Maker Pro
Maker Pro

WiFi Antenna Composition

H2814D

Nov 4, 2017
214
Joined
Nov 4, 2017
Messages
214
Hi all. Before I start taking this thing apart, because I am getting intermittent WiFi transmission and reception from it, can anyone tell me what I should expect to find when I remove that heat shrink from the antenna? Is there anything else inside there, other than what feels like a cylindrical metal tube and the malleable wire that is coming from the device (a wifi dvr miniature camera). It appears rather fragile, so I am expecting a loose connection is the cause of my connection issues.
 

Attachments

  • WiFi Antenna.JPG
    WiFi Antenna.JPG
    39 KB · Views: 51

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
Moderator
Jan 21, 2010
25,510
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
25,510
You'll probably find a piece of coax with the braid pulled back over the outer insulation.
 

H2814D

Nov 4, 2017
214
Joined
Nov 4, 2017
Messages
214
I have a couple of email requests asking if what Steve described was correct. These are recent questions to my otherwise original and older post that are not showing up in this thread for some reason. Not really a fan of the new EP format now either, but anyway.

The black wire, with a plastic shielded center single wire and another braided wire around it covered by the black insulation, fed into the metal cylinder. The center wire was soldered to the metal cylinder. The brass colored coiled wire you can see coming out of the other end (the antenna portion) was electronically connected to the cylinder as well, meaning there was continuity between the center wire, the cylinder and the coiled antenna. The outer part of the cable, with what should have been a ground of some sort, was not connected to anything. So the antenna from the wi-fi connection on the circuit board only used the center wire to obtain the wi-fi signal, even though the connection had two wires there, a center and what appears to be a ground.

It is all back together and not easily accessible or I would have taken a picture to make this clear.
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
Moderator
Jan 21, 2010
25,510
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
25,510
Hi,. The person asking the question used a username that the moderators determined was inappropriate. Maybe they person will join again using a different username.

The message they posted is currently hidden from view, although it has appeared and disappeared a couple of times (mostly due to my fat fingers). You may have received notifications when that was going on as well as when the post was first made.

The new format is proving to be fun for all of us. Some people love it, and others have a view closer to yours. It is possible to go back to the old view from your settings.

Thanks for the information about the antenna. It sounds like they didn't take the simplest approach. At the frequencies we're talking about here, small structures can become circuit elements. It is possible that part of that structure was acting as a balun, converting the unbalanced coax into a balanced line which feed the antenna.

@davenn is the person who would probably know, but I guess it's irrelevant since everything is back together and working.

Thanks for posting the feedback, it's always worth hearing.
 

H2814D

Nov 4, 2017
214
Joined
Nov 4, 2017
Messages
214
Thanks for clearing that (the reason for the unseen replies) up steve. Part of the reason for my comment above and about the new format didn't include the fact that I can no longer see the posts I have personally made or replied to and am unable to tell if any additional replies were made to those posts. It is as if my posting history is gone from my account. Is there a way to recover that information?
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
Moderator
Jan 21, 2010
25,510
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
25,510
I can still see your posting history. Click on your name/image and the information is there.
 
Top