positioning of new USB port: Wireless antenna on PCB?
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:16 pm
Hi All
I'm finally getting around to a project I've been meaning to do for a while ... fitting a second (...third...) USB port to one of my Jogglers.
I've got some USB sockets and have been hacking my case a bit, using information given in a couple of places, both on this site and elsewhere:
http://www.jogglerwiki.com/wiki/Additional_USB_Ports
http://www.justblair.co.uk/extending-th ... ities.html
I was about to start checking that things will fit, soldering up some wires etc. when I took a closer look at the Joggler's PCB. I have been planning to fit the 2nd USB port at the 'top left' side, ie. above the first one. This corresponds to the lower left side of the PCB as shown in the image below:
http://www.jogglerwiki.com/wiki/File:Co ... _usb_2.jpg
You see that long straight bit of copper tracking, going vertically 'up' from the bottom left corner? Just on top of that.
I've just realised that this looks awfully like an 802.11 wireless antenna tracked onto the PCB. If so, then I have a major concern about mounting a metallic USB connector pretty much directly on top of it (with a thin bit of double-sided adhesive tape, hot glue, or thin sliver of FR4 PCB material).
I will probably try to fit the connector nevertheless, but I wonder if anyone has been down this path and can offer any advice. Is this part of the PCB actually part of the wireless circuitry? Is this likely to make any difference to the reception? Any suggestions?
Thanks a lot.
Jon N
I'm finally getting around to a project I've been meaning to do for a while ... fitting a second (...third...) USB port to one of my Jogglers.
I've got some USB sockets and have been hacking my case a bit, using information given in a couple of places, both on this site and elsewhere:
http://www.jogglerwiki.com/wiki/Additional_USB_Ports
http://www.justblair.co.uk/extending-th ... ities.html
I was about to start checking that things will fit, soldering up some wires etc. when I took a closer look at the Joggler's PCB. I have been planning to fit the 2nd USB port at the 'top left' side, ie. above the first one. This corresponds to the lower left side of the PCB as shown in the image below:
http://www.jogglerwiki.com/wiki/File:Co ... _usb_2.jpg
You see that long straight bit of copper tracking, going vertically 'up' from the bottom left corner? Just on top of that.
I've just realised that this looks awfully like an 802.11 wireless antenna tracked onto the PCB. If so, then I have a major concern about mounting a metallic USB connector pretty much directly on top of it (with a thin bit of double-sided adhesive tape, hot glue, or thin sliver of FR4 PCB material).
I will probably try to fit the connector nevertheless, but I wonder if anyone has been down this path and can offer any advice. Is this part of the PCB actually part of the wireless circuitry? Is this likely to make any difference to the reception? Any suggestions?
Thanks a lot.
Jon N