SMA Calibrations Standards Holder

General

To keep the tiny SMA standards in order and because it is difficult to read the tiny text on them, I made this holder with big text for attenuation. Using classic radio panel font (DINMittelschriftStd):

• OP - Open
• SH - Short
• 50 - Terminated 50 Ω Load
• TH - Through

Print

There are three alternatives to print, no support needed:

1. Print the STL with Basic PLA in single color
   1. Add color yourself if you like, print with text down for nicest result
2. Print 3MF that has already been colored by me
3. You want different text, open the attached FreeCAD model and change text, then export to STL and continue with 1.

It looks nicer if you print on textured plate. Use glow-in-the-dark PLA for the text if you want to improve visibility when dusk or just because it is cool.

First time it is a little struggle to enter the standards but it gets easier after that. Depending on the accuracy of your printer you may want to print with more margin, then update the model file.

One idea to easier see difference between standards could be to write on them and then add a drop of epoxy to make it permanent, or maybe some caps…

Version

• v1, 2024-03-30 first try

TODO: Add caps with letters to make it easier to see what standard is connected without disconnecting cables.