The title of this datasheet is "Sub-Miniature Slide Switches". What meaning does "Sub-Miniature" add?
I notice that "SMA connector" also contains the term "Sub-Miniature". What does "Sub-Miniature" mean?
Electronic – What does “Sub-Miniature” really mean
datasheetjargon
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BSC means "Basic Spacing Between Centers". This is often used if the reference lines don't refer to a physical point or edge, like in the case of the pins: the reference is in the middle of the pin, instead of one of the edges.
BSC SQ = BSC square, i.e. in both X and Y dimensions.
The abbreviation BSC is misused in the case of the package outline, and overall dimensions, as they are specified by physical edges which can be measured.
Usually a mechanical drawing of a package will show minimum and maximum values. BSC SQ must be regarded as nominal, so may deviate, but it doesn't say by how much.
You have to obey all the limits. The maximum power is a lot less than maximum voltage * maximum amperage.
Remember, dissipating power is what makes the transistor hot.
For bipolars, the absolute max values are not as useful as the safe-operating-area plot:
You'll notice one of the bounds is the maximum voltage, one is the maximum amperage, and one is the maximum wattage. Stay within the bounds to keep your transistor happy. (Also you need to avoid overheating: look at the Pc-Ta plot, or derive it yourself with the junction-to-ambient thermal resistance.)
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Best Answer
The first time something is introduced that's significantly smaller than the normal version of that thing, it's "miniature". If something is introduced that's smaller than that, simply calling it "miniature" would suggest something the size of the first thing that used that term, so it's necessary to apply a term that suggests something smaller than what people think of as "miniature". If something is introduced that's smaller than that, it might be called "micro", but beyond that point manufacturers usually give up on trying to find "smaller" adjectives.
A rough analogy might be with "small scale integration" chips (a couple dozen or so transistors) and "medium scale integration" (a few dozen), which were followed by "large scale integration" which could put hundreds of transistors on a single chip, and "very large scale integration" (a few thousand). Even if each "very" denoted an entire order of magnitude, it would seem rather silly to talk about a modern memory chip as being a very-very-very-very-very-very-large-scale integrated circuit.