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sinara-hw / Stabilizer

2-channel microcontroller servo with EEM and Ethernet based on STM32 CPU
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SMA/MCX connector pins are too long #94

Closed nkrackow closed 2 years ago

nkrackow commented 3 years ago

photo5388963146842092372 When inserting Stabilizer 1.2 next to a panel with RF gasket, the pins damage the gasket on insertion and continue to be shorted when Stabilizer is inserted all the way. Kapton tape over the pins gets punctured. Clipping off the pins and then covering them with kapton fixes the issue but the sharp edges from cutting might eventually still cut through.

gkasprow commented 3 years ago

@akaminska @kaolpr you should trim the pins before assembling the panels

jordens commented 3 years ago

The SMAs should be migrated to the longer ones you found. Maybe also longer ones are available for MCX.

gkasprow commented 2 years ago

The longer connectors that are mounted already on Phaser boards are 10x more expensive than already used SMAs. And their availability is poor at the moment. SMAs should not have nuts attached but plastic 3D-printed spacers.

jordens commented 2 years ago

Agreed on nuts vs spacers.

The problem with the RF shield and the SMA connector pins is really annoying. IMO none of the solutions (modifying the RF shield lip, or clipping the pins, or accepting the electrical short) we have are OK. I see that there are few alternative connectors and have no answer right now.

gkasprow commented 2 years ago

@jordens Is the solution used in Phaser OK? I found some lower-cost alternatives from TE

jordens commented 2 years ago

AFAICT all DIO-SMA, IDC-SMA, Phaser, Urukul, Mirny, Kasli, Stabilizer, Pounder, Clocker, are affected. Phaser is supposed to use the longer expensive SMA connectors currently. Low-cost alternatives for that and application to all SMA boards to move the pins away from the RF shield lip would be great. On Stabilizer and other MCX boards I think this also affects the MCX connectors. Likely there is no long MCX connector.

gkasprow commented 2 years ago

I found matching connectors. They are made by a German company and cost 3.6EUR@1pc. They have the same length as expensive Amphenol ones. So, we can replace SMAs in all projects with these ones.

gkasprow commented 2 years ago

We cannot do much with MCX. I designed panels with a machined ring around the MCX connectors, so the panel is thinner there. Isn't that enough to plug the connector? We can make it thinner...

gkasprow commented 2 years ago

By ring I mean the chamfer obraz

gkasprow commented 2 years ago

The SMA components are orderable in any quantity. We ordered the first batch for Stabilizer. I also modified the design.