cartridge

n.

1. 1. A cylindrical, usually metal casing containing the primer and charge of ammunition for firearms.
   2. Such a casing fitted with a bullet.
   3. A similar piece of ammunition, such as a shotgun shell.
2. A case filled with high explosives, used in blasting.
3. A small modular unit designed to be inserted into a larger piece of equipment: an ink cartridge; a disposable cartridge of caulking compound.
4. A removable case containing the stylus and electric conversion circuitry in a phonograph pickup.
5. 1. A case containing magnetic tape in a reel; a cassette.
   2. A case containing a ribbon in a spool, for use in printers and electric typewriters.
6. A lightproof case with photographic film that can be loaded directly into a camera.

[Alteration of earlier cartage, alteration of French cartouche, from Italian cartuccio, variant of cartoccio, roll of paper. See cartouche.]

The component in a phonograph turntable that holds the stylus, which is a needle attached to a cantilever arm. The vibrations of the stylus are transferred into electrical energy by a magnet inducing current into coils; one coil for the left side and one for the right. "Moving magnet" cartridges have the magnet attached to the end of the cantilever, while "moving coil" cartridges place two tiny coils on the end. In either case, the arm acts like a vibrating magnet.

Earlier phono cartridges were ceramic and used the piezoelectric effect to create the electrical signal. The cantilever end of the stylus arm actually contacted the ceramic base, which picked up the vibrations (see piezoelectric). See stylus.

The Phono Cartridge

The cartridge is attached to the end of the tone arm on a phonograph turntable. A legacy system for sure, but there are thousands of people with huge vinyl record collections, and turntables and cartridges are still made.

Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your iPhone/iTouch

Cartridge is a word that may be applied to any disposable container which holds a single charge for a firearm. The earliest cartridges, in the 16th century, were cylindrical screws of paper containing a powder charge; musket balls were carried and loaded separately. Around 1600 cartridges began to incorporate the ball and by the end of the 17th century most armies had standardized the practice of wrapping the ball inside the paper containing the powder charge. Soldiers gripped the ball end in their teeth and tore it off the top of the cartridge; the charge was then poured, the paper used as a wad to pack it down, and the ball seated on top with the ramrod. This system was to contribute to the Indian Mutiny when sepoys became convinced that the cartridges had been greased with forbidden animal fat.

This system gave way to self-contained cartridges and bolt-action rifles in mid-century. The first military issue was the needle gun which still used a paper cartridge, in which the detonator in the middle of the propellant was reached by a long pin. Improvement in propellent quality enabled the primer to be moved to the base and the use of sturdy firing pins to strike centre or rim fire detonators in brass cartridges. Calibres decreased as muzzle velocity increased, from 11 mm to today's fairly standard 5.56 mm (.223 inch). The need for a port to eject the cartridge case makes it impossible to keep water and dirt out of the firing mechanism, while the ejection process itself slows down the rate of fire, so weapons designed to employ caseless cartridges with electronic ignition are under development.

Bibliography

• Blair, Claude (gen. ed.), Pollard's History of Firearms (London, 1983).
• Peterson, Harold L. (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Firearms (London, 1964).
• Roads, Dr Christopher H., The British Soldier's Firearm 1850-1864 (London, 1964)

— Stephen Wood

n. a casing containing a charge and a bullet or shot for small arms or an explosive charge for blasting.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Common misspelling(s) of cartridge

• cartrige

Dansk (Danish)
n. - patron, rulle film, hoved

idioms:

• cartridge paper    karduspapir, tegnepapir

Nederlands (Dutch)
patroon(huls), vulling (cassette), verwisselbaar pick-up element, inktpatroon

Français (French)
n. - cartouche, (Audio, Élec) cartouche, cellule (d'un stylo), (Phot) chargeur

idioms:

• cartridge paper    (Art) papier à dessin, (Imprim) papier fort

Deutsch (German)
n. - Patrone, Mine, Kassette, Tonabnehmer

idioms:

• cartridge paper    Zeichenpapier

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - φυσίγγιο, φυσέκι, μεγάλη κασέτα, αμπούλα μελάνης, κεφαλή πικάπ

idioms:

• cartridge paper    φυσεκόχαρτο, μπαρουτόχαρτο

Italiano (Italian)
cartuccia, bossolo, ricambio

idioms:

• cartridge paper    carta da disegno

Português (Portuguese)
n. - cartucho (m), cápsula (f), rolo (m) de filme

idioms:

• cartridge paper    papel (m) manilha

Русский (Russian)
патрон, заряд, картридж

idioms:

• cartridge paper    плотная бумага

Español (Spanish)
n. - cartucho, cápsula, carga, bolígrafo de recambio

idioms:

• cartridge paper    papel de dibujo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - patron, pickup, kassett

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
弹药筒, 炸药包, 子弹, 墨水筒, 笔芯

idioms:

• cartridge paper    弹药纸, 劣质画纸, 糊墙纸

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 彈藥筒, 炸藥包, 子彈, 墨水筒, 筆芯

idioms:

• cartridge paper    彈藥紙, 劣質畫紙, 糊牆紙

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 탄약통, 카트리지

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 弾薬筒, 薬包, カートリッジ

idioms:

• cartridge paper    薬包紙, 包装紙

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) خرطوشه, طلقه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תרמיל, סליל-מצלמה, מילוי של עט, כדור, קסטה, מחסנית, ראש נושא מחט של פטיפון‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.

cartridge	X25 Cartridge
Bc23 Cartridge	Hp Cartridge