yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
Cool mod Xach with the plastic shim.

Looks like you are pulling your WIFI from Right PCB. Your Left PCB is gapped as well. I don't see why people are saying there is nothing wrong with the wifi antenna and its design. This is true with the right PCB WIFI.(its actually connected to the copper antenna). The left WIFI PCB is not connected to the copper antenna. WHY even have a left WIFI copper antenna if nothing is connected to it! how obvious is this. I am not sure why people are denying this.

I pm'd Gary. Going to write a few emails to asus. Hopefully we will get an offical word on the LEFT WIFI PCB gap.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Ruprect:
Xach you sir are a friggin legend!

I had my prime apart today testing it with an active external gps antenna. The results were good and I had plans to do a mod using the proprietary connector.

Just for ****s and giggles I tried your shim suggestion with a small slither of thin cardboard.

The bloody thing now gets sats and locks like a breeze. I seriously would struggle getting 6 sats and 3 in use. Using google Nav was a JOKE. As soon as the car moved it would lose lock and never get it back until you were stationary for atleast 2 mins.

I just went for a spin around my suburb with wifi tether. I am talking 12 sats in view and 10 in use the WHOLE time.

Gents there is nothing wrong with the antenna design or the backplate, there is a problem with the seating of the pogo pins.

Major Kudos to xach for giving me a perfect prime. I must admit I was a backplate believer but I was wrong.

For those too scared to open your primes, I would now highly recommend it. watch the vids, use plastic tools, go slow.

Sometimes it really is the simple things.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] skygunner27:
I appreciate the amount of work that has gone into improving the TF201's poor WiFi. Has anyone figured out why Bluetooth and WiFi at the same time causes the WiFi to become unresponsive?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] slugbug2010:
Please indulge me. I have a few questions. I have been following but a lot has be going on.

We have two mods that appear that help/work, right? Erusman & others with antennas that lead to the exterior of the tablets for better wifi and gps signal and now Xach with a shim that appears to help get a better connection inside the tablets.

But Erusman tried his mod inside the tablet and it didn't work as well.

I don't care if it's partially, fully or not at all caused by the backplate. I don't care. I'm more curious about why there continues to be be varying results. I don't understand he lingo being used for some of the mods so I know I'm simply not understanding some of this.

So my question is this - are the various mods pointing to the same problem? If so, but what is it (or does it vary depending on the tear down?)???? Pogo pins not making the connection? Bad wifi and/or gps connection points? It doesn't seem like it's the backplate, for all, but seems like it makes a big difference for others.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] tshoulihane:
Nice. Depending on how thick the PCB is, and if it has copper on the back, this might actually be providing a tweak to the antenna performance, not the electrical connection. Spacing the antenna off the case by a few 0.001" WILL affect the tuning of the antenna, maybe this is enough.

A test would be to trim down the pogo to allow more hight in the case. Maybe a spring contact (as used in some phones), then you might not get the distortion of the main PCB.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 1SiK1500:
I will be trying the "shim" method after work today. As i am still within my return window if anything happens.

My Wifi isnt horrible but what gets me is sitting 4 feet from my router i only show 89%? while my rooted nook color shows 98%. Also my GPS is non existant. As in i have never ever had any lock.. inside or outside. I will post back in here once i give it a shot. Thanks all for the ideas. I commend all your efforts to make a great device, greater.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
There is more than a 0.001 gap. The gap is ALOT larger. I am no antenna / RF whatever expert. I just know there is no connection there. I tried soldering a connection directly to LEFT WIFI pogo directly to LEFT WIFI antenna. I soldered from GPS antenna to GPS antenna. I soldered RIGHT WIFI directly to its pogo. I then closed the tablet shut. GPS didnt work. WIFI i said worked. BUT it was very weak. NOT like i am getting now. Like I said now I can go 50 feet away from my router and still pull all WIFI bars on fan.

Like i said why have a Left Wifi antenna if nothing is connected to it. A gap means no connection. I have never seen an antenna being gapped that much and work.. lol.

Take out your Left WIFI PCB completely. Keep your RIGHT WIFI PCB in the tablet. (GPS will of course not work). Test your WIFI then. (RANGE distance as well).

Let me know your results.) IF they are the same. Then it proves the point that the LEFT wifi antenna is not doing anything. END of story.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
This^^^

I can not find my plethora of opening tools to save my life :( But so long as I get something together I'll do it myself this afternoon. Ready to put this particular bit to rest, I agree with you on its lack of complete connection within the PCB.

Everyone saying it can't be this, their WiFi works "just fine," isn't approaching this quite right. That's cool that it works for you and your needs, but how does this prove that both antenna are indeed functioning? As opposed to your single antenna just getting the connection it should?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Chemas:
Did you try to take out RIGHT antenna...to check if left antenna is working?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
^^This as well

Lol, I plan on doing as much testing as possible as soon as I have viable tools, and I'll do each one several times and in every combo (because there are so many >.>).

I'm super curious on how everything is actually attached to the backplate. No one's been brave enough to try and completely strip the Prime down have they? (Apart from the discredited Anand)

Won't be willing until after my return period (bout a month), but I'd love to get rid of included antenna, put more powerful ones inside, and still do an (a couple?) RF window(s) with some plexiglass or something. Mod, keep form factor AND general look, and increase signal input for GPS as well as WiFi.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] dpwhitty11:
I took the dive and opened mine up and good a good amount of testing.

I'm uploading 1080p videos I took of the whole thing, ETA an hour or so.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
This....

I dont have pogos no more lol.

So if someone can do this it will end the question. Thxs
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] blinky44:
Thanks for the continued humor, I appreciate the upbeat approach to this thread versus all the discord in some of the other ones that were posted over the weekend.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] monkey10120:
i actually tried the shimmy mod and had no luck :[ i am actually going to try springs that touch the negative side of batteries in an old remote. well see how that turns out.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] aznmode:
With Xachs method I think more people are going to be opening theirs up. So just a reminded and dont mean to sound like a broken record but for those that are just opening yours up when you close it back up make sure you start from the top first. Slide the tabs in instead of pushing it down in place. Then snap the sides and lastly the bottom then lock the latches.

If you do the bottom first and do the top last you wont have a choice but to push to snap it in place which could result in you breaking some of the tabs. Happened to me already. The top tabs are longer.

As far as opening I think the best approach is either do the bottom first or sides. Once you get the sides and the bottom done just lift the screen a little bit and slide the screen downwards and you wont have to pry the top tabs open.

Once you have the screen off and look at those top tabs, compare it to the sides then youll see why I think it should be open and closed this way.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] mbo1951:
Great! Looking forward to them and will be trying Xach's mod later today. Thanks, and I, too, appreciate the tone of posts in this thread.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Caanon:
The gap in the trace is intentional and not a manufacturing defect, as has been said before. RF signals travel in waves, not via copper traces.

An analogy would be to place two cuckoo clocks next to each other on the wall. The pendulums may not be swinging in synch initially, but over time they'll begin to synch up. They're not physically attached and have no way of knowing about each other except via the wall they're on, but energy is being transferred through the wall from one to the other allowing them to synch up.

Parasitic coupling is the same idea: the top (completely electrically disconnected) antenna piece received a RF wave and begins to resonate, repeating the signal and relaying it back out. The actual copper trace that's connected via the pogo pins receives both the original RF wave and the relayed wave from the disconnected antenna. If they're designed to the correct specs, both waves should synch up and produce a stronger signal that's detected by the pogo pins.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] clackity:
Unfortunately, unless I'm misunderstanding something, it doesn't fix the weak wifi when the cover is in place. If it did, I think there'd be a lot more people attempting this fix.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
Duly noted at top of other thread, in big red above all other content dealing with opening. Hopefully I've made everything stand out so people actually read before they watch...

If this is true, why better reception when physically coupling? Because of the part in red?

What, outside a lawsuit, would require ASUS to correct such mistakes? Recall still seems so unlikely, but under such circumstances what's left? A faulty design absolutely warrants correcting, be it an incompleted circuit or improperly sized/seated/whatever'ed pogopin...
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] dpwhitty11:
Alright, here is what I did:

I started at the top of mine, and began to pry apart using a tiny flathead screwdriver.... Big mistake. Don't use a screwdriver. You WILL scratch the metal and deform the plastic around the side of the screen.

Then, I used my fingernail to open it up enough to shove a guitar pick in the gap. Then what I did is slid it across either side until the top of my tab opened up. Then I did the same thing (fingernail + guitar pick) to open the sides a bit, to give myself more room.

Finally, I made two lengths of covered copper wire (not sure of the gauge) about two feet long, and made loops in either end to put on the pogopins.

These are my results.

(Make sure to watch in 1080p ;))

[YOUTUBE]T7iEt1K7C_4[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]RF6BAvFWhTs[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]qmhaLyMukWM[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]flk8uVfbiRQ[/YOUTUBE]
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Doktaphex:
I forgot to mention that yesterday I covered the connection to the main WiFi PCB with electrical insulation tape. When testing WiFi after this with only the AUX antenna, I got almost no reception whatsoever.

Therefore, the main WiFi antenna is working correctly.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] mrokeefe:
He did verify with the case closed

Modded by MBOK
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] aznmode:
From what I understand though is that it fixed gps for some (atleast 2 have reported)? GPS is what it seems like everyone is trying to get working in this thread. I myself have a fine working wifi but my gps doesn't work at all. This is the only reason I opened mine up.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Wordlywisewiz:
Okay has anyone tried flipping one of the connections upside down? Maybe they got installed backwards? Try it with that little board the primary wifi and gps are on... The radio frequency should be going towards the screen not the back! Someone try it!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] clackity:
The last thing I read was that the wifi reception still dropped off drastically with distance. In his original post he says, "WIFI performance at long range is still sucky but this definitely helped with the GPS signal."

---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:44 PM ----------

My take on the thread is that it was more about wifi. I was in the same boat as many others in that I had terrible GPS, but I had little need for it. But the poor wifi reception was the killer.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Chemas:
htt.p://wireless.gumph.org/content/4/3/011-mini-wireless-antenna.html
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
Thanks for the input. Unless this can be effective inside the device as well, though, it's not much more practical than Erusman's for those wanting to keep the form factor.

Those flat amber ones posted by Erusman, and the clear GPS one from PersonOfKnownOrigin, would be a better bet if putting something on the outside of the Prime.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] dpwhitty11:
Whoever it was who drilled the holes in his Prime, what kind of bit did you use?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
I know not what Erusman used.

I'd imagine diamond-tipped bits, but this metal should be soft enough for most metal bits (unless I'm mistaken? Aluminum isn't it?). Just have to be careful on placement, and I'd say drill from the outside in once you know that placement.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] dpwhitty11:
That's what I was thinking.... Ugh. I'd rather not drill a hole, and instead run my wires out the reset hole, but I don't have any wire that thin and long enough laying around my house.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
Are you rectifying the WiFi or GPS? Or just trying to improve both?

I would just do GPS through the headphone jack as it provided at least acceptable signal with no signs of modding, and could likely be improved upon with some kind external antenna plugged in (other than headphones, something smaller, stiffer, and less obtrusive; just speaking out my ass at this point though).

WiFi I feel most likely will require some holes and external antenna for optimum performance, but you could use small enough gauge and gromet that the holes could be minimal. Could just drill a hole on the same side as the headphone jack, and keep the bulk of the external wire along the edge of the Prime. Or modify the hole the jack is currently in to run wires out beside it.

*EDIT: And on a side note, I've just had a whimsical idea! I think I'll buy a 2nd Prime solely to play with and straight-up, balls-deep mod it. SteamPrime anyone?

**EDIT: And back to the topic's note. I wonder if Erusman could confirm for us how his BT works using external antenna for everything else. If external antenna fix the issue, you could just give up the headphone jack altogether and use BT headphones. Only if you'd never plug it up to a stereo/car/whatever normally though...
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] demandarin:
You made me laugh with the steam prime..lmfao
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] dpwhitty11:
Doing it to make gps actually work and just to increase wifi ranges.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
As far as I can think (not far mind you), nothing we do inside the case is going to give us as good of a result as doing it outside. But it can be made acceptable and still hidden in the case.

For absolute range though, external's the only option. Even if you turned your entire bezel into a giant WiFi antenna, I think the back is still going to create a bottle-neck on range.

If you weren't planning to use the keyboard (but then why have a TF?) you could easily use the docking ports and just keep some kind of antenna inside there, giving up nothing in design when coupled with the headphone mod.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] ham67high:
just curious

i am just curious cause i have seen mixed options on the way to open the prime without breaking any tabs. what is the correct way, is this the way.... docking ports release them tabs then start from the bottom and work the sides then the top, and reverse sequence??? thnx guys
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
Yes, that is the preferred method.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Lock-N-Load:
Damn.. thats the Franken Prime

I love mods, you can find the car dash mount I made around here as an example, but this one.. just to unrefined & medical feeling final product for my tastes. You did good with the grommets, but still, just to raw for me.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Ruprect:
Why are people still considering drilling holes without fully trying out different shims?

Madness

I have disconnected my aux wifi antenna and still get acceptable wifi through 3 brick walls.

The primary wifi antenna works fine, the pogos don't
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 1SiK1500:
i tried the shim method on mine with no luck or improvements
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
Good for you. Drilling is only for us extreme modders. j/k

I am happy to hear the shim mod is working for you. In my particular situation I soldered a connection from WIFI & GPS pogos to antenna. My results was I got great WIFI next to my router. However the further I got out the weaker the results would be. And I checked all this using speedtest and WIFI analyzer. All my other tablets IPAD2 IPAD Samsung galaxy 10.1 etc would pull great WIFI in my bedroom. Bedroom was located some 35 feet from router. And yes there are brick walls between my router and bedroom. The Prime would not pull great WIFI in my bedroom. (Using factory WIFI antenna) Lucky I had one bar and below 1/2 the speed / signal. And this was with me soldering connections directly to the antenna, therefore bypassing the pogo pins completely. So I drilled some holes and extended the signal outside the tablet and aluminum backplate. I was then able to pull great WIFI in my bedroom.. same speeds as all my other tablets.

GPS never worked for me when I directly soldered a wire from pogo to antenna. (IN HOUSE) When I went outside i had GPS but it took 60 seconds or more to come up and it was very weak. So I ran a signal outside the tablet. I had awesome GPS in my house and even better outside my house. (GPS test was app i used to test along with Google maps for accuracy)

Drilling holes was what I found was easiest for me. But if you have good enough wifi with what you are doing then great. I am happy for you. Mine wasn't and the range was horrible for me.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] junrider:
This is wierd that its like buying the prime, you dont know what your gonna get. Now, the mods are also working on some but not others...... Or maybe people are just doing it wrong.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
Just a normal metal cutting bit. The aluminum is very soft. Be sure you are careful with the shavings when you drill. You want to make sure you use a can of compressed air to get the metal shavings out of the tablet. Bit size was 7/32. You can go smaller if you want. Just depends on what kind of rubber gourment plug you want to use, and size of your wire.

Its up to you if you want to drill. Drilling holes and extending the wire antenna outside the tablet is what got me the best results. (WIFI range & got the GPS working for me)

I wanted to toy with these TYCO WIFI antenna.(see first post in thread). They might be powerful enough to get the same WIFI / GPS results. I dont know yet. The Tyco antenna are still on order and when I get them I will try them out. BUT if they do work. SWEET. You wont have to drill any holes. Just place them in your tablet and solder to pogo locations. So you might want to hold off until I can test them out.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] ham67high:
i think the best option would be to use xachs mod with putting shims under the board and what i would also try to do would be, on them wlan gps/aux boards the copper tabs that stick up, is too increase the length of them tabs to line up directly outside the front glass screen and aluminum bezel (flush) so you wont barely see it. it would act as a antenna, without the need of wires sticking out of the tablet....
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] opentoe:
So the solution is to raise up the board a little so the pogopin connection is tighter or something? I like this mod, since it doesn't do anything intrusive.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
I just want someone to test the gapped WIFI / GPS PCB. :D I have a feeling this PCB is doing NOTHING for WIFI.

I can't because I removed both my WIFI PCB on top and pogos. :D

Both WIFI PCB are glued down and DO come out very easy. You just have to take your time.

1.) Record WIFI db with WIFI analyzer and Speedtest) Factory.

2. ) Remove the right WIFI PCB. (One that doesnt have GPS with it and not gapped.)

This will leave the gapped LEFT wifi antenna still in tablet.

3.) Close up your prime and record results of only using the left PCB WIFI / GPS.

I can bet that you will get NO bars for your WIFI and you will get next to nothing with WIFI results.

Conclusion. Left WIFI/GPS PCB is not doing nothing for WIFI and the gap in the copper etching is a factory flaw. :p
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] xach:
that's the idea. its nothing fancy with all those theory that i'll probably nv understand. I'm not willing to do serious hardcore mod since i might consider selling this off in a few months time when the high res tablets start coming out.

My WIFI performance was mediocre to begin with and i dont think this mod did a lot to help it. what prompted me to rip it open was the total lack of GPS signal which i refuse to believe why is it working for others (of varying degree) and some is just getting pure ZERO satellite pickup.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Doktaphex:
I guess everyone missed it when I mentioned that I had done a test with the main WiFi antenna connection covered with electrical insulation tape.

What happened in this situation was that I got almost no wifi signal whatsoever. So actually the Main antenna is pulling almost all of the signal and the AUX connector is just boosting it a tiny little bit.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] jimh1943:
Great news! Just curious...do any of your birds go green..ie with a SNR above 40?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
Thank you Dokaphex!! Then there it is. I bet you will find if you cover both sides of the WIFI PCB's with tape you will get same result. The LEFT WIFI PCB is doing nothing. Because with bare pogos not touching anything. You still get some WIFI. (I am talking no bars on WIFI bar) but like 5%.

I will have a beer for you!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] bopfan:
Like an episode of House

This thread is just freakin' insane. Am totally lovin' it. It started out with the wacky idea of shaving metal off of the case. That seemed laughable. Erusman I apologize for doubting your sanity. You seemed to have inspired a whole bunch of people to do some serious diagnostic work. But it does seem like an episode of House. Every 15 minutes there is another diagnosis that sounds believable. Maybe there is just a plethora of issues with the Prime's antenna system. I am about ready to crack my case and try the shim approach. If that doesn't work I might even consider firing up the Black n Decker. Erusman I am waiting to see how the Tyco antennas fare. Keep us updated. And good work!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
:D Thank you sir. Yes, I never knew this thread would explode like this. But, the cool thing this thread is actually helping people fix their primes. And recieve the functionality they paid for. I am actually learning and having fun at this as well.

I will try the Tyco wifi antenna when I get them here in few days. I am hoping the results will be as good. Then you wont have to drill holes in your tablet and run wires out. (wait for lightning to strike and PRIME WILL BE ALIVE... ITS ALIVE I SAY!! ) lol the Frankenstein PRIME remark made me laugh.. that was cool.

Hmm now I want to watch the Mel brooks movie with Gene Wilder.. "Young Frankenstein":eek::D