**Update**
As requested, I'm posting some better closeup pictures of the coax soldering. Hopefully they help.
Yes, it is FREAKING small coax (about 1.2mm diameter). There is a small amount of insulator between the coax soldered down and the trace. The pad on the left of the signal trace is not connected. This is not for the faint of heart. A good soldering iron and a microscope can help.
Why not make it even more modular and just use a RP-SMA jack (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/662) and use a replacement 2.4GHz antenna (like https://www.sparkfun.com/products/558)? On the board put a U.FL SMD Connector (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9144) so you can unplug the jack & cover as well..
ReplyDeleteI considered the option of making it modular, but I didn't want to spend any money on it. Those are perfectly viable solutions, in fact, it appears that a U.FL connector will sit perfectly on the footprint of the antenna connection.
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