SMA to Whatever v2
March 20, 2026
I made this board because I kept having a simple problem - I had a header (or less) where I needed a coax connection. The cost to make the board was nothing compared to the cost of shipping so I made a bunch of extras. Back then there wasn’t much in my store so I added kits for $3 and fully assembled boards for $4.
I didn’t expect anyone to buy the stupid thing! It was a dumb idea I had while trying to solder a pigtail to a QRPLabs Linear PA kit. The thirty or so I ordered felt like a lifetime supply.
I used two and ya’ll bought the rest. Now I have a bunch of projects where I need them again. This time I ordered 1000. The design is refined a bit for an edge launch connector but otherwise it’s the same stupid solution to a stupid problem.
Try to buy them all again. I dare you. I’ll order 10k next time. It would be hilarious if this became my best selling product.
Assembly Manual
This is probably unnecessary. There’s three parts in your kit - a PCB, an edge-launch SMA connector, and a right angle two-pin header. Tack the connector to the board by soldering one joint, adjust the connector as needed, and then solder the remaining joints on both sides of the PCB. Tack on the header by soldering one pin, adjust if necessary, and then solder the second pin.
Pictures below. Which side of the board the header goes on doesn’t matter. The silkscreen shows which pin is the signal on the header.
Caution: the PCB will get VERY hot while soldering. It’s a tiny board so it heats up fast and has no where to spread the heat. Allow the board to cool for a few minutes before handling it. I’ll let you folks guess whether I was smart enough to anticipate this.
73, AI6YM