Question Loose Wifi antenna connectitons

[BoomerD]

The antenna connections coming through the IO shield on my MSI Z690 Tomahawk Wifi DDR4 board are loose. I've tightened them as well as I can from the outside, but it's not doing the trick. I think I need to get to the other side of the IO shield to tighten/backup the nuts on that side...unfortunately, there's this big black "heatsink" covering that part of it.



I haven't pulled the board to see if there are any screws from that side that will allow me to remove it...and I DO NOT know if there are any thermal pads that would need to be replaced if I do.

Anyone ever do this? Suggestions?



There are a couple of screws holding the IO shield in place...and I think a couple from the bottom as well...marked by the arrows.

 

[Tech Junky]

There's screws and should be four of them. They blend in with their surroundings. I pulled the what sink off another board to get at the WiFi card and swap it for a better one. It's easier to do before a build but, if you're going to pull everything to do it put the nuts on the outside.

 

[BoomerD]

There's screws and should be four of them. They blend in with their surroundings. I pulled the what sink off another board to get at the WiFi card and swap it for a better one. It's easier to do before a build but, if you're going to pull everything to do it put the nuts on the outside.

I THINK there are nuts on both side of the IO shield to hold it in place...not sure. I can get to the nuts on the outside, but can't tighten it securely.

I know that I'll have to pull the board to do this... but it's one of those things that "if you're going to do it...do it RIGHT."

 

[Tech Junky]

I grabbed some pigtails and routed them to my M2 card and they're sturdier than most and I cranked them on with a socket wrench. On the pigs there's a lock washer between the nut and the panel. They came in a 4-5 pack on AE for under $5. Suppose you could just tack them on place with some resin though as well.

 

[In2Photos]

I've watched a few videos where people have removed the heat sinks on the motherboard. There should be thermal pads there, but they shouldn't stick and tear like GPU pads. They should remain intact. Just go slow. Doesn't look like you have any RGB connectors to deal with once you have it loose either so that's good.

Here's a video of the Z790 version that may help. It shows the IO heatsink coming off around the 45 second mark.

 

[BoomerD]

Thanks for the video. That helps.
I had posted on the MSI forums and got very similar info. Looks like this is on my agenda sometime in the next week or two

 

[fralexandr]

I grabbed some pigtails and routed them to my M2 card and they're sturdier than most and I cranked them on with a socket wrench. On the pigs there's a lock washer between the nut and the panel. They came in a 4-5 pack on AE for under $5. Suppose you could just tack them on place with some resin though as well.

I was going to suggest something like this, so the antenna can be placed elsewhere. Hopefully the connectors would work better with the io shield.

https://www.newegg.com/p/0EP-00TG-00007?

 

[Tech Junky]

I was going to suggest something like this, so the antenna can be placed elsewhere. Hopefully the connectors would work better with the io shield.

https://www.newegg.com/p/0EP-00TG-00007?

I played around with a couple of different bases like that when doing my 5G setup. They didn't improve the speed or signal quality back to the tower though.

For wifi though they might work fine as you have a bit more control. Getting the antennas out from behind a desk would improve things.

 

[DaaQ]

I THINK there are nuts on both side of the IO shield to hold it in place...not sure. I can get to the nuts on the outside, but can't tighten it securely.

I know that I'll have to pull the board to do this... but it's one of those things that "if you're going to do it...do it RIGHT."

IDK what size those connectors are, but on regular coax, it is 7/16th, those are probably smaller.

Point is you should be able to pull the barrel towards you and tighten the outside nut enough to suffice.

This is a flared barrel tool to twist off f connector nut without removing cable. I couldn't fine the small ones that go on a key ring loop. but they are very thin.

Just size determines if one of these would work. I also have pocket 7/16th hand one that has opening for the barrel.

https://www.techtoolsupply.com/Jonard-F-Connector-Torque-Wrench-8-12in-30lbs-p/jon-ctw-7163812.htm

 

[BoomerD]

IDK what size those connectors are, but on regular coax, it is 7/16th, those are probably smaller.

Point is you should be able to pull the barrel towards you and tighten the outside nut enough to suffice.

This is a flared barrel tool to twist off f connector nut without removing cable. I couldn't fine the small ones that go on a key ring loop. but they are very thin.

Just size determines if one of these would work. I also have pocket 7/16th hand one that has opening for the barrel.

https://www.techtoolsupply.com/Jonard-F-Connector-Torque-Wrench-8-12in-30lbs-p/jon-ctw-7163812.htm

LOL...$113? I don't think so. The way the IO panel is recessed in my case,I'll probably have to pull the board anyway.

 

[DaaQ]

LOL...$113? I don't think so. The way the IO panel is recessed in my case,I'll probably have to pull the board anyway.

no I didn't mean buy that particular one. But to emphasize the design.

 

[BoomerD]

no I didn't mean buy that particular one. But to emphasize the design.

What I MIGHT try is a piece of coax screwed onto the connector, ( presuming it fits) then tighten the nuts with an end wrench.

Still might just be easier to pull the board, pull the heat sink, and do it that way.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Still might just be easier to pull the board, pull the heat sink, and do it that way.

That'd be my solution, but if you have a different time v. money perspective you could just disable it in the device mangler, buy a superior PCIe wifi+BT card and use it instead.

 

[Tech Junky]

buy a superior

That's a good point. If pulling the mobo to tighten the nuts might as well swap in a WiFi 7 M2 while you have things apart. Intel cards are only $20 and Qualcomm based options are slightly more around $40.

 

[BoomerD]

Yeah, I thought about that. Not sure I can justify the cost…however minimal. I rarely use the bluetooth, and the wifi even less…but if the board has it…I expect it to work.

 

[BoomerD]

So...I had emailed MSI's tech support about this...got some "nothing replies" about how long have I owned it, could I return it to the seller...that kind of crap..finally, once I explained, I got this:

just keep in mind that if you damage the board further the warranty may be voided

 

[DAPUNISHER]

MSI response translation - Not only are we not going to provide you with any meaningful help, but if you have a PICNIC you are on your own, good luck and may the odds ever be in your favor.

 

[DaaQ]

Yeah, I thought about that. Not sure I can justify the cost…however minimal. I rarely use the bluetooth, and the wifi even less…but if the board has it…I expect it to work.

I had bought some higher gain antennas off monoprice years ago for an Engene (sp) product with extra gain on them. Just a thought.

 

[BoomerD]

Doesn’t look like they still have wifi antennas…or at least they don’t come up in a quick search. I’ve considered some of the antennas sold on Amazon. The little stubbies attached to the back of the mobo can’t be that good…and they interfere with some of the cabling.

 

[Tech Junky]

Search for MHF4 antenna and you should get some results.

 

[BoomerD]

Search for MHF4 antenna and you should get some results

Showing Results for "MHF4"(0 RESULTS)​

We were unable to find search results for "MHF4".

Once I add antenna to the search, I get tv antennas and a few other oddities.

 

[Tech Junky]

Try AliExpress. That's where I find things these days.

 

[BoomerD]

Try AliExpress. That's where I find things these days.

Lol…no.

Maybe something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Eightwood-Tri-Band-Magnetic-Extension-Computer/dp/B0C3485467?ref_=ast_sto_dp

But I’ll need an extension cable to reach the top of my desk/hutch.

 

[Tech Junky]

extension cable

That just makes things worse as the attenuation goes higher and thus lower performance.

I tried most of those base antenna setups and they didn't do much more than add to the cost.

Antennas and pigtails should be less than $10 and 0-(-3) in terms of gain for the best performance.

 

[BoomerD]

That just makes things worse as the attenuation goes higher and thus lower performance.

I tried most of those base antenna setups and they didn't do much more than add to the cost.

Antennas and pigtails should be less than $10 and 0-(-3) in terms of gain for the best performance.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I rarely actually use the wifi on my PC, and the stubby antennas that connect to the wifi ports on the IO panel kind of interfere with cabling. (Ethernet, USB above them) For now, I’ll just try to tighten the nuts that hold them to the IO panel and call it good.