Lantronix MatchPort b/g

Does any one have experience using one of these wireless devices? I can't get it to work at all. (Can't even connect to it in any way to configure it.)

Help! :slight_smile:

Well just to keep anyone who's interested :smiley: up to date, I broke down and bought the demo board for the MatchPort. This way I was able to connect to it and configure it. (I still think I should have been able to connect just by powering it up, but it wasn't to be.) I've got it hooked up to my Arduino Pro Mini, and the Mini receives data OK, but won't yet send it, or rather the Matchport won't receive from the Mini. So I'm still working on it, and getting closer. When I get successful two way communication the next step will be to remove it from the demo board.

I didn't want you to think you were talking to yourself so I thought I would throw out there that I'm looking forward to your next status update... I would love to be able to do some 802.11 with an Arduino but I'm waiting to take the plunge.

Thanks for your info so far!

Hi Craig,

Well I've had some success today, now that I've hooked up the ground correctly. ::slight_smile: It's still on the demo board, but I've got it sending a command to the Arduino and receiving a response. Next step is to remove it from the demo board and hook it up on the bread board. It didn't work like this originally, but now that I've got it configured I'm hoping I can start making some real progress. I haven't had much time to play with it, but have a few days off coming up.

I'll keep you posted!

Very interesting :slight_smile:

Are you planning on posting any pictures?

:slight_smile:

I'll almost definitely post pictures when I have something in a more complete state. Right now I'm just testing a few things out. I'm new to this so it's a long drawn out process. :slight_smile:

So right after the good news of getting successful two way communication over wifi I decided to take off the demo board to try it on the bread board. And that's when I broke the antenna connection off of the wireless module. :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

I don't know if it's repairable, and I certainly don't have the soldering skills required. This really SUCKS!!!! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Can you post pictures of the damage?

Maybe one of the soldering experts here can help you repair it

I have a hot air rework station that's collecting dust but I'm no expert just yet

:slight_smile:

I'll try and get pictures tonight, but my camera doesn't do close ups very well. (Although that might be operator error. :))

Send whatever pictures you have :slight_smile:

Flickr might help since you can upload high-res pictures

We've all experienced operator error :slight_smile:

One more thing, what kind of soldering equipment do you have?

Also where are you located?

:slight_smile:

OK, so I've taken a better look and it's shot. The solder pads have completely ripped off the board, down through the green top layer to the substrate. There's nothing left to solder back on to. And even if I could it wouldn't inspire confidence for being reliable out in the field. I'm seriously pissed off right now. >:(

As it is broken beyond repair, here's what will make you feel better instantly. Items b) to y) are optional, but highly recommended !

a) prepare a cold bottle of your favourite beer
b) make sure the hardware is really broken
c) unmount said module from working parts
d) look at it for a while and let your anger grow some more
e) get a BIG hammer
f) do the obvious ;D
...
y) show it some more affection !
...
z) have a sip and relax

Helps every time!

Man, that's rough... I'm pullin for ya! Some days I feel like I have more setbacks than wins. Just keep in mind those days when you rocked hard and got some crazy crap working you thought would take twice as long or twice as much money!

It all averages out and for smart people it's a net gain despite setbacks...

I may bite the bullet and join you in playing with one of these. I'm not not really strong at this stuff yet and don't want to order something that's over my head to implement. I'll let you know if I do...

That sucks :frowning:

While the hammer approach may give you some temporary satisfaction it's probably not a good idea in the long run :slight_smile:

It would be far better, for you and the planet, to sell it on ebay for parts or sell / donate it to a good recycler -- and get a tax deduction for doing it too in some countries :slight_smile:

That's a lot more environmentally friendly than destroying it

:slight_smile:

I've ignored it for a few days, and surprising though it might seem, it's still broken. I had to order some more stuff from SparkFun, (also to replace a broken/faulty/not-working-for-whatever-reason piece), so it'll be another pay cycle before I can replace this module. On the bright side though, I know I can commuicate between it and the Arduino, and so control my project over WiFi. And that in itself brings some satisfaction.

Right now my project has been 1 step forward and 2 steps back. I should have had it out in the field by now. But I will persevere as I have invested far too much time and money already just to throw it away. :slight_smile:

Beer is always chilled, and hammer is on stand by. :wink:

You should be able to salvage it with some very careful creative soldering

Maybe you can solder some 24AWG fine copper wire and reroute the connection from the Antenna to the appropriate pad on the board and bypass the broken pad

That can be very tricky, but is commonly used to salvage high-value boards that would otherwise be trashed

http://home.comcast.net/~machrone/bjr/soldered_glued.jpg

It is usually very difficult on complex high-density boards with a lot of SMD devices but not impossible

:slight_smile:

You should be able to salvage it with some very careful creative soldering

Maybe you can solder some 24AWG fine copper wire and reroute the connection from the Antenna to the appropriate pad on the board and bypass the broken pad

Hmmm. That might work. I can't quite see which pad to solder it to, but there's only two choices. Now here's a question. It seems that two of the three pads that ripped off were just mechanical joints, and only one was for the antenna. That makes sense right? Or would the other two be to ground?

So if I solder one end of a piece of fine wire to the pad I think is correct, what else do I need to do?

A closeup pic would be very instructive and allows for better guesswork.

Try to follow the tracks if they go through a hole put a pin through the hole gently so you dont get the wrong one!

As Madworm said some high-res pictures would help a lot :slight_smile:

As Cybot said you can follow the traces to a pin or solder pad where they go and solder the rerouted wire there

There are repair pictures here http://home.comcast.net/~machrone/bjr/mistakes.htm

A very bright LED flashflight can usually let you follow the traces along the PCB because you can see through many PCBs

:slight_smile: