you can't tell us electronics isn't *some* kind of magic when you can open up a spectrum analyzer and see this assemblage of arcane sigils
source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microstrip_Distributed_Element_Filter_Technology.jpg and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Microstrip_Low_Pass_Bowtie_Stub_Filter.jpg
-F/R
@Felthry ok those are some wild... impedance matching things?
@starkatt Filters, apparently. They're all pretty standard distributed element filters that you see in circuitry that deals with multi-gigahertz bandwidth signals
the PCB is made of a special material too! FR-4 won't cut it since it doesn't have a well-defined εᵣ; you need to use specially-designed composites usually based on PTFE or polyimide, because you need that low-loss dielectric with well-defined εᵣ
-F
@Felthry ...Teflon board. Neat.
@starkatt yep! we've actually used it before, though not for its high-frequency characteristics; you can't get FR-4 with a temperature rating higher than 170 °C and we needed to run long-term tests at 175 °C, but Rogers 4003C (a specific formulation of PTFE-based PCB) has a temperature rating of something like 300 °C
expensive as fuck, though. and it smells weird
-F
@starkatt I have no idea! You'd have to ask the Rogers people
-F
@Felthry how do you get copper to stick to it?