Welcome to another episode of, "There is no way in h*ll I could do this so thank goodness someone else can." Another how-to-do on the PMA, hardware-side this time, from Stefan...

A huge "thank you" and the credit for many of the pictures used here goes to Steve Rochon (g1zmo on jbmm.fr), who was the inspiration for finishing here what he had started (at jbmm.fr). You can have a look at his detailed shots here: http://roberchon.no-ip.info/pointlisse/pma_photo/

How to enhance the WiFi range and reception of the PMA

You'll get roughly a 50% to (more than) 100% increase. I had about 5 m for "green" condition with one wall inbetween, that went up to more than 10 m now (with three walls inbetween). Nice!

Fresh from the workbench, BTW.
PCB = printed curcuit board, the green "heart" itself where the chips etc. are mounted.
SMD = surface mounted device, yes, these little ICs, transistors etc.

Precautions:

These instructions are not meant for beginners just starting using the PMA or people who have never touched a soldering iron or a screwdriver, or even had never opened a portable device like a cellphone or MP3 player or ...

In any case, this might void your PMA's warranty (if it's not too old), so please read the notes up to the end first and start AFTER you've fully understood everything. Work slowly and not under time pressure, check carefully what you're holding and what you're bending (not too heavy!), so nothing gets broken!

I'm not resposible for any damage, money loss, personal frustration etc. resulting from these notes - sorry!

1. Important !
   Make a backup of the whole content of the PMA first - copy everything to your PC (Linux box ...), so nothing valuable will get lost.
   
   
2. Take a look here:
   http://www.newmp3technology.com/francais/av400upgrade.php to see how Colin disassembled his AV420. Note: There might be some differences, e.g. the screws holding the HD on the PMA.
   
   
3. Take a look here:
   http://www.jbmm.fr/forum/index.php?showtopic=8989 (French) or
   http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.jbmm.fr/forum/index.php?showtopic=8989&langpair=fr%7Cen (Google English Translated) to fully understand about which parts were are talking here.

Willing to start, even now?

1. Okay, have ready:
   • Torx screwdriver (#6 or #7: Archosjbmm said #7, mine #6 did fit)
   • Small screwdrivers (1 or 2 flat ones, a crossed one that fit the screws on the PMA's outside)
   • Soldering iron, I used 7.5W at 400 degrees Celsius (or less) = something small and handy you would use for SMD parts.
   • Isolated copper wire, 30 cm long with max. 0,05 mm2 (description on mine said: LiFY), in a color you like (or not, really doesn't matter). Some cable similar to the antenna cable already inside the PMA, not any thicker, please.
   • Magnifying glass, or similar item. Good glasses for working/reading, if you need these yourself.
     
     
2. Remove all 7 screws you can see outside the PMA
   
   
3. Remove the seal from the battery compartment, under it is another screw to remove.
   Pull the seal gently, so it didn't get ripped - yes, this is possible! Put the seal aside so you can later attach it back.
   
   
   
4. Put the screws aside, best into some glass or tube so they won't disappear.
   
   
5. Remove the backcover first by gently pulling it up. Use your fingernails to free the cover if it won't work by itself, do not use any screwdriver to force it! There are no noses or hooks that hold it (backcover only), but in the area of the rubber feet there's some overlap - pull the rubber feet a little (1 mm) aside to get the back cover free here. Put it aside.
   
   Note:
   You need to unclip both the back and front covers from the front and bottom black plastic strips in the center (you can see the case is notched below the CH in ARCHOS below the screen). The same area where you've removed two screws each side first. you may use a small flat blade screwdriver pushed VERY carefully at the notch.
   
   
6. Attention! The black plastic cover on the small, left side contains inside the cable of the original Wifi antenna. If it falls out of the case, don't pull on it, your antenna might get ripped of the board.
   
   
7. Do the same removal to the front cover - but it's a little more difficult, because there are some hooks etc. that hold it in place. You have to bend the rubber feets CAREFULLY - just a little - to free these hooks. There are no screws holding the rubber feets, these are integrated into the top and bottom light black plastic covers (the ones that MIC TV/LCD on it = top and the reset hole in it = bottom). Do not bend the feet too much, the plastic of the top / bottom covers might break near the feet! Carefully, and slowly, here, please ...
   
   Make sure the direction keys and extra keypad etc. are not fixed to the front cover, they have to remain on top of the main PCB. The speaker stays with some rubber around it on the top of the PCB, but isn't fixed anywhere, apart from the speaker cable itself.
   
   
8. When you've done it, carefully remove the top and bottom black plastic strips/covers by pulling them gently off the PCB. Gently, don't break any notches, fixings etc.
   
   
9. On The PMA430, you have the black plastic cover for the Wifi cable (that one that covered the old connector port if you've ever seen the AV420) still hanging to the left? Fine, it's time to disassemble it, too.
   • First, remove the smaller top cover. There might be some glue / fixing tape between the upper, top cover and the bottom. Use your fingernails to open it. DO NOT PULL IT OUT, the cable is still inside! When done, you see how the RED antenna cable was fixed.
   • Remove the remaining parts of the fixing tape.
   • Push the antenna cable back thru the hole at the bottom of the black plastic cover. Take a look at pics 4 and 6 of Archosjbmm's guide to see where the RED antenna cable is. And look here, too (not very sharp, I know):
     
     
     
     
10. Put  the PMA on it's back. Push LCD display back a little to see where the Torx screws holding the HD are. You might free the LCD first from the 2 black hooks holding it to the left - just move the LCD a little up or down, there's enough length on the connector cable to do it.
    
    
11. Remove the 2 screws holding the HD plus the black plastic holder for the LCD that was fixed by the HD screws, too.
    Carefully with the LCD, have something nearby to lean the LCD on (a small case, even the PMA leather case is fine) - don't touch the LCD display too hard or pull on the connector. It's glass and it might break when pushed too hard.
    
    See pics 4 and 5 of Archosjbmm's guide to note how to hold the LCD.
    
    
12. Now you have full access to the small Wifi / Bluetooth board with the red cable. A sticker on the board may read, "USI 802.11B CF I/F SIP", if that helps to locate it..
    
    If you want a new antenna cable (YES ???), unsolder the old one. Remember the point it was soldered to. There might be some glue (or whatever) on the PCB at the place were the antenna cable was soldered to. Carefully remove it. Don't worry, if you accidentially rip off the cable. I tell you where to solder it to, later on.
    
    
13. The basics.
    The built-in antenna cable had a length of 3.6 cm (centimeters).
    
    
    Usually, this is a decimal part of the wavelength. If anybody wants to know more, check the WiFi 808.11b wavelength and see what part of it the antenna length is. There may be some formula involved in calculating the length, but that's not part of the subject here.
    
    Theory aside, I tried first a length of 4 x 3.6 cm = 14.4 cm and wasn't really successful.
    
    So I thought why not double it, and this time it worked MUCH better. That's why we now need a cable of exactly 28.8 cm length (the 0,05 mm2 cable mentioned previously, red color if you want). Remove the isolation for the length of 1/4 mm (yes, very short) on one side only. Put some tape (a very small piece) around the other side of the cable so it's even isolated at the end. A small drop of plastic glue put on it and dried overnight might work here, too.
    
    
14. The hard work.
    Solder the cable to the same point the old one was on (it connects to the tip of the connector to the right - an U.FL connector, BTW - but don't solder it to the tip, you might break or shorten the connector).
    
    The best place to solder it to is (IMHO) the upper leg of the SMD resistor (? - the small white block) to the left of the connector. It's the SMD resistor (?) to the bottom - side of the board, not the one further to the middle! The color of the SMD part were're talking about might also be grey (or light black) instead of white, as seen on the picture below.
    
    
    
    Have found it? If not or if you're not sure:
    
    You see the connector and to the left of the connector an IC (black, with 6 pins/legs). Between these two are two (white) SMD parts, one showing to the bottom side of the PCB (this is the one we need), one more to the middle of the board. The one at the bottom side of the board has two connections, one at the bottom (side of the board) and the other to the top. Use the one to the top (showing to the other, similar SMD part).
    
    You can measure it if you want, it connects directly to the middle tip of the U.FL connector.
    
    Solder carefully, don't heat it too much, don't break the SMD part.
    
    Pull a little on the cable so you're sure it's fixed and soldered okay. You can (additionally) fix it with a little bit of plastic glue, but let it dry first (best overnight) before you reassemble the whole PMA again.
    
    Keep the original antenna cable, just in case.
    
    
15. Okay, reassembling starts here.
    Put the black top and bottom of the old antenna cover back together again if you haven't done so. You don't need fixing tape here. Fix the HD again with the two screws and the black LCD holder to the left. Look at the pictures if you can't remember the right orientation.
    
    Let the new antenna cable always run free and at the outer side of the PMA. With the 28.8 cm we have now we can go almost one complete turn around the PMA - inside, for sure.
    
    
    
    Seen from the frontside of the PMA, you first go to the top (around the upper HD screw), turn right towards the microphone (still on the front PCB side), go aside the mic holder to the bottom of the PCB (there's a little space just fine for this) - further on to the back battery compartment.
    
    Turn the PMA so you see the backside now.
    
    In the battery compartment go to the left (you're at the top side now), but stay on the PCB, not to far to the left. (Further to the left the 2 covers will be squeezed together and can't hold a cable in between !!!). On the left side go to the bottom, then turn right and try to fiddle the cable thru some open space a little more to the right (near the bottom side of the HD).
    
    
    
16. Put the top and bottom plastic covers (the ones with the rubber feet) back in place.
    
    
17. First put the front cover with the LCDs underneath and the direction keys (in the right place) back into it's original place. Don't break the plastic feet / fasteners under the keypad! There are holes in the PCB where the feet for the keypads need to go thru. Remember the notches on the cover and don't pull the rubber feet too far!
    
    
18. Push the old antenna cover (plastic part) back where it was. It will be fixed when the back cover is on, too.
    
    
19. Put the back cover with the battery compartment back in place. Don't squeeze the antenna cable underneath the battery compartment, there's enough free space for it. If the cable doesn't like you, fix it with a little tape on the PCB side so it can't move anymore.
    
    
20. Eight screws to go! The 4 smaller black ones for the middle top & middle bottom of the PMA, the other 3 black ones to the left and right sides, and the metallic one for the battery compartnent.
    
    
21. Test NOW!
    To check if it works, put the battery back first.
    
    If it doesn't, sorry, you have to disassemble the beast again, carefully please. Did the new antenna cable get lose? I assume so ...
    If yes, TEST it in places/areas where you know you had no or bad signal strength / reception (the taskbar symbol went to yellow or even red in that place - you shall see more green NOW). Okay? Fine, enjoy and recommend this site  ...
    
    It is recommended that the PMA stands more upright for better reception. You can compare it to an open laptop where the antenna is around the LCD screen.
    
    
22. Shutdown the PMA, remove the battery one last time. Refix the seal (instruction sheet) to the battery compartment. Put the battery back in. Boot.
    
    
23. Done.
    Exhausted ??? Grab a drink ... and listen to good music on your PMA. (and clean your workbench)
    Don't ask me if this modification will use more power and shortened the battery running time.
    
       

 Another great contribution. Thanks!

Thomas,  (yes, from openPMA -- that Thomas) also added these comments:

One thing that might ease the process:
The UFL connector on the wireless module is not needed for anything (unless you really want to connect an external antenna). I unsoldered and removed that connector and was left with a very nice, shiny, bigger and easier to solder pad to put the wire on.

A side note about the wavelength-magic. Knowing a bit about high frequency circuits and antennae I must say that the electrical length of this prolonged wire is probably not n times lambda/2. This is due to the highly capacitive coupling between the metal case and the wire. The input impedance of an long-wire-antenna is also far from the 50 Ohm impedance of that feed line. But the nice thing is: It will work more or less anyway (due to some other factors). So you don't have to worry the modification will damage the wlan module or anything. The reception results may largely vary though (depending on exact placement of the wire and the material used for the wire). If results are not good you can try cutting the wire off by 2mm at the end (repeat until good) and relocating the wire a bit inside the case.

You should also pay attention not to short circuit anything by that wire. Make sure insulation is intact - especially at the end! You certainly don't want to fry your wlan-module by feeding it some voltage from somewhere on the pcb... 

Nice add... thanks!

And a respectful retort from Stefan:

Regarding the suggestion by Thomas to remove the connector... It may be worthwhile to wait until we've seen some pics/reports from Steve and his external antenna. If this looks nice, I would leave the connector as is so you still have the option to connect there. In addition, removing the connector is much more difficult in terms of soldering skills than just to fix the new cable. It is possible to cause damage (for the unskilled) because you need more heat to remove it.

Decisions, decisions.  Thanks!