Re: Antenna on PCI card, broken?

On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 12:10:34 +0100, ln <ln@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

>>> How exactly do antennas normally connect to these type of cards?
>>>
>>> Sorry for the stupid question, but I can't tell if it's somehow broken, or
>>> if I'm being particularly dense and missing the obvious.
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>
>> Perhaps if you gave us the brand and model.......

>Sorry about that, I had assumed they all shared a similar design. It's a
>Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adapter WMP54G.

Right angle reverse SMA connector.
The antenna just screws into the connector. There's usually a knurled
nut at the base.

However, there's a potential problem with the right angle connector.
It's really easy to extend the antenna perpendicular to the board and
use the antenna as a lever to brute force rotate the connector up and
down. Normally, the RT angle SMA connector is quite stiff and will
not rotate in place. However, I've seen connectors loosen after
brutalizing the antenna. When that happens, the center pin between
the right angle sections of the connector breaks internally. This
results in the ultimate intermittent RF connection. The problem is
obvious when tested with an ohms-guesser.

I have two boards that have this problem where I'll be replacing the
connector shortly. When I removed one connector, the center pin just
fell out after unsoldering. I think I killed both of these by not
being very careful when I moved the computer in the back of my truck.
The projecting antenna probably hit something and broke the connector
inside. Next time, I'll remember to unplug the antenna before
transporting.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
.

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