The Tee attenuator (T-pad) is a type of attenuator circuit that resembles the letter "T" in form. The Tee attenuator has one series resistor at the input and two parallel resistors, one of which is grounded and the other is connected to the output. This calculator will help you figure out what values to use for the resistors R1 and R2 in a T-pad attenuator.
Equation:
Where:
R1= T-pad attenuator resistor 1
R2= T-pad attenuator resistor 2
Z0= transmission line characteristic impedance
AdB= desired attenuation in dB
Applications
An attenuator is a passive network that is used to reduce the amount of power supplied from a source circuit to a degree that is optimal for the destination circuit. The voltage divider principle underpins the theory of attenuators.
In RF applications, an attenuator is typically used to minimize signal levels from one point in the network to the next. Aside from that, attenuators are used to balance the impedances of two circuits for optimal power transference. Attenuators may also be used to separate two stages of a circuit.
One of the most common passive attenuators used in RF applications is the T-pad attenuator. The simplicity of this network's architecture gives it an advantage over other topologies. On a thin film circuit, etching a T-pad network is simpler than etching a balanced or bridged-tee attenuator circuit.