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xbee pcb antenna - can I add an external antenna? — Parallax Forums

xbee pcb antenna - can I add an external antenna?

ElectrodudeElectrodude Posts: 1,657
edited 2013-07-21 18:10 in Accessories
Can I solder an external antenna connected by a coaxial cable onto a XBee 1mW PCB antenna module? The XBee won't be mounted in a metal case but there will be enough metal around it to make an external antenna necessary. The XBee seems to have a pad to solder an antenna or coaxial cable to on the top, but the whole top of the board seems to be the antenna and my uncle, who's an RF expert and gave me the antennas, said the on-board antenna would have to be disconnected before I could put my own antenna on or it wouldn't work well and it looks like it would be impossible to remove this antenna. I couldn't find any documentation on if I can and if so how to connect to those pads. Does anyone know?

Thanks,
Electrodude

Comments

  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2013-07-21 14:47
    I have not seen any schematics but I've thought that about the pads also. You will have to use a hot air gun or (carefully) a good soldering iron to get the antenna off. I'd go with hot air myself.

    Sorry I didn't know they had those and I was thinking of the chip antennas.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-07-21 15:00
    Franklin wrote: »
    I have not seen any schematics but I've thought that about the pads also. You will have to use a hot air gun or (carefully) a good soldering iron to get the antenna off. I'd go with hot air myself.

    The antenna in this case is part of the PCB. It curves around the top edge of the XBee.

    I suppose one could cut the trace where the antenna meets the rest of the board but I think using a different XBee would be better alternative to hacking up one with a PCB antenna.
  • ElectrodudeElectrodude Posts: 1,657
    edited 2013-07-21 15:16
    @Franklin: Are you recommending to melt the antenna traces off? This is the PCB antenna version, not the wire antenna one. I was planning on cutting the base of the antenna trace so it doesn't make any connection with the rest of the board.

    @Duane Degn: It looks like the curvy trace on the top, which I assumed was the antenna, is connected to ground... Yes, getting the right one would definitely be a better idea, but this has to be done by tonight. Also, Parallax doesn't have the coaxial cable version.

    EDIT: Yes Parallax does have the coax version. I got the Parallax XBee pack Radioshack had (on sale too!) so I didn't have a choice.

    EDIT2: But Parallax's coax XBee is 900Mhz and not 2.4Ghz
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-07-21 15:41
    Electrodude wrote: »
    @Duane Degn: It looks like the curvy trace on the top, which I assumed was the antenna, is connected to ground... . . . but this has to be done by tonight.

    Can you test the unmodified version to see if it will work well enough?

    I'll let others offer suggestions about how to modify the XBee. I don't know enough to give good advice on this topic.
  • ElectrodudeElectrodude Posts: 1,657
    edited 2013-07-21 15:59
    @Duane Degn: I did. It barely (i.e bad but some connection) went through the wall of our car, about 100ft, and then through the outside back corner of another car. In the race one end will be in an RV and the other in my team's solar car behind a bunch of metal. At this point I think I'm gonna forget about an external antenna and mount my telemetry board with the XBee module on it near the back of the car instead of under the blue panel in front of the windshield (see link for pics).
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-07-21 16:15
    Electrodude wrote: »
    @Duane Degn: I did. It barely (i.e bad but some connection) went through the wall of our car, about 100ft, and then through the outside back corner of another car. In the race one end will be in an RV and the other in my team's solar car behind a bunch of metal. At this point I think I'm gonna forget about an external antenna and mount my telemetry board with the XBee module on it near the back of the car instead of under the blue panel in front of the windshield (see link for pics).

    Wow! That is so cool!

    That's a great looking car.

    Do you have an extra XBee you could sacrifice for testing? If so, you could try adding a wire antenna and see if the range improves.

    I take it you couldn't find the more powerful versions of XBees at RS?

    I'm looking forward to reading about the race. Good luck.
  • ElectrodudeElectrodude Posts: 1,657
    edited 2013-07-21 18:10
    @Duane Degn: Thanks! No, I don't have any extra XBees. I think that was the last Parallax XBee they had and it was on clearance. They may have had other XBees from other vendors but I don't arduino.
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