New life of the old Wi-Fi module

       Let's start with the fact that the manufacturers of many motherboards of the premium segment are equipped with built-in Wi-Fi modules. Of those that I met, these were mainly Asus and Asrock motherboards.
       The other day, they gave me the "details" Asus P5N32 SLI Premium.

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       Having tinkered with the patient for some time and realizing that he was not subject to resuscitation (thanks to Nvidia chipsets), it was decided to send him to the rack with other "donors". I was only interested in the wireless module. He kept only due to the connector and the metal corner screwed to the motherboard, so it was easily removed.

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    On the reverse side,

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        Quick Run and Asus Forum gave out the pinout of this piece of iron.

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       It can be seen that the module is designed to work on a USB bus. For its full operation, you will need to use USB + 5, D0-, D0 +, GND and + 3VSB. The first four can be obtained directly from the USB connector. But to get + 3VSB i.e. We use a linear power converter, such as AMS 1117 3.3 , which will allow us to get 3.3v from 5v, making our device independent of the motherboard and completely powered by USB.

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       Since I do not like irreversible changes, I decided to make a USB cord in which on the other hand there will be a so-called “comb” that will connect to the module connector.
       For this, a connector with a suitable pin pitch, a power converter, and a couple of 22mkF 25v capacitors were soldered from a dead motherboard, which would be soldered to the input and output of the converter to facilitate its life.

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       To begin with, we put on a converter a piece of heat shrink for insulation. This will allow it to be placed between the ends of the comb for minimal dimensions. We solder to the converter Ground (to Ground), + 5v (to V in ), + 3.3v (to V out ). Also, between + 5v - Ground and 3.3v - Ground, we solder the capacitors, observing the polarity. The result is such a thing.

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       Solder the USB connector to the other end of the wire.

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       We connect this creation to the module and the computer.

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       Download drivers withmanufacturer’s site , install ...

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       For a more aesthetic look, you can put on a USB connector and a "comb" shrink.
       As a result, we get a USB Wi-Fi module for any experiments or everyday use.

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