Home made range extender from laptop parts

[eatpasta]

Has anyone attempted to make a range extender with laptop parts?

I have been researching the range extender kits and frankly all they look like, are a couple cables from a laptop and antennas from a sonicwall.

I have the luck of working for a computer technology company so I have piles of this stuff lying around

The cables you can pull out of any laptop are actually quite long - all I would really need to do is find the antennas' connectors that they screw into....

 

[RW-1]

While the antennas and the wires may work if the connectors can get to your TX board, what you're missing from those kits is the amp to boost the signal itself on the TX side.

 

[eatpasta]

While the antennas and the wires may work if the connectors can get to your TX board, what you're missing from those kits is the amp to boost the signal itself on the TX side.

ah ok, got it!

But isnt the ARGtek literally just loner cables and antennas?

 

[RW-1]

ah ok, got it!

But isnt the ARGtek literally just loner cables and antennas?

It may be, certainly moving out the internal antennas may increase range slightly, I haven't looked at it myself.

I plan on just sticking on a windsurfer to my P3S TX and going from there.

 

[eatpasta]

It may be, certainly moving out the internal antennas may increase range slightly, I haven't looked at it myself.

I plan on just sticking on a windsurfer to my P3S TX and going from there.

How do you like Home Articulated Range Extender Mk.1? Or H.A.R.E Mk.1

 

[redrussell]

Eager to see what you come up with. I have the standard but don't really want to pay for these range extenders


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[eatpasta]

seriously, though I found this;

 

[eatpasta]

Eager to see what you come up with. I have the standard but don't really want to pay for these range extenders


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I think that the $100 cost of getting into something proper like the DBS mod is worth the price of admission, I don't see anything wrong with trying to create something on your own. My range was ~50 yards at best.... how much worse could it be? The previous owner had been screwing around inside there.....unsuccessfully might I add...

 

[RW-1]

I'm just a newb as far as the UAS thing, though I work for an avionics company and do IT work as well, so I wouldn't place any faith in my opinion on the extenders, haven't used one yet.

I would use the blades over the standard ant - at least its pattern should be more elliptical out n front of you, supposedly.

 

[eatpasta]

I'm just a newb as far as the UAS thing, though I work for an avionics company and do IT work as well, so I wouldn't place any faith in my opinion on the extenders, haven't used one yet.

I would use the blades over the standard ant - at least its pattern should be more elliptical out n front of you, supposedly.

I'm a noob as well but I've been involved in the RC world since the mid 80's.

as far as the range, again it certainly cant be any worse than it is already...

 

[Techcop50]

I think that the $100 cost of getting into something proper like the DBS mod is worth the price of admission, I don't see anything wrong with trying to create something on your own. My range was ~50 yards at best.... how much worse could it be? The previous owner had been screwing around inside there.....unsuccessfully might I add...

Sounds like previous owner may have really screwed something up, if 50 yards is the best you can do.

 

[eatpasta]

Sounds like previous owner may have really screwed something up, if 50 yards is the best you can do.

there is solder on the main antenna connection where it connects to the board. Thank goodness it appears that he didn't solder on the board or the connector so I believe that all I need is to change out the cable

so he was definitely screwing around in there. Maybe he used to have a range extender on it that he sold off first...

 

[redrussell]

Wow 50 yard is pretty bad. I think you could throw it and get more range than that.


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[RW-1]

there is solder on the main antenna connection where it connects to the board. Thank goodness it appears that he didn't solder on the board or the connector so I believe that all I need is to change out the cable

so he was definitely screwing around in there. Maybe he used to have a range extender on it that he sold off first...

I've been with R/C as well for the last 30 years

Could also be that he sucked at soldering, one cold joint ... Why is there solder on it in the first place? He couldn't snap it on and use hot glue to hold it? Did he bust it trying the mod? Interesting thoughts ...

 

[eatpasta]

Wow 50 yard is pretty bad. I think you could throw it and get more range than that.


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Not so sure, my shoulders aren't so good anymore

 

[eatpasta]

I've been with R/C as well for the last 30 years

Could also be that he sucked at soldering, one cold joint ... Why is there solder on it in the first place? He couldn't snap it on and use hot glue to hold it? Did he bust it trying the mod? Interesting thoughts ...

It wasnt soldered to the board, he had just soldered the cable itself, so at the very bare minimum that needs to be replaced...but since I have all this cool stuff here, why not give it a go right?

 

[RW-1]

It wasnt soldered to the board, he had just soldered the cable itself, so at the very bare minimum that needs to be replaced...but since I have all this cool stuff here, why not give it a go right?

Yup, just take it one step at a time.

 

[eatpasta]

So here is the redneck HARE Mk.II





Havent had a chance to test, nor will I probably until the weekend as its dark before I get home..... so we will have to wait until the weekend to see how well this works..

I dont want to drill in the back of the controller as the angle will be weird - I just need to find a simple way to mount it on top

 

[redrussell]

Looking forward to it. Is it just a standard wifi antenna? No booster ?


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[eatpasta]

Looking forward to it. Is it just a standard wifi antenna? No booster ?


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No booster - this is literally just an antenna stolen from a Sonicwall TZ180 and routed out the top and held in place with a binder clip...