Pi Attenuator Calculator and Formula

This page provides a Pi attenuator calculator and explains the formula used for its calculations.

Pi Attenuator Calculator Example

• Impedance: 50 Ohms
• Attenuation: 3dB

Calculated Values:

• R1 = R2 = 16.6 Ohms (Use standard 18 Ohm resistor)
• R3 = 66.9 Ohms (Use standard 66.5 Ohm resistor)

Pi Attenuator Formula

A Pi attenuator pad is a simple circuit layout designed to incorporate three RF chip resistors. It’s commonly used in RF circuit designs to introduce attenuation into the RF signal path.

The specific values of the Pi attenuator are selected based on the required power levels at different points within the RF circuit. This ensures that the power levels at critical points align with the 1dB compression points of the devices in the transmit or receive chain.

3dB and 6dB attenuator pads are frequently used in circuit designs.

The following formula is used to calculate the resistor values for a Pi attenuator:

Formula Explanation: The above formula dictates how different resistor values are calculated to achieve the desired attenuation in the PI attenuator pad circuit designs.