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Hot-Rodding A Bluetooth Adapter

Posted by timothy on from the don't-blame-us-we'll-blame-you dept.

carbolic writes "Remember the Bluetooth records where we 'modded an adapter' and connected to a cell phone first from 1 kilometer, then from 1 mile away? Popular Science has the hack in the November issue (or online now) with instructions. Additional step-by-step is laid out here for USB, and and here for PCMCIA. Soldering is required, but come on - you can't be a true geek without learning to solder."

8 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Geeks do not solder by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Sorry, but the days of geeks going down to Radio Shack and crafting things together are long gone. The modern geek does not solder. Geeks play computer games, download pornography, program (sometimes), and IRC. Soldering is a "dirty" skill, on the level with being a carpenter or plumber...it's unworthy of a geek, and it's something you hire someone to do.

    Sorry, but it's true. Ask around at the next anime convention or star wars message board...you'll see what I'm talking about.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    1. Re:Geeks do not solder by smellystudent · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Playing games and masturbating doesn't make you a geek.

      The willingness to experiment with technology makes you a geek. That may involve learning to code, to solder, or to work metal.

      --
      Predictive text is shiv!
    2. Re:Geeks do not solder by Black+Perl · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sorry, but the days of geeks going down to Radio Shack and crafting things together are long gone. The modern geek does not solder.

      The modern geek is pretty clueless how the hardware he uses works. Most would not know what to do with a soldering iron, even given an unlimited supply of logic ICs, circuit boards, etc.

      Geeks play computer games, download pornography, program (sometimes), and IRC.

      The geekdom bar has really lowered hasn't it? It used to be that geek implied some sort of competence. Now it seems that all you have to have to enter geekdom is a lousy social life.

      Soldering is a "dirty" skill

      I see... Geeks are particularly concerned about cleanliness...

      --
      bp
  2. Re:Solder globbing by deeblite · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think that advice applies to life in general.

  3. Re:Burrrrr! by c_oflynn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    >Linksys is happy, and if everyone keeps their mouth >shut the FCC never knows about it

    No, the FCC can still find out about it if it investigated a lot of complaints of interference... there is a reason devices are only allowed ot transmit a certain range!

  4. Re:Solder globbing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Did you just pull that soldering "tip" (sorry for the pun) out of your ass? A bigger glob does not mean you did a better job.

  5. Re:Burrrrr! by AndroidCat · · Score: 2, Insightful
    just look at the size of this thing

    I think the camera they're using lets them get pictures up close. I thought it looked like a normal pencil-iron with a beat-up tip.

    Years ago, I picked up a Weller soldering station when they were on sale. More expensive than a cheap pencil, but well worth it, especially on larger projects. (Just having a solid holder for the iron has probably saved me a few burns.)

    Tip: Never solder projects without full-length pants.

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  6. The mod needs to be on both sides, right? by Jack+Sparrow · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Ok for someone to steal the phone book from my Nokia from a mile away, my Nokia needs to be modded also, right? To send the data over a mile away. Or am I missing something? I watched that TechTV stunt where they connected to a cell phone using a modded linksys dongle but they did not mention modding the Nokia. If they did not, how did the Nokia transmit more than a mile? Thanks for any helpful response.