Designing a PCB patch antenna for WiFi and Bluetooth | KiCad | Philip Salmony

Calculating and designing a simple PCB antenna. Can you guess how big is it? Thank you Philip Salmony
Links:
- Phil's KZbin Channel: / phils94
- Phil's Online Hardware Design Course: marketplace.fedevel.education...
Chapters:
00:00 What this video is about
00:09 What microstrip pcb patch antenna is
04:38 Er and calculating Eeff (effective permittivity)
07:24 Calculating length of pcb patch antenna
10:04 Online Calculator to get size of patch antenna
11:20 Calculating width
16:37 The feed of a PCB antenna
19:31 Calculating quarter-wave transformer
25:18 Ground plane under pcb antenna
27:39 Finished PCB antenna
30:06 PCB antenna used on a board
37:17 Schematic
43:06 PCB Antenna Footprint
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Would you like to support me? It's simple:
- Sign up for online courses hosted on our platform: marketplace.fedevel.education/
- Sign up for my Hardware design and PCB Layout online courses: academy.fedevel.com/
- You can also support me through Patreon: / robertferanec
- Or sign up for my Udemy course: www.udemy.com/learn-to-design...
It is much appreciated. Thank you,
- Robert

[@ShopperPlug]

29:48 - Wow LMFAO... "Patches O'Houlihan"... nobody never gunna know that "inside" joke until googling it. This is by far the most astounding tutorial on the PCB patch antenna with great details of explanation and math formulas, it can be understood by hobbyists. Thanks Mr. Feranec for making these videos.

[@damny0utoobe]

Robert and Phil combine forces for antennas

[@samihawasli7408]

When calculating wavelength, you can literally type in "speed of light / (2.4 GHz * sqrt(3.1))" Google will keep track of the units very well. Who ever at google worked on their unit analysis is quite good, I have yet to run into conversion that won't work.

[@simonbaxter8001]

You should always provide 0603 or 0402 pads for an LC matching network between the antenna and output of the ESP. Through calculation and layout, you will never get the optimal configuration until you test it with a VNA from the pin of the ESP looking outward towards the antenna. Plus there are much smaller PCB antenna footprints and designs than this! Cypress have a great application note on PCB antenna design ... "Cypress AN91445 - Antenna Design and RF Layout Guidelines".

[@mostafakh5075]

Phil and Robert 👍a great team

[@lukaswalczak93]

Great video! Be careful with some ESPs, because not all of them feature a 50Ohm impedance on their RF pin! For example the esp8366 has a complex impedance like 30+20j Ohms, so it would need further matching circuitry. Always take care of the reference designs!

[@PhilsLab]

Good catch! I (naively) assumed a 50R impedance at the LNA_IN pin without double-checking. Added in an impedance matching circuit to the design :)

[@adamrak7560]

@@PhilsLab In my (limited) experience, you should always assume complex impedance at the pin for every IC. It is a nice surprise when it is 50R without imaginary parts, but usually you need to do some complex impedance matching.

[@shahzaibshamim6524]

Great video as always. Waiting for this for a very long time.

[@nikolayfedurin6025]

Thank you Robert for the great content you are creating!

[@cesar_otoniel]

This information is more practical than anything on my ee curriculum

[@maximus6884]

Absolutely quality content

[@heliumlabs]

Hi Robert, I really enjoy your videos. I'd really wish to get more schematic reviews. They're a great way to learn

[@JLCPCB]

Interesting and very informative video! 🙂

[@FailCommando]

Exactly what I was waiting for thank you

[@programmingtech2550]

You are doing a great job.

[@phamtranhoang251]

Loving your videos, I learnt too much experience from your video, your sharing, your partner sharing. They are very useful for me and everyone. Wising you are always healthy.

[@guillep2k]

Great video!!!

[@DLSDKING]

Thank you Robert and Phil for the video. TBH i thought you are gonna implement the filters on the patch itself but i learnt something new. Although an optional provision for impednace tuner with passives could potentially save respins of PCB. Also @ 35:50 you were unsure about the Tx power setting. I advise you to check esp-idf documentation for the function " esp_err_t esp_wifi_set_max_tx_power(int8_t power);" there is a similar function prototype define for arduino(if you use arduino) called "WiFi.setOutputPower(float x);".

[@ajays886]

He is one of the greatest ❤, Thanks to phils lab exploring

[@666aron]

Yet another amazing and invaluable video. This gave me insight and hope that maybe I too can learn the black magics of RF. My antenna knowledge goes as far as: this is recommended by the manufacturer, so I use this. Hopefully I will have time to learn more about it, so that I could design a custom embedded computer with integrated GSM on board. Edit: I don't know about the Arduino side, because I avoid it like the plague, but in the esp-idf, one can use any FT2232 as JTAG programmer/debugger in combination with OpenOCD.

40:30 You can also use RTS CTS pins to enter boot mode automacially. You don't need to use EN button.

[@pnjunction5689]

Very interesting video! I would like to see how the actual antenna performs. I've only recently started working with the ESP32 and I'm quite impressed by it's capabilities. There's a bit of a learning curve associated with the IDF framework, but the documentation and examples are very good. I found it much easier to start with compared to the STM32. Big bonus: you can actually buy the parts ;-) For debugging, the serial monitor is quite useful. The cheapest hardware solution for JTAG debugging seems to be a FTDI2232 board...which, of course, you can't buy at the moment.

[@NE-Explorer]

Consider the details when you make your own antenna. Sometimes you may need to tune it with a matching network for any number of reasons, especially if there us something in your enclosure that interacts with the antenna. Sometimes you need to provide easy access for regulatory testing. So consider adding a UFL connector on the feed line for a spectrum analyzer or network analyzer that can be DNP for production.

[@Gengh13]

If you made the thin line longer so it crosses the center of the other "1" pads you don't need to connect them with a track, they already appear connected. Source: I do a lot of custom multi-package footprints.

[@user-hc8lg7fs7m]

I expect this mower will last several seasons with decent care. kzbin.infoUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend Also, I ran across the problem with it not starting the 2nd time I used it. There is a safety switch which is pushed in by the chute or mulching piece being attached to the deck. I took the cover off and it wouldn't start. Put it back on, no problem. It takes only a minute with 2 easily accessible wingnuts and no tools. This mower starts up first crank each time and it is a joy to use. It also mows in reverse by putting the key to the reverse area after starting and pushing in the triangular button. It will stay in reverse mode until you turn it off. All in all, for my homeowner needs, I really like this mower-and at 70 bucks a cut here in Miami, it's already more than 1/3 paid for itself in a month.

[@MatthiasWelwarsky]

You can draw copper in footprints. You just need to make them part of the pad. In fact you can make pads any shape you want. You also missed an opportunity to demonstrate openEMS with KiCad to simulate the antenna.

[@antoinebrunel8892]

Thanks for the video! I was asking Why you let the ground plane on the bottom size ?

[@myetis1990]

OMG, Robert reads my mind :)) Previous video Zach Peterson, Now Philip Salmony, what is next? Daniel Beeker from NXP ? (SI/PI would be great!) Thanks for the great content

[@doktortronikelektronikaszk4070]

There are better antenna type for BT/WIFI. At 2.4GHz inverted F antennas, meander antennas or ceramic chip antennas may be a better solution. Especially when your product will have an enclosure walls close to antenna. Patch will detune a lot within close proximity of any plastics.

[@PhilsLab]

Completely agree. Performance of this antenna vs others isn’t great, also in terms of size. This video is simply to demonstrate one of the easiest antennae to design, without much/any prior knowledge.

[@doktortronikelektronikaszk4070]

@@PhilsLab yes, it is a good introduction to antenna topics and how to match them using lambda/4 transformer. Good job!

[@nidhinbenny7975]

Alt. Title: Lewandowski discusses his electronics hobby with Phil Salmony

[@bennymegidish]

Does the Raspberry Pi Zero antenna qualifies as a 2.4Ghz patch antenna? it is much smaller than the limitations you explained for design you are testing.

[@ggarza78]

Can I use these designs on a MEMBRANE?? I would like to add the design of the antenna on the membrane, so it is hidden and in the exterior of my instrument.

[@mibrahim4245]

Hi, Do you have a comprehensive course about antennas ? beginner-friendly ... thanks

[@sulaimansani3459]

YOU ARE SO GREAT SIR, PLEASE DESIGN MIMO ANTENNA USING 5G APPLICATION.

[@jyreprejoles7604]

Hi sir. Do you have a 2.4 ghz (wifi/Bluetooth )flexible antenna using Polyimide substrate? I think its more nice if we use flexible antenna for that project. Thank you.

[@vinaygh90]

One correction to make note of - around 21:20 and 23:45, when you calculate the width of the feed line, you are using 1GHz as the frequency. This should be 2.4GHz, isn't it ?

[@mohammadshebli162]

Nice topics as usual I would like to ask about 7:11, what does impedance here mean? and for what can we use it?

He is calculating effective permittivity and impedance here is just the impedance of the track if you draw a copper line.

[@mohammadshebli162]

@ I mentioned this because he used two websites, and each one gives different value for impedance Thanks for your response

[@AlbertRei3424]

Did the antenna work ?

[@EfraAv]

Awesome. Is it possible to use this type of antennas in the Sub-GHz too?

[@doktortronikelektronikaszk4070]

Due to antenna size rather no. Try inverted f antenna - IFA.

[@EfraAv]

@@doktortronikelektronikaszk4070 I'm looking for a ceramic antenna too but can't find a guide on how to connect the balun to the antenna. Any guidance you could give? Thanks!

[@doktortronikelektronikaszk4070]

@@EfraAv Wurth Electronics has good selection of Antennas, also Abracon or other manufacturers (i design a lot of LoRa devices on Abracon and Rainsun antennas). Key success here is to have some space on the PCB to keep the clearance for ceramic antenna. When you select the antenna - measure its impedance with VNA in the enclosure with target PCB of your device and then design matching network. Try to keep in mind that something like ETSI standard exists so attenuation of harmonics may have an impact on the matching network type.

[@enginstud8852]

I want to learn all of this from scratch, any recommendation?

[@plinsburg]

You mean the RF world and antennas design or the electronics in general? The traditional way in the latter case would be to start from these two books: www.csit-sun.pub.ro/courses/cn2/Digital_design_book/Digital%20Design%20and%20Computer%20Architecture.pdf artofelectronics.net/

[@enginstud8852]

@@plinsburg I meant rf world and anthenna,thanks, I'll check that