EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Electronics => Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff => Topic started by: technix on June 14, 2017, 09:22:52 am
-
Do any of you know how to design PCB antennas to a certain frequency?
This is about my 4G router project. (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/i-need-a-4g-lte-to-wi-fi-router-i-dont-trust-xiaomi-or-huawei/) It needed the following antennae:
* 2.4GHz Wi-Fi access point,
* Multi-band cellular (two antennae)
* Multi-band GPS + GLONASS + Gailieo + Beidou.
I am okay with PCB antennae (a PCB trace shaped into some RF voodoo to function as an antenna) or soldered component antennae (a component soldered to the PCB to function as an antenna.) RF pigtails are absolutely my last choice (since it would require me to build a case for it, instead of just whacking the entire assembly inside a paper box and call it a day.
-
For cellular, your better bet is to use a whip antenna. PCB antennas have too much reflection and at such transmitting power, that's not good.
For the GNSS and WiFi, there are off the shelf multi layer antennas. Search Mouser and Digikey. They both ship to China. Element 14 even has Shanghai warehouse.
Designing PCB antenna is more like an art and dark magic rather than science, especially if you don't have $5k on RF software like Keysight ADS or Microwave Office. There are free ones, but you won't find a tutorial like book for them.
What is a whip antenna? Can I just glue a pair of those down to my PCB after assembly, maybe using double-side foam adhesive that holds the antennae a few millimeters over the PCB?
-
What is a whip antenna? Can I just glue a pair of those down to my PCB after assembly, maybe using double-side foam adhesive that holds the antennae a few millimeters over the PCB?
Like this: https://world.taobao.com/item/525303521018.htm
This is what I would avoid.