ancienttron asked 4 years ago
Any words of wisdom on how to move that unbelievably small antenna resistor from the PCB position to the external position. That resistor is hard to see even with my 10x magnifier. Any idea what the value of that resistor is ?
Also couldn’t believe they sent me a module and external antenna kit soldered in the PCB position.
Way to go Banggood.
Thanks.
Steve Mercer answered 4 years ago
Doing that is extremely tricky especially without damaging your board. The resistor itself is zero ohms so basically just a link. What I did was use my soldering iron to heat up the resistor and remove it then put a solder blob over the two pads I wanted. Use a helping hands to keep the board steady and a tiny tip. I also have a glasses style magnifier with LED light that came in mighty handy. Use just enough heat to melt the solder and cool it down after every try so you don’t lift the solder pads you are trying to put the blob on. Test with a multimeter after every try. With a little patience you will get it done.
ancienttron answered 4 years ago
Thanks Steve.
Now that I know what that resistor really is I will remove it and put a blob of solder over to the external antenna.
Robert Johns answered 4 years ago
Just went thru this myself, what a PAIN! I wish they would have a better way or offer them in both internal and external versions. That kind of work is made for a machine!
I changed mine and it seemed to stream for a bit and then stop and was hit/miss. With nothing left to lose, I got some even stronger “cheaters” and got in there and remelted and removed a little solder. I must have got lucky because that did the trick and it’s working good again! I’d be afraid to purchase anymore due to this.
I’ve been searching for these with the external already set but can’t find any. There is one TTGO or something that is about $20-24 dollars but very hard to even find it and the cost is a big negative.
At that price, might be better to just buy some Raspberry pi W’s and put camera’s on them! Better quality too I think.
If someone is looking to for a good seller, might think about producing some esp32 cams set up for external! lol
Bob
Steve Mercer answered 4 years ago
There are a couple boards that look good in my opinion:
https://www.amazon.com/MakerHawk-Fish-Eye-Bluetooth-SSD1306-T-Journal/dp/B07Y1VVZC8/ref=sr_1_20?dchild=1&keywords=esp32-cam+with+antenna&qid=1605104400&sr=8-20 This one also has an OLED display which I have found to be indispensable when testing/troubleshooting.
https://www.radioshuttle.de/en/esp32-eco-power-en/esp32-eco-power-board-en/ This looks really promising for battery powered options. Trouble is it’s hard to get.
Finally I have asked the Arducam IOTAI folks to create a version with an external antenna set and they said it’s easily feasible but not when it will be available.
Robert Johns answered 4 years ago
I had mine working for a little while but I guess my last attempt loosened the solder for the external antenna plug and it came off. Haven’t attempted to repair that yet. 🙁
I asked about a few of these on Amazon that were being sold with an antenna and the answers indicate that you have to switch the resistor to use the external antenna.
Think I’ll wait for to see if external units become available. I’d probably just brick another if I tried it. lol
Bob