External Antenna Hack

Modly... I'd just splice the cable... If you do it cleanly with similar cable/wire you should have very little loss if you solder them carefully!

By the way... It looks like the GPS just might take u.fl... It looked a little small to be a mmcx connector.

 

Ripped apart the CF-28 today, and you can fit (just) a 19inch line from the mini-pcb to the top of the screen. but you cant do it by the same why the factor does.eg there are little lugs on the inside of the top cover lid that would hold the antenna line in place, So you have to slip it under the the twin PC cards and then go right across the back of the screen, for the same Mod that i put pic's up for.

PS, this is a 75% rip job. Keyboard, base cover and top lid cover most come off for this.

 

how hard you finding it??? is it easy too do???
also how much cable did you use????(19ins right!!!),

i need to sort my one out as well, not sure where to begin too be honest.....

 

Yer easy for me to do, I'm good at ripping things apart, worked on cars for too long LOL, if you think that you will forget which screw/wire goes where after 30mins or so, then you may have a bit of fun putting it back together again, and if your smart you'll have plan it out with a piece of paper to mark where wires come out, an egg carton to put your screws in and mark where they come from. ( PS that works great for top end engine rebuilds lol )

Yer i cut a 19inch long piece of thick wire and tried a few different ways of running the line, but with out it be around 20 to 22 inch then you don't have a hope of running it the same as the factory. But you can fit the 19inch line if the Mini-pcb Wifi is on the one cloest to the battery. just as i said above.

Tho it does look like the factory job contact's to under the plate, same places where the keyboard is fitted to the MoBo too, tho I have mine setup to run past the pivot point on the screen and then into the base unit on the right hand side of the unit.


when I do any playing/stuffing around, I will take out all removable parts and put them in a safe/grounded out of the way place.battery HDD Ram and all that stuff too. Tho when I was doing this, I found you have to be careful of the LCD, with the top LCD cover off and the Base cover off, you have to just put the cover loosely back on when you turn the unit over to work on the other side, or you will have the LCD parts fall out. lol

 

so best thing for me is to take pictures step by step, just incase i forget anything............
am going to order some cable today when i get time and start.........
might stick a satelite dish too it.............LOL!!!:laugh:

 

LOL

you only have to take out the speaker and on/off switch lines for the base plate.

covers removed are, keyboard/hinge cover plate, screen top lid and base unit plate. Just a lot of screws really lol

the fun will be slipping the antenna line under the PC card box, so it in between the box and the MoBo. you can go around/over the box but as I notice then I did, the antenna line will be right next to the heat extractor area. don't want that lol :twitcy:

 

There is plenty of room for runing a small wire for an external antenna. Just make sure that you don't cruch it under the heatsink area!

 

LOL yep!

 

Sorry guys.. I accidentally deleted the pictures at the start of the thread from my server space. I needed the room and didn't recognize the names. I'll be doing it again... Probably like modly did it... Once I get my XP install issues put to rest... (Long Story)

 

i still havent even start nor have i opened the toughbook up yet, as i got 2 now am going to use one to play about with and try the external hack........

 

Taking it all apart isn't all that bad. It looks intimidating but it only comes apart and goes together 1 way!

Just be VERY carefull with the keyboard connector!

 

i order some stuff today and still need afew more things before i'll start attaching antenna, maybe place it on the side or next to the lcd not sure about that yet...........

 

Well... After seeing Action's antenna installation I've decided to do the same thing. I've cut the little metal piece for the top of the screen and now all I need to do is to take it all apart and hook it all up... Something I'm not looking forward to.

 

let me know how it goes,
i still need abit of will power to go ahead with it......
only thing am worried about it breaking some thing,
specialy since i broke my keyboard buttons the other day just from clean it..............

 

all i am waiting on at the moment is the 19 inch lead and i'm set to go. when i do i'll post pic's of how i have done it

 

I'm debating on tearing mine open now or waiting for Modly to come up with the GPS hack. If he does then I'd have to tear it apart again to install the geohelix antenna. Hmmm... Awww heck... I might as well do it now.

 

hehe, you do know what the next steps then, mounting both of them up top. lol Geohelix and antenna.

 

CRAP! The 19" pigtail IS NOT LONG ENOUGH!!!! AHHHHHH... I need about 1-2 more inches to make it work! Well... I guess while I'm in here I'll just add the side connection. I was going to add both anyway!

 

Well... I got the side mount antenna hack done!!! It gets a better signal than my other one. Shorter antenna cable? Better Wifi card??? Who knows?

Anyway... I'm about 1/10 of a mile away and still getting a VERY GOOD signal! WOW! And the signal has to travel out of my house, through walls, etc. to get me outside here where I'm standing! I'll have to drive in a few minutes and see how far away I can go and still get a signal!

Hack #2 - DONE!

By the way... I got the internal bluetooth hack working! I just received a bluetooth PCMCIA card that fits TOTALLY inside the slot with the door closed! The reception with the door closed is only about 30 feet... But with it open and the antenna extended I get about 30 yards range!

Whoohoo! Now... To get the GPS set... Whether it's the one that came with it or the one that Modly is working on...

 

It's great when a plan comes together.

 

Well... It didn't really come together... I really wanted the LCD mounted antenna. I just ordered a 24" pigtail from netgate.com.. That and a few stubby antennas... We'll see what happens when it gets here. It's not a bulkhead type sma connector. I'll have to fab up something.

 

if that 24" cable from Netgate works well, I might have to consider that. I did decide that the spot I was going to install the antenna (The rim antenna spot) is where I'll throw a GPS antenna if I go that route, so I decided to move the wireless antenna to the side of the LCD. I'll take the upper half of the LCD shell to work, measure thickness in a few spots, and throw it in the bridgeport to trim out a bit (Probably only .030"), but it'll give me enough to throw the connector on the side I think.

However, that'll be next week like the rest of the laptop projects... I've gotta finish my car by tonight so my neighbours won't call the cops on me again... (Not that I'm doing anything illegal, but they don't want an old hearse next door while having an open house, and they feel calling the cops speeds along the process and that perhaps they'll tow me... not sure... But either way I need it running before my brother moves, so we can cruise in it.

 

Modly... Why not work with them. I can see a big sign on your hearse. "Our house will just kill you!" Let them know that you are ready to take away the people who die when they hear the high price of the house. You know... do something for them... Work with them...

Yup... I was poking around in there too as I was trimming out the spot for the antenna. Remember though... This is magnesium... It's what they make firestarters with... For good reason. Magnesium burns at about 4000 degrees when lit... Be careful. I doubt you would actually catch the whole lid on fire but you never know. I was playing around with the trimmings yesterday... Sprinkling the trimmings over a flame... It was quite the light show.

 

We've got a few warning signs on a few machines at work about putting magnesium parts in them..

Lucky for me, the bridgeport we have was made shortly after WWII, so no such warning signs I'll make sure I cut it wet though, I've made thermite before and used magnesium as a fuse... it looks cool as hell, but not inside a building.

 

cool,cool........
am thinking of getting the stub antenna too, am going to see which GPS recievers this guy has and if any good will have to re-think on where to put them,
at the moment i dont have any antenna in my cf-28, it has a cisco wifi card in there now put it in the internal spot and it seems to be working fine at home using it nowto surf the net,
but will need to sort out a antenna very soon......
waiting for one of you guys to finish the lcd antennaso i can see how it looks..........

 

I should have the pigtail fom netgate on Tuesday and I'll know immediately if it will work. I'll post and let you guys know. They also have a good selection of wifi antennas and good prices on them. Ordered 3 of them.

Dj... You should just get the Atheros based pci card to put in yours... So much more power and with an external antenna... You could pull in a ton of signals!

Modly... I figure I'll use the RIM spot for my wifi antena for now. It will depend on what we end up doing for the new GPS before I make a decision on what to do with that antenna. I might move it or just add it to the other side. I was thinking about how to make a piece of plastic to replce the black nylon corner of the outer top... That way I could custom old it to fit. There is a guy doing the same thing with older Toughbooks on ebay. His looks a little ragged. I figure I could come up with something that looks close to stock.

 

yet will buy that wifi card and stick it in the other one, i have both toughbooks set up exactly how i want them now, one for works and hacking...etc.....
and the other to take camping with me plus listening to music and gaming!!!!
let me know once ur closer to finishing the new mods as i cant wait!!!!!!

oh seen thats guys mods with the m34 toughbooks think their look good!!!!

 

Too funny! where abouts in MI are you? If you're around the "D" I'll have to keep an eye open for your death wagon

 

So are you using one of the "ordinary" PCMCIA slots? Do you have anything in the top-secret one? I can't really use the accessible slots for mods, I need them for Allen-Bradley comm. cards

 

I'm in Ann Arbor, but alot of the guys in my hearse club live in the Warrendale area on the west side of Detroit.

 

Let me try to dredge up a little knowledge from high school electronics. It's been a while so bear with me From what i remember, the length of the antenna is dictated by the wavelength of the signal. The length of the antenna should be the length of a standing wave. So I don't argue with you saying that a 2.4 GHz signal's standing wave is half of a 1.2 GHz. BUT.. I recall that MULTIPLE standing waves were good (better?) too! So twice as long should infact be OK if my memory is accurate. I was actually thinking of experimenting in the other direction, by using the much longer CF27 radio modem antenna.

I wonder if the OD of the antenna (where it contacts the housing) is a common size. I'll have to measure it and go through the mouser or digi-key catalog and see if anything matches up.

 

New to the Forum - You guys rock. Question for Toughbook - I am all over your internal wi-fi upgrade. Looking on Ebay and would like your thoughts on this - Atheros Mini PCI 802.1 A/B/G Super AG® 108 Mbps XR™ - OK or NO. Also I was reading your excellent thread and I dont have any of your pic's. The question I have is that their are TWO card slots under the hard drive - Am I to assume one is a modem and the other is the 10/100 ? thanks for your help just want to make sure I tale the right one out.

Also want to thank you guys for your inspiration to dig inside my TB - just stepped up and got it about a month ago - Ebay from the guy unloading all the ones with GPS internal. Dont even want to get started on that yet.

I want internal wifi first - then will tackle getting the GPS tuned up -

Thanks and great Forum -

 

Gravitar... You may be correct. A lot of my experience is with trial and error. I used to make a ton of cell phone antennas and sell them on ebay. (Of course)... The length has a lot to do with it but there are also RF chokes to be considered. I'm not a math whiz... far from it. Nor a Ham radio guy (Though my Dad was.) I've read some articles from some very knowledgeable people with regard to the RIM antenna... The length is not so much a fact and even a coat hanger would probably work... BUT... It's also how much power you are trying to drive through it that matters. The more power the more it needs to be "fitted" to the wifi card... So I hear. Like I said.. Trial and error...

Mega... Sounds like a good card. Include a link if you want and I'll check just to make sure... But you should be okay by the sound of it. Yeah... The pictures went TU when I deleted images off my server. I wasn't paying attention and I deleted them all. I'll redo it the next time I mod one... Which will be soon.. I just bought another CF-28!

Adding the mini pci card is the easiest mod you can do... Running the antenna depends on your skill level and how cool you want to make it. To tell what is what... The modem has the little copper shield on the card and has the SMALL connector. The LAN has the larger, wider connector. It's VERY easy to run a U.fl to SMA connector out the side and have a kick ass external antenna. My personal CF-28 (At least for now!) also has an small SMA rubber duck antenna where the RIM antenna should go... I had to hunt for a 24 inch pigtail to run it from the top of the LCD edge all the way to the connector on the WiFi card! This takes a little more guts (or stupidity) because you have to take the CF-28 almost totally apart to run the antenna lead. It's fairly simple but you can screw things up... Be careful and take a bunch of digital pics if you think you may want to try that.

The GPS has been the bane of all of us here. The only person it works well for is someone who spends their time on the water. (No obstructions, etc.) I feel that the CF-28 GPS is a little too old and needs to be replaced with a newer unit. Something we are trying to do here. All I need is the pinouts and I'll rock & roll!

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120157766448&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=002

 

So are the mini PCI cards where all the new development is happening? Are there not PCMCIA counterparts to these (with antenna jacks, like the aironet)?

 

Mega-Man... Price seems too good to be true... You can try it... You wouldn't have much to lose. I paid $70 for mine. Maybe I paid too much.

Gravitar.... Yes the mini pci is where I see most of the advances. But you can look at the Orinoco Proxima Gold PCMCIA cards. I have one with the antenna jack... It works VERY well. But it's a pain to leave the door open all the time and I really didn't want to remove it. Make sure you get a legit one... There are a lot of copies out there from what I've read.

 

toughbook is right alot of copies floating about on ebay,
i was thinking of buying one but bought some other one instead.......

 

Toughbook I read in another post you where modding another CF-28 for eBay. Do you think you could snap a few pics of this external Antenna Hack mod and update any new ideas for us? Thanks in advance.

 

I already had this mod done in advance for this particular build. Next time I do it. (Next week) I'll snap pics and post them. I stay swamped building these things.... Either for ebay or for people, companies or municipalities. I have a few more coming up.

 

Good price I just installed the Atheros AG5005GS and connected it to wear the old Cisco 352 cable connected just re-soldered new antenna main wire there then connected the AUX antenna on top of the 3com LAN-modem mini-pci card I installed to I could retain my LAN and modem and add a mini-pci wifi card. The 3com combo card works great no drivers needed and frees up one of the slots for another card plus can be had shipped to your door at under ten bucks US. Reception is better then some of my other notebooks with factory installed wifi plus I still have my two PCMCIA slots open.

 

I am a little confused by your post, do I understand rightly that you ...

1. Removed the existing cards.
2. Installed a mini-pci 3-Com combo-card for wired LAN & modem
3. Installed a mini-pci Atheros card for wirless a/b/g
4. Attached the wireless card ports to an existing internal antenna or the RIM external antenna?
5. Is there still room for a GPS card?

Thanks! doc

 

GPS card? There is only one maker of the mini PCI GPS as far as I know... PLus you would still have to run the antenna. They are expensive @ about $175 each plus shipping form Hong Kong.

 

1. yes
2. yes
3. no - I installed the AR5005GS b/g but you could install the a/b/g
4. yes - but modified a pair of U.FL connector antennas that I bought from ebay cut the black one and soldered to existing antenna connection point and adhered the white wire with antenna as close to the LAN- modem port as possible since that area in plastic not magnesium.
5. I have GPS but its the Panasonic.

 

I think Modly or Action added a different antenna to the Panasonic GPS without much better results.... But you could add an SMA bulkhead type jack to the side and use a roof mount antenna and I would imagine it would get much better reception.

Just a thought...

 

I did add a different antenna internally, and my results were just slightly better than the same.

In an empty abandoned parking lot (no light poles), I pulled 4 satellites at my very best with my stock GPS and aftermarket antenna (internal). It located me, but it would have failed badly while driving. At home (City, lots of trees), I once saw a satellite for 10 seconds, and it was gone.

 

Toughbook


How does one view the pics you posted I have tryied to no avail for several minutes. I just got an internal wifi for my cf-28 and would be interested in the illustrations that go with this post.

thanks

 

I accidentally deleted them from my server and can't find them now...

 

no problem

i was taking an old lynksys router appart and inside i found a mini-g pci card inside so out came the card and then i googled the fcc-id # and came up with some drivers for it! well temporarily i used one of the pigtails and base from the router and removed my rj11 jack from the modem and temporarily glued the bulkhead to the plastic. I routed the antenna cable to the card and off i go. I am not impressed with the range but this was just a quick test, I was wondering if the antenna bulkhead has to be grounded to the chassis of the pc? the card works but i am not sure if its the router antenna or somthing else. I know that there are no shorts/cuts in the wire but thats about it.
The card n the router (wrt54g) had a "broadcomm" chipset but more than that i dont know.

 

I found the pictures and put them back on the server. So... You all can see them now!

By the way... If you want to keep bot moden and LAN functionality when putting in a wifi card there is a guy on ebay selling the LAN/Modem combo cards for like $2 each. I've ordered 30 total so far just to keep on hand. Beofre I was just taking out the modem and velcroing it under the battery in case someone needed it. So... Now I have like 25 modem cards and 10 LAN cards. Anyone need one?

 

Wow.....Pigtails are a lot cheaper now.. just bought this one..
http://cgi.ebay.com/4in-U-FL-male-R...yZ61816QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD10VQQcmdZViewItem
for 5$ shipped... I have the GPS module...so all I needed was th 4 inch one to put in the LAN side..