Acer 5100-5830 and Internal Bluetooth module

I know the discussion of adding bluetooth has been covered in the 5102 post, which I originally had, but when it died prematurly, the outlet where I bought it exchanged it for what I thought was another 5102 -WLMi but with 2gb ram not the 1gb in the original.

It turns out what they gave me is a 5100-5830. This notebook seems identical except for the extra ram. It has the same none functioning BT switch on the front say's " no device" when you switch it. And that's where I'm concerned. Why the model number change? What's different?

I would like to add the internal bluetooth module that's available but does the 5100-5830 have the same internal connections as the 5102-WLMi? Is the mobo perhaps the difference between the 5100-5830 and the 5102-WLMi ? Both are listed as 5100 series notebook.

Does anyone have this model that has tried adding the internal bluetooth module?

 

All the motherboards in 5100 series are similar, except for the integrated GPU and graphics memory. I have 5101 with x1300 and in a couple of weeks I'm planning to add an internal Dell bluetooth module (BCM92045MD). If there's anyone interested, I could post some info on the project, pinouts and stuff. But before that, I have to try, is it even possible to get the module working.

 

excuse me joining on, but i have the 5630, and have been wondering if the bluetooth module was available to "plug on" to the mother board.

very interested as I have the switch on the front fro bluetooth and 3g

 

My 5101 came with the bluetooth switch on the front as well, but no bt module inside. I'm not sure about 5630's motherboard, but in 5100 you have to disassemble the whole unit in order to place the module inside and need a special 8-pin cable to connect the module to the mb. Not exactly a "plug 'n play" method.

The second problem is that only few places sell the original bt module (BCM92045NMD), that some 5100's come with and it's ridiculously priced (around $80 with cable). That's why I ended up buying an alternative module and hopefully I'm able to get it to work.

 

Yes, i'd be interested in hearing how it turns out.

 

Ok, the Dell 355 Bluetooth (BCM92045MD) module is now in place and working. It was quite a job, but definitely worth it. The first thing was to disassemble the whole laptop: Remove cpu and heatsink, screen, keyboard, upper and lower case, basically everything you can pull out. I followed Aspire 5100 service manual and everything went well.

After a long research I managed to figure out the pinouts:

Dell bt module pin 1 is the top most pin, when it's connector is facing left and you can see the main bt chip.

Motherboard pin 1 is the one closest to mb corner.


Dell 355 --> Aspire 5100 motherboard

pin 1 (ground) --> pin 2
pin 2 (usb data +) --> pin 3
pin 3 (usb data -) --> pin 4
pin 8 (+3.3V power) --> pin 1


The motherboard connector is only 8-pin, while Dell has 10-pin connector and cable. I plugged out the other 6 wires from the cable, cut the mb-end connector to 8-pin and connected the 4 cables as above. I also had to cut some plastic inside the case to make enough room for the bt module.

As everyone knows, it's crucial to connect the pins right, otherwise you risk damaging the motherboard. And you void the warrant by disassembling the unit, so it's all on your own risk. But if you're one of the diys-guys, this one works.

 

Even my aspire 5570 is supposed to have internal Blue tooth. But it is not working.. I'm getting a error message stating "no device". What is the problem?

 

These may help you on your quest:

Acer Aspire 5100 Service Manual:
ftp://www.synapsenow.com/documents/SG_AS5110_5100_3100_BOOK.pdf

Acer Aspire 5100 Bluetooth Upgrade Kit:
http://www.notebooksolutions.ca/zc/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1816

Acer Aspire 5100 Bluetooth Module:
http://www.notebooksolutions.ca/zc/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1718

Acer Aspire 5100 Bluetooth Cable:
http://www.notebooksolutions.ca/zc/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1723

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Just a note, I haven't actually used the site http://www.notebooksolutions.ca
I just found out about the site on the forums when some guy got Bluetooth working with the Aspire 5002WLMi.

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Check the service manual to see if you can add on a bluetooth module:

Acer Aspire 5630 Service Manual:
ftp://www.synapsenow.com/documents/SG_AS5680_5630_3690_TM4280_4230_2490_BOOK.pdf


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It means that there is no bluetooth module inside your laptop. Acer shares the chassis amongst different laptop models, some of which have bluetooth and some don't. Check the following link to the service manual about the Aspire 5570 to see if the motherboard supports adding on a bluetooth module.

Acer Aspire 5570 Service Manual:
ftp://www.synapsenow.com/documents/S.G_AS3680_5570_5580_BOOK.pdf

 

Any news on this? Where exactly is the connector on the mainboard? You didn't take pictures did you?

 

Does anyone have the 5570 service manual available. The ftp site requires a username and password.

 

Hello vanian, thanks for the info.

You said you did some research to find out the pins. Can you give me some links or pdf whatever you used to figure it out?

There is a 360 module available, either the TrueMobile 360 or the one for Latitude XT and it has the same 10-pin design. Logically it should be similar and it should use an USB connection. It does not really make sense to create a new proprietary connection for such a module but before ordering it I would like to find out more.

I was thinking to order the 4pin Acer module in ebay but it does not seem to be EDR, just Bluetooth 2.0

 

I'm getting ready to wire up the Dell Bluetooth 2.0 Truemobile 350 RD530 module to my Acer 5620-6830 as described earlier in this thread. To my Knowledge the Dell 300, 350, and 355 modules all share the same pinout, etc. I'm not sure about the 360. I'll take pictures and post a new thread once I do (module is en-route).

I went this route rather then the OEM Acer Module ($100 shipped with module and cable) or the Oldegg generic adapter on eBay (no BT 2.0 and EDR, $30 + S&H).

The Dell card on eBay was about $14.50 shipped for me, has a connector I can downsize to fit the acer, and has native support in Windows Vista Ultimate x64 I am running on my laptop.

 

If anyone downloaded the Acer Aspire 5630 service manual, could you please post it - or send me a private message or email with attachment? The original link shown in this thread no longer works and I have need of the manual to determine where that BT module is supposed to be and whether I should see about acquiring and DIY installing it.

Thanks,

Da Liz

 

Hey everyone
I have an Acer Aspire 5580 with 6pin for bluetooth.
My question is:
I have BCM92045NMD module with 8pins/ 8 wires, how can i know where to connect each wire to the correct pin?
Anyone knows about this?

 

Anyone have an up-to-date location for that 5100 service manual?

 

http://www.nodevice.com/manual/acer/page10.html