How-to: Make your own 1920's style bluetooth handset
posted June 7th 2005 2:18PM
This week's how-to is brought to us by Jon Preussner, who'll be
showing us how to make a bluetooth handset out of a slightly less cutting edge piece of telecommunications…
This device is a conversion of a 1920's candlestick phone to a bluetooth enabled handset. I thought it would be a fun
gadget and conversation piece to have on the coffee table. Also I am sure this delivers the lowest amount of
brain-tumor-causing radiation of all the headsets currently on the market. Even the tiny bit of RF generated by the
bluetooth module is over a foot from your head. It would make a great gift for the paranoid.
Parts list:
-
Bluetooth headset, run over by car (run over by car is optional)(ebay) $10 link
-
crosley candlestick replica $50 (or use a real candlestick phone if u want) ebay
-
tools, soldering iron, dremel, hot glue gun, stuff everyone should have around.
-
clock $16- to fill the void where the cheesy looking dial used to be.
Total parts price: $76
Procedure
1. Take apart the HS810 bluetooth headset. I assume any bluetooth headset will work. this was just the best option
for me. The device had been crushed by a car. All the switches and parts were shot but luckily the circuit board still
worked. A $10 gamble :)
The two switches that will be interfaced control the on/off function and the pickup/hangup/voicedial function.
2. Disassemble the candlestick phone, clip out the circuitboard and check out the parts.
3. Interface the on/off contacts of the circuitboard with a simple switch. They’re tough to solder, luckily Steve was
helping me and he has strong soldering skillz.
4. Interface the main button contacts with a modified version of the existing arm-switch. The main button requires a
“pulse-like” connection. We’d like this to happen whenever the speaker is lifted or put back. to get a rising and
falling edge. Here’s an ascii diagram:
To make the first edge, wires were connected to the surfaces of the arm and switch. The meet, a contact is made, then
the arm keeps moving, flipping the switch and breaking the contact. The arm is now up or down.
Remember to leave some extra wire, you’ll have to connect the wires through the dial-hole.
5. Connect the mic and speaker to the wires on the headset.
6. Test it out.
7. Making room for the clock in is a bit of a pain in the ass. The original position of the large weight is in the
way. Pry it up and move it further back in the base. There is plenty of room since all the old circuitry has been
removed. Dremel out useless plastic parts in the way. Glue the weight down in the new position.
8. Mounting the clock is a serious pain in the ass. The clock I picked up at a craft store was a bit small for the
dialpad. Make a mount from a mini cd. Tape one side of the CD, trace out the back of the clock, and dremel out the
middle. Spray paint it black.
9. Hot glue the cd inside the base, put the clock in, glue the clock in place.
10. Close it up — you’re done! 10 easy steps. walk around in public with it. It will get you more attention than those
boring earpieces.
the world is going crazy.
Hacks on Engadget and news on Hack a Day!
This is all well and good, but arent these hacks supposed to be original? This concept has been floating around for at least a year.
Okay, put a completed version up on eBay and I'll put up at least 100 USD for it if I see it there. :-)
Sorry,
This IS an awesome hack. Well done!
Joshua "Yoshi" DeHerrera did this a long long time ago, same concept same implementation except that it wasnt a candlestick version...its a cool mod none the less...
What phone is shown next to the candlestick phone? I see a motorola symbol but can't seem to find that model on motorola.com
I think this is THE FRESHEST idea I've seen yet on this website. You should market these... I'd buy it on the spot. Congrats on your cool design.
The Moto headset model is the HS-810 and can be found on their website with the search function. Or cut & paste the following into your browser address: http://direct.motorola.com/ENG/Web_accessories_detail.asp?Country=GBR&language=ENG&productid=29211&lSecondaryOption=11&strprimaryOption=Acc
RE the RF radiation comment: yes there is *some* radiation, but at 10mW, Bluetooth is a tiny tiny fraction of the several watts your cell phone puts out!
That's a pretty neat hack.
And for Sharpie, that phone looks like an open A630. I'm not too sure though.