch panel.
- The data center uses a massive cross-connect for all its fiber optic lines.
Noun
- telephone central where circuits are completed with patchcords