MP 1,1-5,1 Installing a BCM943602CDP 802.11ac Wireless Card in a MP5,1 without requiring internal BT USB Power ?

[Snow Tiger]

Just discovered something weird ...

I have a Mac Pro 5,1 that initially had no internal factory WiFi or Bluetooth cards installed .

I installed an Apple branded ( model BCM943602CDP ) 802.11ac / Bluetooth 4.0 u.FL Wireless Card in the factory WiFi slot with a form factor adapter . I did not modify the wireless card's adapter to be powered internally from the Mac's Bluetooth Slot USB power connector . So , of course , I was not able to activate the card's bluetooth circuitry . The card's WiFi circuitry was activated and connected to the chassis' internal u.FL antennas .

On a whim , I attached a Startech Class 1 Bluetooth 4.0 USB dongle to one of the Mac's factory USB 2.0 ports and activated it .

It appears as if the Continuity feature set is now available . I thought Apple branded Bluetooth circuity in the appropriate slot was required for this .

If this is true , then the expensive and difficult to manufacture BT USB booster power cable is no longer needed for the wireless card upgrades .

WiFi signal to noise ratio is also a respectable 35 . Factory WiFi hovers usually around 20 - barely usable .

That's 3M 467MP Adhesive Transfer Tape retaining the Wireless Card in its adapter .

 

[tommy chen]

first, this cable is not the power supply for the card but the data line (D+ D-)
for the BT part of the card.

if you don't make this connection you are just using the wifi function of the card.

and whether you use an original BT adapter or a USB dongle for BT
has no difference with the card on the adapter.

it's just free of sense not to use the BT part of the combined card ; -)

 

[Snow Tiger]

first, this cable is not the power supply for the card but the data line (D+ D-)
for the BT part of the card.

if you don't make this connection you are just using the wifi function of the card.

and whether you use an original BT adapter or a USB dongle for BT
has no difference with the card on the adapter.

it's just free of sense not to use the BT part of the combined card ; -)

I must have gotten some bad info years ago on that , since installers were talking about USB power required for the upgraded Bluetooth function to work . It kind of makes sense since the adapters are marked with polarity figures ( - and + ) .

Well , this simplifies installation a lot since I spend a lot of time making those custom internal Bluetooth cables .

If anyone wants to use less expensive Apple branded 802.11ac and BT 4.0 Wireless Cards for these internal WiFi and BT upgrades that utilize MHF4 connectors , the u.FL ( Mac Pro chassis wireless antenna connectors ) to MHF4 ( Wireless Card connectors ) adapters can be found here :

Antennas, Antenna Cables, Antenna Mounts, Enclosures

Widest selection of antenna cables in stock. Hundreds of antennas with variant options: 5G, 4G, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, 900MHz, BLE, ZigBee. Data Alliance is a manufacturer of antennas and antenna cables.

www.data-alliance.net

 

[tommy chen]

if the card would not already get power from the PCI slot, the wifi function would not work either.

and the connections are actually always marked as D+ and D- and not just + and - .

 

[MacAttack5.1]

What’s the best adapter out there with wires and the pin connector? Any that don’t require soldering?

 

[StephenM108]

Hi there Snow Tiger, I have an iMAC mid 2010 27 inch and I got the plug and play BCM943602CDP from OSXWIFI and the wifi works but the Bluetooth not. I used a Mac Technician to install it.
I use OCLP 1.0.1 running Sonoma. I have put 3 screenshots below. I cannot show what it looks like inside. But if you would like some pictures of the installation I can open the Imac and take some pictures. Other than that by looking at the pictures below can you tell where I have gone wrong?

Maybe this part has not been done,

"I did not modify the wireless card's adapter to be powered internally from the Mac's Bluetooth Slot USB power connector . So , of course , I was not able to activate the card's bluetooth circuitry . The card's WiFi circuitry was activated and connected to the chassis' internal u.FL antennas ."
Is the USB power supply not needed and I just buy the dongle you mentioned?

I have put the PDF installation instructions here as well. It says it is for the BCM94360CD, but I checked and the card I got is indeed the BCM943602CDP. It is in PDF Format, it's safe to open no bugs. LOL. Could you look at the instructions and see what may be missing from them? Can you let me know if you cannot open the OSXWIFI instruction PDF?

Thanks would appreciate your help.

Kind Regards.
Stephen Mannheim

Just discovered something weird ...

I have a Mac Pro 5,1 that initially had no internal factory WiFi or Bluetooth cards installed .

I installed an Apple branded ( model BCM943602CDP ) 802.11ac / Bluetooth 4.0 u.FL Wireless Card in the factory WiFi slot with a form factor adapter . I did not modify the wireless card's adapter to be powered internally from the Mac's Bluetooth Slot USB power connector . So , of course , I was not able to activate the card's bluetooth circuitry . The card's WiFi circuitry was activated and connected to the chassis' internal u.FL antennas .

On a whim , I attached a Startech Class 1 Bluetooth 4.0 USB dongle to one of the Mac's factory USB 2.0 ports and activated it .

It appears as if the Continuity feature set is now available . I thought Apple branded Bluetooth circuity in the appropriate slot was required for this .

If this is true , then the expensive and difficult to manufacture BT USB booster power cable is no longer needed for the wireless card upgrades .

WiFi signal to noise ratio is also a respectable 35 . Factory WiFi hovers usually around 20 - barely usable .

That's 3M 467MP Adhesive Transfer Tape retaining the Wireless Card in its adapter .

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