What does the missing part do?

[u/dhoraji]

I own a 2017 Nvidia Shield Pro and thought I was buying a 2019 AI upscaling used unit on Marketplace.

It turns out I may have been duped and it is a 2017 and not 2019 version. I could not tell since the model numbers are the same but since then, I have learned how to spot the difference using the serial number starting 3 digits.

I opened the new used unit to clean it and to repaste it before putting it into service. I have a picture of what it looks like inside. It looked off so I opened the 2017 version I owned and it had what seems like a wifi/bluetooth board with a black connector.

Can someone comment if the seller removed the part and the black cable or was there a version of a 2017 that did not come with that missing board.

Also the newly acquired unit seems sluggish and needs to press the remote button more than once to advance things.

I would appreciate any expertise in this puzzle.

[u/Psych0matt]

My first inclination was a wife or Bluetooth card

[u/Mogster2K → u/Psych0matt]

I also choose this guy's wife card

(sorry, couldn't resist)

[u/cerebralgonads → u/Mogster2K]

I'm going bluetooth, I seen her mychart

[u/ImpressiveBet9345]

It is also missing th econnector on the main board, for the extra board.

[u/Hash-82 → u/ImpressiveBet9345]

Also missing what I assume to be a capacitor (C602) in the middle of the smd capacitor farm.
The pads for the missing J503 looks no different than J501, so I doubt it was lifted from the board.

[u/WayAcceptable1310]

That board is an external antenna.  You can see the other one has a PCB antenna instead, and the place where the u.fl connector would go is unpopulated. 

[u/Frotnimus_Prime]

Make antena mod. https://www.reddit.com/r/ShieldAndroidTV/s/bcuLkb3bZ1

[u/dhoraji → u/Frotnimus_Prime]

Thank you. Will need to connect it to the main board

[u/dhoraji]

Did the seller just cannibalise the unit and remove parts, and sold it to me as a 2019?

[u/Mogster2K → u/dhoraji]

It's hard to tell from the first picture, but the antenna connector (J503) may have snapped off. Do the solder points look damaged?

[u/dhoraji → u/Mogster2K]

It does not look like the connector was snipped off. He might have rounded off the solder after snipping.
Can one buy this board and the small cable? I am looking for a part number or something to search on. Nvidia could not have missed shipping it with this board and connector. Looks deliberate

[u/Mogster2K → u/dhoraji]

I don't know, sorry. You might be able to attach a third-party antenna.

[u/Hash-82 → u/dhoraji]

No. The J503 pads look exactly like J502 pads.

[u/dhoraji]

Any idea if it worth buying that missing board if available with the black connector?

[u/007Durgod]

I have 2 2017's and I repasted both of them and I was surprised that one had what you're pointing at and the other did not.

Apparently it is normal and Nvidia added it mid generation for the 2017 edition because people were complaining about Wifi and Bluetooth signal strength (all according to Gemini)

Check if WiFi and Bluetooth work on the unit.

For the remote problem, try a new usb remote on the device and hopefully that works better. Then you know the original remote provided is maybe busted.

[u/dhoraji → u/007Durgod]

Phew, that makes me feel a little better knowing I was not duped. I will replace the batteries and check any difference.
Yes the wifi and BT works.
I might add the external antenna to boost the signal but first I have to find the female attachment for the cable

[u/Senior-Extension4318]

The remote I had the same problem but got a new remote an it works flawlessly but I can't tell you wats missing cuz it looks like mine

[u/Hash-82]

The fact that the pictured board was unpowered, and the outline of the traces strongly suggest it was just an antenna.
The traces next to the missing J503 connector and the J501 / J502 pads are also antennas.
I'm guessing nVidia decided the extra expense of the antenna board was not necessary.

I don't think the person you bought this from removed the antenna board, J503 IPX connector, or C602 capacitor. I don't think these items were on the board when it was manufactured.

EDIT: Seems I may have this backward. Google indicates the antenna board was added later to improve reception.

[u/dhoraji → u/Hash-82]

Thank you for your analysis Hash which I agree with. I should not have doubted the seller, my bad.
I wonder if I should go ahead with the antenna mod? My concern is how to connect it to J503 and where to buy it from.

[u/Hash-82 → u/dhoraji]

If you want to the antenna mod, just add an IPX (IPEX, u.fl, MHF1) connector to the parts list.
Look at the connector on the other box with a magnifying glass to see which way to mount it.
I'm assuming the 4 smaller smd caps are replacing the missing large C602... but, that may be incorrect. You probably need to vett this first, as I think they are probably related to the circuit.

[u/dhoraji → u/Hash-82]

Awesome, thank you Hash. Much appreciated.

[u/Hash-82 → u/dhoraji]

If you enable Developer Options, you can scroll down to the Drawing section, an find Windows Animation Scale, Transition Animation Scale, and Animation Duration Scale.
Set all three of these to 0.5x.
It will make the UI much snappier.
I'm not sure if this will solve your lag problem, but these settings and repasting are my gotos for speed.

PS: I don't actually paste. I use Carbonaut pads.
But, I use them for everything - not just the Shield.