Abstract: An attenuator includes a substrate having first and second surfaces and a plurality of discrete circuit elements. The first surface includes a first electrically conductive pattern providing circuit contacts providing electrical connections among the discrete circuit elements and circuit contacts providing electrical connections to components external to the attenuator. The second surface includes a second electrically conductive pattern.

Abstract: An attenuator includes a substrate having first and second surfaces and a plurality of discrete circuit elements. The first surface includes a first electrically conductive pattern providing circuit contacts providing electrical connections among the discrete circuit elements and circuit contacts providing electrical connections to components external to the attenuator. The second surface includes a second electrically conductive pattern.

Abstract: An attenuator includes a housing defining an interior, a front, a rear, and a rotor mounted between front and rear for rotation within housing about an axis of the rotor. First electrical contacts are provided on the housing. Second electrical contacts are provided on the rotor. The rotor includes multiple printed conductor boards. Each PC board includes an electrically relatively non-conductive substrate. One side of each substrate provides conductive areas through which electrically attenuating elements of the attenuator are coupled together to form an attenuating network providing a selected level of attenuation. Electrical contact is made between the first electrical contacts and the electrically attenuating elements of the attenuator through the second electrical contacts.

Abstract: An attenuator (20) includes a housing (22) defining an interior (24), a front (30), a rear (32), and a rotor (26) mounted between front (30) and rear (32) for rotation within housing (22) about an axis of the rotor (26). First electrical contacts (100, 104) are provided on the housing (22). Second electrical contacts (52-0, 52-1, 52-2, . . . 52-10, 52-Z0, 54-0, 54-1, 54-2, . . . 54-10, 54-Z0) are provided on the rotor (26). The rotor (26) includes multiple printed conductor (PC) boards (56-0, 56-1, 56-2, . . . 56-10, 56-Z0). Each PC board (56-0, 56-1, 56-2, . . . 56-10, 56-Z0) includes an electrically relatively non-conductive substrate. One side (110) of each substrate provides conductive areas (112, 114, 116) through which electrically attenuating elements (118, 120, 122) of the attenuator (20) are coupled together to form an attentuating network (112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122) providing a selected level of attentuation.

Abstract: A 1-by-N switch matrix (10) includes at least two ranks of switches (12-1, 12-2-1, 12-2-2, 12-3-1, . . . , 12-3-4, 12-4-1, . . . , 12-4-8, and 12-5-1, . . . , 12-5-16; 112-1, 112-2-1, 112-2-2, 112-3-1, . . . , 112-3-4, 112-4-1, . . . , 112-4-8, and 112-5-1, . . . , 112-5-8). Each switch has first, second and third terminals (1, 2, 3). A first state of each switch couples the first terminal (1) to the second terminal (2) and a second state of each switch couples the first terminal (1) to the third terminal (3). The second (2) and third (3) terminals of each switch (12-1, 12-2-1, 12-2-2, 12-3-1, . . . 1., 2-3-4; 112-1, 112-2-1, 112-3-3 and 112-3-4) of each rank (-1-, -2-, -3-) above the next to lowest rank (-4- or -3-) are coupled to first terminals (1) of respective switches (12-4-1, . . . , 12-4-8 and 112-3-1, 112-3-2, 112-4-5, 112-4-8) in the next lower rank (-2-, -3-, -4-). The second (2) and third (3) terminals of each switch (12-4-1, 12-4-8 and 112-3-1, 112-3-2, 112-4-5,. . .

Abstract: A 1-by-N switch matrix (10) includes at least two ranks of switches (12-1, 12-2-1, 12-2-2, 12-3-1, . . . , 12-3-4, 12-4-1. . . . , 12-4-8, and 12-5-1, . . . , 12-5-16; 112-1, 112-2-1, 112-2-2, 112-3-1, . . . , 112-3-4, 112-4-1, . . . , 112-4-8, and 112-5-1, . . . , 112-5-8). Each switch has first, second and third terminals (1, 2, 3). A first state of each switch couples the first terminal (1) to the second terminal (2) and a second state of each switch couples the first terminal (1) to the third terminal (3). The second (2) and third (3) terminals of each switch (12-1, 12-2-1, 12-2-2, 12-3-1, . . . 1., 2-3-4; 112-1, 112-2-1, 112-3-3 and 112-3-4) of each rank (-1-, -2-, -3-) above the next to lowest rank (-4- or -3-) are coupled to first terminals (1) of respective switches (12-4-1, . . . , 12-4-8 and 112-3-1, 112-3-2, 112-4-5, 112-4-8) in the next lower rank (-2-, -3-, -4-). The second (2) and third (3) terminals of each switch (12-4-1, 12-4-8 and 112-3-1, 112-3-2, 112-4-5,. . .

Abstract: The invention relates to a semi-submersible vessel designed to operate in water depths of 200 to 10,000 feet. The vessel has a ring pontoon with an outer and inner configuration of the pontoon forming a triangle. Three corner columns are fixedly attached at their lower ends to the ring pontoon. The upper ends of the stabilizing columns carry an upper deck designed to support drilling and production operations. The vessel uses no diagonal or horizontal braces, nor auxiliary supporting columns. The triangular shape of the vessel minimizes environmental forces acting on the vessel, thus improving its stability at any operational draft. The vessel can be fully constructed and outfitted quay (dock) side.

Abstract: Input signals having a particular impedance in a particular frequency range are provided. A first transformer has at its input a particular impedance in the particular frequency range and provides a change at its output to a second impedance in the particular frequency range. A filter is constructed to receive the signals from the first transformer and is provided with the second impedance in the particular frequency range. When the second impedance is lower than the particular impedance, the operation of the filter at the second impedance is advantageous because the size of the inductances in the filter is significantly reduced without impairing the quality of the inductances or increasing energy losses in the inductances.A second transformer is constructed to receive the signals from the filter. The second transformer provides the second impedance at its input and provides at its output a change to the particular impedance in the particular frequency range.

Abstract: A spring contact element is soldered to the end section of a plate holder hub in a high frequency tuneable cavity. The spring contact extends outwardly transverse to the shaft's principle direction and terminates in a plurality of radially extending contact fingers inclined toward and in contact with a wall of the cavity at the end of the hub. Attachment of the spring contact electrically at the plate holder hub and consequent moving contact between the cavity wall and the spring contact member at a circumference considerably larger than that at the hub provides reduced current densities in the vicinity of the moving contact between the wall and the spring contact and consequently considerably reduced power loss at high frequencies above 100 MHz.

Abstract: A rotary step attenuator having a housing and a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing. An array of attenuator elements is mounted on the rotor, appearing in an end view as chords of a circle whose center is at the axis of rotation of the rotor. Each attenuator element has a first surface bearing an electrically conductive pad facing the axis of rotation of the rotor, and additionally there is a blade contact member having a first surface facing away from the axis of rotation mounted in a fixed position relative to the housing and operable to touch a selected one of the conductive pads as the rotor is rotated within the housing. There are no spring biased signal contacts other than the blade contact member itself for effecting electrical coupling between the attenuator elements and the electrical connections to the rotary step attenuator.

Abstract: An attenuator includes a housing defining an interior, a front, a rear, and a rotor mounted between front and rear for rotation within housing about an axis of the rotor. First electrical contacts are provided on the housing. Second electrical contacts are provided on the rotor. The rotor includes multiple printed conductor boards. Each PC board includes an electrically relatively non-conductive substrate. One side of each substrate provides conductive areas through which electrically attenuating elements of the attenuator are coupled together to form an attenuating network providing a selected level of attenuation. Electrical contact is made between the first electrical contacts and the electrically attenuating elements of the attenuator through the second electrical contacts.