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Internal bluetooth in iBook G3 A1005?

N

NightLord

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 25, 2005
162
0
I managed to nab an iBook G3 for £20 and am pretty much loving it.

One problem is that for bluetooth I need to use a dongle, and even with modern super teeny-weeny ones, it's a bit of a pain.

Now, I know it's possible to solder the connectors to a USB port and install the dongle internally, but this also has the disadvantage of disabling the use of your USB Port.

Therefore, does anyone know if the iBook G3 (A1005, 800Mhz) has any internal USB connectors that will allow me to do this without sacrificing a USB Port? When I had it open after I got it (Had to replace a broken display cable), I had a brief look, but it wasn't very thorough.

Before I crack her open again, I'd just like to see if I can save myself a lot of time and effort for a possibly fruitless search.

Any info is much appreciated :)
 
Giuly said:
The AirPort card slot has Mini-PCI for WiFi and an USB-Connection for Bluetooth. Just swap the AirPort.
Click to expand...

...ummm, no. :confused:

only later ibook g4 systems had a BT option, and only the last 12" 1.33 and 14" 1.42 had it built in. link HERE.

without the internal usb surgery, don't know a way to do it. if it was mine, i would rip out the modem, put it in the top left corner, and then place a small disconnect switch where the modem port was so you can enable/disable it as needed. best of luck.
 
Giuly said:
Right.

But you could try to find a tiny 2-port hub (Like in the Apple Keyboards), and solder that one to the logic board, and the usb connector and the dongle to the hub.
Click to expand...

I suppose if you get any 2-port dongle/hub and pull the case and everything off it will be pretty small ;)

To the OP: What are you using bluetooth for on an iBook anyway?
 
bluetooth :eek:
....what do you want to use bluetooth for on a ibook g3 :confused:

...a apple bluetooth mouse eventually springs in my mind , other than that i cant think of any use for bluetooth anyway


but to your question as far as i know there is no connector inside to connect the bluetooth dongle to and i am sure there is no internal usb connector you could use without losing one of the outside ones , but maybe you could try to dismantle a tiny usb hub and solder it somewhere inside too
...at the moment i am not sure where in the ibook would be enough space for anything anyway ..
apart if you throw out the airport card or the optical drive to make space
i have seen ibook g3's without optical drive so there is enough space then and there was a cover for it where normally the lot drive was
 
Well I just like having internal bluetooth in my machines.

Plus it'd be handy to transfer pictures from my phone, and, depending on if the G3 can support it, hook up a bluetooth mouse.

As for how to do it, I guess I'm a bit stuffed without using a dongle or losing a port. Ah well.
 
hmm never had used bluetooth anyway ...i know my phone has bluetooth too , just never could figure out why as it has one of these micro cards inside, i just put that it in the card reader job done , but i am old fashioned and like things hardwired instead of wireless

but you can always try to fit it , i mean how hard can it be :D
 
MacHamster68 said:
hmm never had used bluetooth anyway ...i know my phone has bluetooth too , just never could figure out why as it has one of these micro cards inside, i just put that it in the card reader job done , but i am old fashioned and like things hardwired instead of wireless

but you can always try to fit it , i mean how hard can it be :D
Click to expand...

Well we've seen how well that mentality works for the top gear gang, eh? :p
 
sorry watch to much top gear lately :eek:
but its always worth a try , just be careful not to destroy the sweet little ibook in the process , as logicboards just do not like soldering irons very much
i mean whats wrong with a bluetooth dongle , they get smaller and smaller

tiny-usb-bluetooth-adapter.jpg




so do usb hubs
ritek_usb_drive_yego.jpg


btw the ritek hub here offers even a flashdrive with up to 8gb , which could be very handy too

so fit this tiny bluetooth adapter in one of the ibooks usb ports and the hub in the other when needed

just a thought ,but i dont want to put you of DIYing around in good old top gear tradition .."how hard can it be" , but you have seen the results of that haven't you :D


just forgot ....congratulations to the £20 ibook g3 800mhz thats a absolute bargain , usually they go for above the £100 in half decent condition
 
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