• JP22
    0
    I noticed the circuit topology is never mentioned in datasheets of SMA attenuators. Will they mostly use a standard one or do all companies use different "proprietary" ones?
  • KerwoodDerby
    0
    I've never encountered any treatment of attenuator topology, but if someone off the street asked me to choose, I'd pick T over Pi, because series R up front does a better job of hiding non-idealities than shunt R. Think about it: a leading shunt R demands perfection in the transmission line leading up to it, while a series R devours imperfections both prior and forward.
  • Desert Sage
    0
    Not sure what you mean by topology? If you mean Tee or Pi type you may be surprised that most are neither, relying instead on a 2D slab of resistor material (which ohms out properly as if it were Tee or Pi). The big trick is broadbanding techniques especially when trying to ground the shunt. I would need to find an old paper to explain this type of attenuator. Madengr should know.
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