Project Report: Bluetooth Radio Build
Greetings all,
I thought I’d post my Bluetooth radio build, as I am pretty happy with the results. To be fair, I stood on the shoulders of giants (members here) and worked on two different projects I read about. These two links were my inspiration:
Bluetooth radio build.
[FOR SALE] - I'm back with my dual 3.5" speaker brackets
A big shout out to Jerry (‘74 Sport’) for his awesome speaker bracket.
I have a ‘64 Dart GT convertible, that came with a ‘65 AM radio from the previous owner. First I took the speaker bracket from Jerry, drilled screw holes, painted, then mounted two 3.5” speakers.
I had an AM Radio that came from a ‘63 Dart. I pulled out the inners, keeping (1) the tuning mechanism (just so it turned the dial) and (2) the shaft from the power knob.
I installed a Bluetooth module from Amazon. I took the shaft from the power knob, and notched it out with a Dremel so that it would slot into the knob on the BT module. A little epoxy and it holds and turns. Admittedly the notch wasn’t 100% true, so there is a little wobble in the action. As such, mounting the module was a bit tricky, but in the end… it is mounted.
Amazon.com: 200W Bluetooth Amplifier Board TPA3116,DAMGOO 100W+100W Audio Amp Board with LC Filter Technique,Dual Channel DC8-24V,Password Free Connect to Phone Quietly: Home Audio & Theater
A new LED bulb in the radio, some sliver argent spray paint, and wiring (which was pretty much plug and play using what was already there), I got it all mounted….
… and it works!
Audio fidelity isn’t significantly better than the single speaker, but it is loud and I get Bluetooth connectivity. When playing period correct music, it’s pretty cool.
The only downside is the radio knobs are a little wobbly (not horrible); which I think is due to the lack of structure in the head unit keeping everything tight.
Video:
Thanks for reading…
Greg
Greetings all,
I thought I’d post my Bluetooth radio build, as I am pretty happy with the results. To be fair, I stood on the shoulders of giants (members here) and worked on two different projects I read about. These two links were my inspiration:
Bluetooth radio build.
[FOR SALE] - I'm back with my dual 3.5" speaker brackets
A big shout out to Jerry (‘74 Sport’) for his awesome speaker bracket.
I have a ‘64 Dart GT convertible, that came with a ‘65 AM radio from the previous owner. First I took the speaker bracket from Jerry, drilled screw holes, painted, then mounted two 3.5” speakers.
I had an AM Radio that came from a ‘63 Dart. I pulled out the inners, keeping (1) the tuning mechanism (just so it turned the dial) and (2) the shaft from the power knob.
I installed a Bluetooth module from Amazon. I took the shaft from the power knob, and notched it out with a Dremel so that it would slot into the knob on the BT module. A little epoxy and it holds and turns. Admittedly the notch wasn’t 100% true, so there is a little wobble in the action. As such, mounting the module was a bit tricky, but in the end… it is mounted.
Amazon.com: 200W Bluetooth Amplifier Board TPA3116,DAMGOO 100W+100W Audio Amp Board with LC Filter Technique,Dual Channel DC8-24V,Password Free Connect to Phone Quietly: Home Audio & Theater
A new LED bulb in the radio, some sliver argent spray paint, and wiring (which was pretty much plug and play using what was already there), I got it all mounted….
… and it works!
Audio fidelity isn’t significantly better than the single speaker, but it is loud and I get Bluetooth connectivity. When playing period correct music, it’s pretty cool.
The only downside is the radio knobs are a little wobbly (not horrible); which I think is due to the lack of structure in the head unit keeping everything tight.
Video:
Thanks for reading…
Greg