How to Add an External Antenna to a Linksys PCMCIA Wireless Card
A Linksys PCMCIA wireless card provides a laptop with a WI-Fi connection for accessing the Internet. You can add an external antenna to the wireless card to improve the receptive range and stability of the Wi-Fi signal. A few supplies from a hobby shop or electronics store are needed, along with some tools found in most homes that can also be acquired from a hardware store. A few supplies from a grocery store will also be needed to construct the antenna for the Linksys card.
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Things You'll Need
- Newspaper
- Empty coffee can, 28 pz
- Ruler
- Utility knife
- Flat-edged screwdriver
- N adapter plate
- Pigtail N adapter
- Soldering iron
- Solder
- Scissors
- WIre strippers
- 12 gauge solid-core copper wire, 2 inches long
- Laptop
Instructions
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1
Place a sheet of newspaper on a table. Remove the rubber protective cover from the Linksys PCMCIA wireless card -- the tip of a flat-edged jeweler's screwdriver can be used to pry the cover off. Save or dispose of the cover. Place the Linsys wireless card aside for later.
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2
Stand the empty coffee can on the newspaper with the open end facing up. Measure up 1-3/4 inches from the bottom of the can with the ruler. Punch a hole through the side of the can at the 1-3/4th mark with the blade of a utility knife. Insert the end of a flat-edged screwdriver into the hole. Rotate the blade around the inside of the hole to smooth it out and enlarge it slightly.
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3
Place the N adapter plate face down on the newspaper. Heat up the soldering iron for five minutes. Cut off the female connection at the end of one of the two cables attached to the Pigtail N adapter with a scissors. Toss the connection in the trash.
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4
Separate the two wires at the end of the cable that was just cut. Strip a half inch of insulation from the end of each wire with the wire strippers.
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Solder the exposed end of one of the wires to the center of the N adapter plate. Let the solder cool for two minutes. Solder the exposed end of the other wire to the side of the contact ring circling the center. Let the solder cool for two minutes.
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Turn the N adapter plate over. Place a drop of solder in the center of the N adapter plate. Let the solder cool for a minute. Place an end of the copper wire into the center of the N adapter plate. Place the tip of the soldering iron against the copper wire. Remove the tip when the solder on the N adapter plate starts to bubble.
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Hold the end of the copper wire firmly against the center of the N adapter plate. Hold the copper wire in position for a minute before relating it. Let the solder cool for an additional two minutes.
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8
Insert the free end of the copper wire through the hole in the side of the can. Press the N adapter plate against the sides of the can. Solder the sides of the N adapter plate to the sides of the can. Let the solder cool for five minutes. Unplug the soldering iron.
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9
Insert the plug at the end of the Pigtail N adapter into the antenna port on the Linksys wireless card. Insert the Linksys wireless card into the PCMCIA slot on the side of the laptop. Rotate the open end of the Wi-Fi antenna you have made toward the transmitter of the wireless home network you are using to access the Internet.
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Tips & Warnings
Work gloves can protect your hands when using the soldering iron.
