CF30 WLAN options?

I have a CF30 that currently has a Intel 5100 WLAN card in it and (surprise surprise) I want to upgrade it

I have had a look around NBR and TBT and it appears the upgrade options are Intell 5300, Intell 6300 or a Ubiquiti SR71E

I understand that a 5300 will give me higher data transfer speeds with minimal installation issues (plug it in and it should work straight away, can anyone confirm that?)

Next option is a Intel 6300, this I've seen less about, what is to be gained by going for the 6300 over the 5300? what is it like range-wise

Last (and most expensive) option is the Ubiquiti SR71E, which by all accounts is about as good as it gets, but is it worth the extra cost over a 5300/6300? Also, what is the driver support like for the SR71's on a Mk3 running Windows 7 64 bit?

 

To get the most from a 5300 or a 6300 you need to install a third antenna.
In my opinion the SR71E is well worth the money. I just wish it would fit in my CF31.

http://dl.ubnt.com/sr71_changelog.txt

And the following links from here:::: http://community.ubnt.com/t5/XR-SR-Mini-PCI-Modules/SR71-E-Windows-driver/td-p/44317

http://www.ubnt.com/downloads/Setup_SR71XCE_v1.2.3.exe

http://forums.laptopvideo2go.com/to...wlan-drivers-for-windows-7-and-vista-x86-x64/

 

My biggest concern is cost vs performance

I can get a 5300 with a third antenna for about $15

A 6300 is going to cost me another $10 on top of that

A SR71E is going to cost me $50-60

Is the SR71E worth the extra money? What is receive range like compared to the Intel units?

 

In my world, it is worth the money, like I already said.
But other people have different opinions.
SR71E is 400mw
Intel cards are 100mw.

 

is the SR71E the only one with the increased output?

shame its not a three channel card :-(

 

I saw noticeably more range out of mine when I had a CF-30!

I am with Shawn, I wish it would work with my CF-31. I am interested in an upgraded card for it as well.

 

The Intel 7260 is a very good card for a low wattage Intel card. Not sure if it would work in a CF30 or not.
I can't recall if I tried one or not.

 

gotta be impressed with the transmit side of things on this one..... wonder what the receive is like.....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mikrotik-R1...577834?hash=item281527216a:g:ulYAAOxyRhBSsgLv

 

Sadly it won't fit in a CF30. Unless you remove that heatsink. Not sure how that would reduce life span.

Check into SR71E Ubiquity

 

wasnt arguing with the SR71, and i was wondering about the heatsink, but damn..... thats a LOT of grunt from that card!

 

I just know it won't fit because I already tried....

 

you saw the output and couldnt resist? lol

look on the bright side, pull the heatsink and cook your morning eggs and bacon on the keyboard!

 

i am thinking that there might be a way ...
it depends on the footprint height and what actually constitutes the rf output stage .
it may be possible to use a custom thickness/footprint aluminum spacer and some thin thermal pad material to couple to the cover plate.
another option would be to spring load the cover plate to provide good physical contact with the custom spacer .

 

That is a great idea Larry.
At the time, it never dawned on me to remove the heatsink and use the Toughbook housing with a thermal pad as a heatsink.

 

problem is, the only part of the housing you'd be able to use with a thermal pad would be the thin metal access plate above it, and its questionable as to how well that would work

 

the reason for the size of the finned heat sink is for it to be used in an environment with very restricted airflow .
coupling the active devices to the metal cover plate should be enough to get rid of the heat generated to keep the temperature at a safe level .
i would hazard that the original heat sink is 300 % oversize , guesstimating from prior experience of what it takes to run the cpu and the rf portion and the typical amount of heat generated .
a thin finned heat sink could be coupled to the top side of the cover plate .

 

You would need a ball of clay resting on top of the wlan card.
Then attach the plate.
Remove the plate and measure the clay.
That will tell you the exact room for a heatsink.

 

Only problem with putting a heatsink on the top of the plate is that the keyboard is directly on top of it.....

 

http://i.mt.lv/routerboard/files/R11-140818123054.pdf

 

hmmmm ...
the specs call for 5W and 7W power consumption ...
with 500 , 800 and 1000mW max power outputs (for the three models) .
this means that one subtracts the rf going up the pipe from the baseline figures .
example : 7W - 1000mW = 6W
the heat sink is required to dissipate 6W of heat .
(the other numbers can be plugged in to calculate their respective amounts)
the best thing to do is use the "worst case scenario" to calculate the required dissipation and this will cover the others ...
this includes 100% duty cycle of the rf output ... again , worst case scenario (the actual amount is dependent on the actual time that the device is transmitting data and this is messy and involved) .

the next thing to do is get the distance between the two covers in order to figure out the thickness of heat sink one can use .
if the cover were aluminum or copper all that would be needed is a copper , aluminum or "sil-pad" spacer .
stainless steel has about 50% of the thermal conductivity of aluminum (as i recall) .
the spacer will provide the thermal mass to "soak up" the heat generated during relatively prolonged bursts of transmission ...
from there , the large surface area (allowing for the thermal conductivity of stainless) should be enough to allow radiation of the heat .
all heat flow from the active devices/rf stage will be to the stainless cover (and possibly heat sink) will be via conduction , the surfaces of the stainless (and heat sink) will be via radiation and convection .

 

If you want to be really safe, Remove the foam insulating strips and place a thin strip of thermal pad in the groove around the cover plate. This will transfer the heat from the plate to the entire case.

Bob's ur unkle.

 

how far you want to take the thermal conductivity could also involve scraping any paint off the lower side of the case..... depends on how nuts you want to go...... any idea how that card compares to a SR71E though?

in a vehicle mount application running n external keyboard and screen, in theory you could leave the keyboard out and the cover plate off with the big heatsink protruding into the keyboard cavity....

 

Shawn paid the price for that knowledge, and saved me from having to learn the same way.

On the other hand, if you are going to leave off the cover plate and thus defeat much of the "toughness" of the unit, why not just run a high-power USB Wi-Fi Adapter like Alfa or a RadioLabs?

 

heh ...
how about a glycol based circulating cooler ?
(think small version of a water based cpu cooler)
it would not be hard to make an adapter plate for the card .

i think that building an spacer to couple through/to the shield would work .

i believe that part of the reason for the area size of the original heat sink is for mechanical support and stability .

@ shawn
where/how is that heat sink attached ?

 

On top of the card...ha ha ha.

Screwed on from the bottom up. It would need to be removed and I would use thermal adhesive.

 

on top of the card ... ( + )
ok ... then it will lend itself nicely to an aluminum or copper spacer block .
the stainless steel cover should be polished on both sides , attach heat sink by using long captive screws .
the screws must be long enough to spin a nut on by hand and then grab with a set of needle nose pliers in order to tighten the nut .
another method would be to cut a hole in the cover (hooray for plasma cutters) and use the spacer and the original heat sink ...
a little silicone rubber will make a watertight seal .

 

why polish the cover?

 

to provide a "smoother" surface in order to provide better heat conduction ... silicone grease is not a fix-all .
as it is , the cover is not going to be nearly as mechanically "flat" as a block of machined copper or aluminum .

 

I have an idea. See attached photo. The ridge for the cover plate is about 2mm.
Make a new plate out of approx 14 gauge aluminum.
Use thin thermal pad cut into strips around the edges as a new seal.
Plenty of surface area and I doubt the added heat under that large an area would effect the keyboard.
The aluminum plate would also transfer the heat to the entire housing.

Robert is still your mothers brother.

 

I can understand the card side of the cover being polished for thermal conductivity, bur wouldnt a rough surface on the opposite side be better for whatever tiny increase in surface area it would allow? its not like you can mount a heatsink onto it.....

also, as an extension to shawns suggestion of a thicker aluminium plate instead of the stainless steel cover, depending on how thick a plate we can get away with under there, it may be possible to mill a series of shallow slots into the topside of the plate to increase the surface area.....

another cause for concern may be the existing WLAN antennas on the lid, they may well be fine for the <50mw of a standard card, and they have been proven to handle the 400mw of a SR71E, but can they handle a full watt of transmit power?

*sigh* what sort of monster have I created ith this thread....

 

based on what i have seen of the antennas , 1W is in the flea-fart category .
milling out a new cover plate is a good idea ... this removes the limitations of the stainless steel .

i have seen many heat sinks that were nothing more than thin aluminum half the size of a postage stamp with the tab of a TO220 case pop-riveted to it (!) .
they were dissipating about 10W ... admittedly not the way i would engineer it , but it worked .
machining the surface may not be required .

the reason for polishing both sides was for the use of a *low profile* heat sink attached to the topside .

heh ... with only three pages , it is nowhere near a "monster" .

 

I just thought such a high increase in output might be an issue.....

 

Bigger concern would be the wattage used and can the motherboard supply it.
Antennas will be fine.

 

what is the value of the fuse that supplies that B+ line ?

the amount of current needed to supply the drive to the final stage of the boards will be mostly the same ... the major difference will be in the final stage .
worst case scenario :
7W / 5.0V = 1.4A

 

LoL
Check your local machine shops for a custom made heat$ink/coverplate and then use the Accesspoint PCIe Card that you have referenced and I will still run circles around it with my Alfa or the RadioLabs!

The Alfa will outperform the SR71e in a CF-30, I know, I tested it. But, they will not fit in the armored Watertight case...

Remember when dealing with Radios and RF, the antenna is the most important part of the equation, followed Receiver sensitivity, and then that followed by Transmit Power. You have to double transmit power to see a 3 dBi increase in signal strength at the Access point end. ie: 100 mW to 400 mW, is 6dbBi, but 400 mW to 1 watt, is only 4.5 dBi, all other factors being equal.

But, get a source for < $50 heatsink coverplates and I may sign up too!

 

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The look on my face is intentionally blank.