The Elusive SMA Connector Finger Wrench

UPDATE: Bracke Manufacturing now offers free SMA finger wrenches!

Many people have contacted me over the years searching for the little "finger wrenches," aka "torque multipliers" and "thumb wrenches," that many display vendors have handed out for free at trade show booths. Like a lot of people, I have one of those plastic SMA tools as well with Agilent's name on it. Other people reportedly have versions with LeCroy's, National Instruments', Noise Com's, and other companies' names on them. My e-mails to at least three companies have never gotten responses. Another request just arrived, so I again searched the Internet using terms like "sma thumb wrench," "sma finger wrench," "sma thumb wheel," "trade show gift wrench," "sma plastic wrench," "plastic connector wrench," and many other combinations. I also searched for images on the aforementioned companies' websites. A cheap plastic "finger wrench" did not turn up anywhere; however, a nice machined brass version did appear on eBay from Mathews Engineering - SMA Quick Connect Thumb Wrench (+ Allen wrench), and Marki Microwave sells an anodized aluminum one. They make an F-type connector thumb wrench as well. I once again request that anyone who knows of a reliable source of these SMA thumb wrench tools let me know so that I can pass it along.

I also discovered plastic Wing Dings™ (far left) and a slotted wrench (near left) which are for 7/16" F-type connectors that might be useful.

Pulse Research Labs sells a different kind of SMA finger wrench (right).

Posted  January 23, 2014