Hot-Rodding A Bluetooth Adapter

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."

Comments

Re:We need useful hacks

[The Swedish Guy]

You mean like this hack?

Programmers with soldering irons

[wiredog]

*Shudder*

Even more frightening than programmers with screwdrivers.

Solder globbing

[nolife]

you can't be a true geek without learning to solder.

The bigger the glob, the better the job!

Basic soldering tips.

Re:Solder globbing

[Indy Media Watch]

The bigger the glob, the better the job!

I'm sorry, were you talking about soldering or masturbating?

Re:Solder globbing

[deeblite]

I think that advice applies to life in general.

I'm a nerd! Not a sprinter!

[G-Licious!]

So now we have to walk a full mile to knock that Bluetooth spammer out?

Great hack..

Re:I'm a nerd! Not a sprinter!

[theparanoidcynic]

Don't think of it as a problem, think of it as an alternative to going to the gym. The spammer makes you jog a mile, but unlike the health club you get to tazer a man when you're done.

Re:We need useful hacks

[aicrules]

What is NOT useful about extending what could be the best cross-everything wireless technology so far beyond its retail limits?

Unless the people who say that EMFs and very high and very low frequency radio waves can kill you are right, I think this is great!

I'll just wear a lead apron until they tell me one way or the other....

Soldering

[MrDoh!]

Thing about soldering, I just KNOW that the joint is bad if I've not scarred myself. At some point during the process, I have to touch skin to hot bit to make my pain sacrifice to the gods of solder. Once this suffering is endured, I know that it'll work. If no pain, no joint, and I'll have to redo it until I'm scarred from the experience.

Re:Soldering

[Anonymous Coward]

Please tell me you don't work with those 128 pin SMD devices.

Burrrrr!

[wowbagger]

OK, I don't know what scares me more:

The fact that these guys are using what looks like their kid brother's woodburning kit as a soldering iron (just look at the size of this thing compared to the size of the pad they are working on), the fact that they didn't prepare the coax (tin the leads) BEFORE they put it into place, or the fact that they are blithly ignoring the part 15 regs which DO NOT ALLOW an external antenna to be installed on a device like this.

Oh, let us not forget that the cable they are using is not rated for the Bluetooth frequency range, and will have a pretty significant attenuation at those frequencies, that the connectors they are using will not have a good impedance match at Bluetooth frequencies...

Re:Burrrrr!

[russotto]

The antenna IS the right frequency.

Re:Burrrrr!

[c_oflynn]

>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!

Re:Burrrrr!

[AndroidCat]

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.

Re:Burrrrr!

[squaretorus]

I have to say that I just LOVE, no ... I ADORE a good dose of semi-competent enthusiasm using the approximate tools with the wrong raw materials to get a result that does something cool in a mediocre fashion.

Elegence is beautiful thing - but sometimes you just long for a bit of cobbled together crap that barely does the job and has a pretty good chance of either killing you, or at the very least fucking up your neighbours radio reception.

I actually wish they'd be a bit LESS competent!!

Re:Burrrrr!

[DAldredge]

If it bothers you so much, why don't you buy them the correct equiptment and ship it to them?

Re:Burrrrr!

[carbolic]

Actually, it's an off-the-shelf Radio Shack $10 soldering iron. The point was to use easy-to-find gear to make the hack work. I used the same iron in these projects.

As for your other points: Step 7 == Tin The Shield, LMR-100 is the most common pigtail for "low-loss" at 2.4GHz, FCC regs tend to encourage experimentation (debateable), and the frikken thing worked over 1 Mile - depsite the under-engineered design flaws.

Practical Application

[Indy Media Watch]

I was struggling to think of a practical application for this so I came up with an evil one instead.

Step 1: Fit USB Bluetooth Adapter to victim's PC
Step 2: Sneak up to one mile away
Step 3: Use Bluetooth mouse/keyboard to control them

Of course, from practical jokes comes food for thought of serious security implications.

Have a look at AtStake's Ollie Whitehouse's presentation on Bluetooth insecurities and be extra afraid that you can't look around the room for the attacker any more.

Geeks do not solder

[DNS-and-BIND]

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.

Re:Geeks do not solder

[pete-classic]

You seem to have confused nerds with geeks. That's okay. Common mistake.

-Peter

PS: You're right about Radio Shack, though. They're too focused on cell phones and cheap RC cars these days. It's Fistell's for Denver geeks.

-Peter

Re:Geeks do not solder

[smellystudent]

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.

Re:Geeks do not solder

[Black Perl]

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...

Re:Geeks do not solder

[Anonymous Coward]

Bullshit.
Nerds don't know how to solder, as they never like to deal with physical reality.
However, being a geek is a hands on job, not distancing yourself from technology. What could be more geeky than building your own computer?

Also, you can have carpentry geeks, hi-fi geeks who build their own equipment from tubes and transformers.....
Geeks are good at what they do, and like to take things apart. Nerds watch from the sidelines and read about it on /.

Microwave radiation?

[pen]

So, what are microwave radiation levels being emitted from a setup like this?

That's nice, but

[Minwee]

Where does the "Type R" sticker go? What part of the Bluetooth adapter gets the "VTEK" logo? Does it use a giant aluminum wing to get extra range?

Who cares about soldering? These are the details that we need to know.

pishaw...

[di0s]

Real geeks don't need instructions...

another slashvertisement

[JUSTONEMORELATTE]

What really cracks me up is that Carbolic even links to his previous submission even though another reader had already outed him there
Dude, if you're going to post a story that's entirely within your online store, at least say so! You're making nifty stuff, geeks are likely to want it, but don't do this kind of astroturfing crap.

Did anybody read this as

[Anonymous Coward]

but come on - you can't be a true geek without learning to soldier

I thought WTF happened to the once calm, collected, slashdot geeks, ones who only goe to war if it is a Flame War.

Maybe, Bill has pissed them off one too many times. Now that the assualt weapons ban has lapsed - THEY ARE TAKING UP ARMS NOW.

Re:Woodburning iron

[ElysianAudio]

No kidding on that soldering iron. I'm surprised he didn't just destroy the whole board immediately. He should have had a proper chisel tip in the thing at least. Now if he wanted to do an actual good job, he should have had a nice Metcal solder station like this MX500. I've used these things for years and it is impossible for me to ever touch a normal soldering iron again. Just make sure to keep the tips nice and clean.

WLAN jammer

[Blittzed]

Fantastic. You've just invented a brilliant 802.11b and g jamming device. This thing should prevent the use of WLANs within a fairly significant radius. Although it uses FHSS, it will appear as all band noise to a DSSS system like the 802.11 2.4GHz devices. Why do you think there are already workplaces with "No Bluetooth Allowed"? And thats just for the short range bluetooth devices. Boosting the power on one of those things just aint clever.

Re:WLAN jammer

[Eric Giguere]

Indeed. Try even putting a regular Bluetooth adapter next to your Wi-Fi router and see what happens. I wrote about this before http://www.mobilizedsoftware.com/showArticle.jhtml ?articleId=17501803. That's the price you pay for the convenience of unlicensed spectrum. It's made me hold off from getting a 2.4GHz cordless phone to replace the crappy 900MHz phone I already have -- just one more thing to interfere with the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks. (The microwave, at least, doesn't run that often...)

Eric

-1, Parent poster is a shithead

[Gordonjcp]

LMR-100 *is* microwave cable, and N connectors are suitable for microwave.

Re:-1, Parent poster is a shithead

[wowbagger]

Sorry, but I didn't look closely at the cable or connectors. You are correct.

Can't say that I do...

[Quarters]

"Remember the Bluetooth records where we 'modded an adapter' and connected to a cell phone first from 1 kilometer, then from 1 mile away?"

Nope. Not at all. I have this thing called a "life".

long distance toothing?

[wild_berry]

Well, a mile will certainly help you go toothing. ;)

That's only only until they drop the f***in hammer

[numbski]

This is an FCC Search and Destroy Vessel, stop your bluetooth spamming, or we will be forced to drop the f***in hammer!

Oh, that tears it, drop the f***in hammer!

Cantenna

[Stonent1]

Bluetooth uses the ISM band just like 802.11B/G so a Cantenna would work. (Haven't read the article yet)

They don't work

[John Miles]

They are essentially worthless (at $20, I couldn't resist the chance to
try one). They are unable to put enough current through an object to
heat it to solder-melting temperature, unless the object is very small
and delicate (read: a solid-state component that would be easy to damage
by using a soldering iron that deliberately passes current through the
connection being made). It is tough to solder anything larger than or
equal to the size of a 1/8-watt resistor lead with this iron, and you
can forget doing antenna work or anything else that requires serious
heat delivery.

It might have worked a bit better if they had dropped their series R and
required lithium AA cells. As things stand, the miniature butane iron
sold by Radio Shack at about the same price is a much better deal.

Re:They don't work

[RedShoeRider]

The point about current leakage from the tip of an iron (either intentionally or just due to shitty design) isn't something to be lightly considered when screwing around with IC's. Simply put, they don't tolerate it well. So that iron (I've seen the ad, too) is more than a joke. It's downright dangerous when it comes to IC work. One company I worked for (we made pacemakers) only used ESD-safe butane irons for rework. Completely eliminated the chance of an electric iron doing damage.

As for Radio shack, they make (well, someone makes it for them) a decent 23-watt pencil iron for about 10 bucks. Get a 3 pack of different sized tips and some 60/40 solder(or they have thinner 60/38/2 (silver is the 2%), which is GREAT for a lot of delicate work), some 18 or 22 gauge wire, a sponge, some desoldering wick, and a cheap stand. You'll be out about 25 bucks, but it'll pay for itself over time.

As for practice....soldering is not something learned overnight. The iron is a lot like firearms: respect what it can do to you, but don't be scared of it. Yes, you will burn the shit out of yourself at least 20 times (hint: if the soldering iron rolls off of the table, DON'T GRAB FOR IT!. You WILL grab the wrong end. Every time. It's a law of physics). I found playing with old ISA cards is a great place to start learning. They have lots of big components to practice both soldering and de-soldering, and you can use the wire you bought to solder on to pins of components for practice. Give a half-hour here and there, and soon enough you'll know enough not to be dangerous. Not to say this is the hardest thing in the world, but good soldering is a skill that takes a little finesse.

Yes, you can go get a fancy Weller or Metcal workstation, but you never loose the need for a good standard pencil. Still have mine, after all these years.

And no, it doesn't impress anyone but your geek friends. But saying you can solder is like a badge sometimes. Word gets around. (Remember the original Playstation mod chips? I can't tell you how many I did when work got around the dorm that I could solder. I had laundry money forever!)

The mod needs to be on both sides, right?

[Jack Sparrow]

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.