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Comment by drmpeg | Hacker News Reader

Sorry, u.fl connectors are horrible and I'll never buy a product that uses them.

I don't like them either, but I couldn't find a better way to provide the clock in/out feature and still fit in that area of the board. The optional OCXO on the opposite side of the U.FL connectors doesn't help (can't do edge-launch mmcx, for example), and if you move down you would ruin the legend for the user interface connector.

But fair feedback, noted. I can't move the optional OCXO below the enclosure, as that would be taller than the aluminium block itself and require a slot breaking the RF shielding, but maybe I can move the connectors. I'll try and get creative.

Edit, surface-mount MMCX to the rescue? https://i.imgur.com/1GJhJa6.png

I wouldn't change things on my account. I certainly understand the density advantage to u.fl connectors. They just grind my gears.

Best of luck with the project. I couldn't find anything on "Granita". Is it called "SnowWings" now?

No, I think your feedback is fair, MMCX connectors are certainly more durable. Maybe the tradeoff there is that they are not as common, so I might need to include adapters as well. I would like to have them on the opposite side of the board, so that we can maybe enclose them with the CNC enclosure which would make it truly pull resistant.

The Granita is technically unreleased, the manufacturer has been making changes to the packaging of the chip as recently as a couple of months ago. It's based on the same silicon as the IceWings: https://arcticsemiconductor.com/icewings/

They will be the first thing to break.

I can't stand the amount of fragile connectors people keep installing on expensive boards. My BladeRF's micro USB 3.0 sheared off.

USB-C is even a bit contentious for me. USB-A with the 3.0 extensions is much more durable.

Yeah, USB-A/B are the best, where applicable.

Where's the problem? Place the board into a housing, you want to do that anyway for shielding and to prevent random crap on your desk from damaging the board, and use u.fl to whatever socket type you prefer adapters.

Here is a fast render of what the enclosure might look like (work in progress): https://i.imgur.com/AEYgLxU.png

The idea is however you get shielding and cooling, sit it on the desk upside down and have all the RFNM boards accessible from the top.

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