Bluetooth boombox

posted May 31st 2010 11:00am by
filed under: digital audio hacks

[Nathan] took this boombox and outfitted it for Bluetooth streaming. He took a Motorola DC800, which is meant to make headphones wireless, and connected it to the stereo inputs. The controls for the Bluetooth module were routed to the stock tape deck controls and a little bit of frosted spray paint adds a blue glow to the cassette window. Now he can stream music from his phone, including internet radio, which he’s done in the video after the break.

Did he find the most annoying demo video music ever? You be the judge.



23 Responses to Bluetooth boombox

  • Joshua says:
    May 31, 2010 at 11:07 am

    Most annoying? No, but damn close. This kind of reminds me of old Star Trek music and sound effects.

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  • anon says:
    May 31, 2010 at 11:46 am

    What would have been snazzy would be if the whole Bluetooth® module been fitted to one of those cassettes used to give you an input. Then you have a Bluetooth® cassette tape adapter and preserve the look and sound of the stereo.

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  • aztraph says:
    May 31, 2010 at 12:08 pm

    reminds me of the music that kills the aliens in “Mars Attacks”

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  • aztraph says:
    May 31, 2010 at 12:09 pm

    and is he dancing to it towards the end? almost as strange as the music

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  • Hitek146 says:
    May 31, 2010 at 12:15 pm

    Hmmm… How about integrating a micro rechargable Bluetooth headset into a cassette case with a magnetic head so it would be removable and could be used in other devices, like older car stereos…

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  • MS3FGX says:
    May 31, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    @anon,Hitek148

    I am 99.99% sure such a device already exists, I seem to recall seeing it in one of those high-end audio magazines.

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  • sage says:
    May 31, 2010 at 1:09 pm

    @MS3FGX

    “one of those high-end audio magazines.”

    So it costs 100x what it was to make?

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  • TechLover says:
    May 31, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    Pretty cool idea – but this would only be capable of mono sound, would it not?

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  • Roberto says:
    May 31, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    No need to subscribe to an expensive audio magazine:
    http://www.buynowmobi.com/Bluetooth-Cassette-Adapter-Silver

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  • Fermicirrus says:
    May 31, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    I guess the (almost) obvious music choice for such a device would have come from the soundtrack to Breakin’ but the slowly pulsing light was telling me to put some old sci fi music on and I had the track (being played in the video) on my phone already.

    here:

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  • Hirudinea says:
    May 31, 2010 at 5:32 pm

    Yea with the electric boogaloo this would have been funky fresh!

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  • godard says:
    May 31, 2010 at 5:58 pm

    “and is he dancing to it towards the end? almost as strange as the music”

    I read this before the video got to the ‘dancing’. Needless to say I was laughing the whole time, hahahaha

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  • Heratiki says:
    May 31, 2010 at 6:49 pm

    Is this what you guys were talking about when you said Bluetooth Cassette Adapter???

    http://www.geekalerts.com/bluetooth-cassette-tape-adapter/

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  • Charles says:
    May 31, 2010 at 8:05 pm

    I think this song was used in a episode of tom and jerry

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  • Ivan says:
    June 1, 2010 at 2:01 am

    “there was no stock audio input on the boombox, the bluetooth receiver’s output was wired into the inputs for the tape deck’s magnetic (play) head”

    There must be a better place to hook into the amplifier input. Even the cheaper tape players have features that will interfere with the signal, like automatic gain control, dolby deemphasis, and the like.

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  • strider_mt2k says:
    June 1, 2010 at 2:48 am

    Bluetooth, of course!

    Maybe I’ll have to post my recent “universal boombox” project that will mount up nearly any handheld device and charge it via USB to boot!

    Stuff like this is really cool, especially when you end up with a really useful item.

    Kudos!

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  • Ivan says:
    June 1, 2010 at 6:41 am

    There are also special equalization curves used during tape recording that will kill the treble if you connect something to the head cables. Look for NAB equalization curves.

    http://www.soundfan.it/FOTO/REGISTRATORI/nab_curve.jpg

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  • fermicirrus says:
    June 1, 2010 at 8:51 am

    @strider_mt2k

    Let’s see it!

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  • concino says:
    June 1, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    Isn’t there an impedance difference between, headphone out and tape head pickup? Not to mention tape head pickup is per-amplified which is not necessary. I cannot imagine this sounding any good.

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  • fermicirrus says:
    June 1, 2010 at 4:00 pm

    @concino

    Yeah, durr, forgot the resistors. I had it on a low volume to test it out and it was ok but a little distorted at higher volumes. I’ll throw some in there and see how it goes

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  • fermicirrus says:
    June 1, 2010 at 4:48 pm

    better yet, i might bypass the cassette preamp

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  • fermicirrus says:
    June 1, 2010 at 6:00 pm

    (did it) (updated site) thanks

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  • bill says:
    June 2, 2010 at 2:25 am

    sounds like music Cpt Kirk see a green alien chick danceing few feet away and tey start humping
    Damm you now i got this song in my head

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