A Guide to Common Automation Terms

Letter N

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NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association)
Develops standards that define a product, process, or procedure. The standards consider construction, dimensions, tolerances, safety, operating characteristics, electrical rating and so on. They are probably best known for their rating system for electrical cabinets.

Network
System that is connected to devices or computers for communication purposes.

NetBEUI (NetBios Extended User Interface)
A Microsoft implementation extending NetBIOS.

NetBIOS (NETwork Basic Input Output System)
A fundamental instruction set providing network access.

Node
Point on the network that allows access.

Noise
Unwanted electrical interference in a programmable controller or network. It can be caused by motors, coils, high voltages, welders, and so on. It can disrupt communications and control.

Nonretentive coil
A coil that will turn off upon removal of applied power to the CPU.

Nonretentive timer
Timer that loses the time if the input enable signal is lost.

Nonvolatile memory
Memory in a controller that does not require power to retain its contents.