Daisy chain
The elementary meaning of daisy chain is a garland created from the daisy
flower, generally as a children's
game. One method of creating a daisy chain is as follows: Daisies are picked and a hole is made towards the base of the stem, generally by piercing with
fingernails. The stem of the next flower can be threaded through until stopped by the head of the flower. By repeating this with many daisies, it is possible to build up long chains and to form them into simple
bracelets and
necklaces.
Different groups of children make daisy chains in different ways; there is a popular competing method which involves the flower heads being pressed against each other, so that the final chain looks like a
caterpillar.
Encyclopedia
The elementary meaning of
daisy chain is a garland created from the daisy
flower, generally as a children's
game. One method of creating a daisy chain is as follows: Daisies are picked and a hole is made towards the base of the stem, generally by piercing with
fingernails. The stem of the next flower can be threaded through until stopped by the head of the flower. By repeating this with many daisies, it is possible to build up long chains and to form them into simple
bracelets and
necklaces.
Different groups of children make daisy chains in different ways; there is a popular competing method which involves the flower heads being pressed against each other, so that the final chain looks like a
caterpillar.
It is likely that the technical meanings given below, associated with various pursuits, stemmed from this pursuit.
Electrical and electronic engineering
In electrical and electronic engineering a
daisy chain is a wiring scheme in which, for example, device A is wired to device B, device B is wired to device C, device C is wired to device D, et cetera. Connections do not form webs , nor do they loop back from the last device to the first. Daisy chains may be used for power, analog signals, digital data, or a combination thereof.
Physical arrangement
In popular usage, the term sometimes merely describes the layout of physical connections. For example, in a daisy chain of
power strips, while the power strips are physically plugged into each other in a chain, any devices that receive power from the chain are electrically connected in parallel—not in series . Additionally, a daisy chain may be an arrangements in which a daisy chain wiring pattern is in use even though neither the standard nor the physical devices in use mandate that wiring pattern. In particular, tree-based systems such as
USB,
FireWire, and modern
ethernet can be wired in a daisy chain if desired. A notable exception,
thin ethernet is usually physically arranged as a daisy chain of T-connectors on network cards, but is almost never referred to as one.
Signal transmission
For analog signals, connections usually comprise a simple
electrical bus and, especially in the case of a chain of many devices, may require the use one or more
repeaters or amplifiers within the chain to counteract natural attenuation.
Digital signals between devices may also comprise a simple electrical bus, in which case a bus terminator may be needed on the last device in the chain. However, unlike analog signals, because digital signals are
discrete, they may also be electrically regenerated, but not modified, by any device in the chain.
SCSI
SCSI is an example of a system that is electrically a bus but, in the case of external devices, is physically wired as a daisy chain. Since the network is electrically a bus, it must be terminated and this may be done either by plugging a terminator into the last device or selecting an option to make the device terminate internally.
MIDI
MIDI devices are usually designed to be wired in a daisy chain. It is normal for a device to have both an OUT port and a THRU port and often both can be used for chaining. The OUT port gives a completely regenerated signal and may add, remove, or change messages, but introduces some delay in doing so. The THRU port provides a minimally delayed copy of the signal but suffers from asymmetry due to the opto-isolator distorting the signal with each item in the chain. If the chain is long enough, it will be distorted so much that the system will become unreliable or completely non-functional. Due to the above issues with both types of chaining, a variety of MIDI devices that take one input and split it to many outputs have appeared on the market.
Computer software
The term is also used in
computer software. Daisy Chain installation is a "smart" installation, whereby an installation can happen piecemeal, as all the
components of the package are connected to each other. If there is a disconnect during a
web-based installation the software need not be downloaded from scratch, but rather restarted from where it stopped. Eg: the installation of Google Pack.
Rock climbing
In rock climbing a daisy chain is a strap, several feet long and typically constructed from one-inch tubular nylon webbing of the same type used in lengthening straps between anchor-points and the main rope. The webbing is bar-tacked across at roughly two inch intervals to create a length of small loops for attachment. Unlike the use of similar devices in backpacking, daisy chains in technical rock climbing are expected to be of sufficient strength to be "load bearing," i.e., capable of withstanding forces sustained by the anchor system in a fall.
Though daisy chains are sometimes used by free climbers as a type of chicken sling , and for ad hoc purposes similar to those of the backpacker, the canonic use for a daisy chain is in aid climbing, wherein the leader will typically attach one end to the harness, and the other to the top-most anchor placement , particularly after having ascended in etriers as high as possible. This allows the leader to hang from the daisy chain while preparing the next anchor placement. The closely spaced loops allow fine-tuning the length from harness to anchor, thereby allowing the best possible reach for the next placement.
Daisy chains should not be confused with etriers which are short ladders made in the same way, but with larger loops, also used in aid climbing, nor with load-limiting devices often known as
screamers designed to simulate a dynamic belay.
Backpacking
A
daisy chain in backpacking is a small strip of
webbing with multiple loops, which allows the backpacker to secure many different types of objects to the exterior of the pack.
Recreational fishing
A "daisy chain" is often used in recreational troll fishing. This is a "chain" of plastic lures, however they do not have hooks- their main purpose is to merely attract a school of fish closer to the lures with hooks.
Military
A Daisy Chain is used in military terms to describe how individual units of exploding ordnance, , are linked together. These units are linked together in a pattern of any design in order to create a wider area of damage that would explode at generally the same time.
Relationships
A
daisy chain also refers to any series of complicated relationships in which, over time, people have had different partners who have themselves had other partners within the same group of people.
Social relations
This type of daisy chaining can also be referred to as the kiss of peace where one person, usually of great importance, gives a kiss, either actual or symbolic, to another. The person kissed then passes the kiss on to another creating a daisy chain or kiss of peace.
Human sexual relations
A
daisy chain refers to sexual relations between three or more people, with each person both performing and receiving oral sex simultaneously.
