Ok, I think I may have found the missing part (an actual Sony part) to upgrade the Sony TRs to have Bluetooth internally. The part just arrived from the UPS guy and I tore open the box.

What I found was very surprising especially since I blindly ordered this part. I am now going to re-open my TR and test it out to verify that that it works. I do have this 90% suspicion that it will work…but let’s wait and see. If it does then you can bet I will document the entire process, show you where you can order it and how to set it up correctly. And no, it wasn’t outrageously expensive…but it wasn’t “cheap” either.

Expect to hear more details from me sometime this weekend.

-gr00vy0ne

Sounds interesting. I’m anxious to know the results of your little experiment.  :D

The in between pricing may suit us fine. We’re all collectively crossing our fingers.

:mrgreen:

Hopefully, it will work!  However, I will have to put my cute little SONY BT dongle up for sale only after 3 weeks of use.

Ok, so I couldn’t wait. Here’s a teaser shot of the item installed…

So the good news:

1. It plugs in perfectly and enables the hidden blue light in the front status panel.
2. It is recognized by the system. I have it showing up as a USB Bluetooth Driver (CSR) in the device manager. I’m not entirely certain if that’s the correct driver.

There is no bad news per se but rather a few unknowns:

1. I found some drivers on the UK site and they seemed to install fine for the device. However, I have no way of knowing if I installed the correct drivers or even the latest drivers. Can anyone check their device properties to see what the driver version is?

2. So, with my current questionable drivers the device is recognized but seems to be “off”. So, my question to TR1MP/TR2MP or TR1/B, TR2/B users is there a software switch to manually turn the Bluetooth on or off? Can you even turn it off or is it on all the time? If you can control the on/off, can anyone explain how it’s done?

3. I do feel I’m missing something as I need one of those mini coaxial (like the antenna) cables to connect the Bluetooth card to a connector on the daughterboard. I’m not entirely certain it’s necessary…I think it’s only for extending the antenna but it could be a power switch cable (which I’m starting to believe). I’m going to go out to my local Fry’s to look for a cable to test with.

4. I’m also assuming that Bluespace NE is the same on all systems. I suspect it’s independent of the driver software….or course, that could be a big assumption.

Lastly, as I begin amass all of the data on how to make this a smooth process for those interested, can anyone send me (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) the drivers for the Bluetooth software. I’m especially interested in TR1MP peeps since the software is in English. I will take the Japanese software as well if you have it. I’m specifically looking for drivers and application software. The drivers will probably be located in C:\WINDOWS\DRIVERS under some subdirectory.

If anyone would be so kind to take a look it would be greatly appreciated by myself…and a lot of fellow forum members.

Thanks,
gr00vy0ne

Nice going…now, price/part #/vender please.

I actually need a reason to install my A/B/G card already…since my DVD-RW isn’t coming anytime soon.

Erik

Oh schnaps! Gr00vy0n3, where do you come up with this stuff? That’s so cool!  Btw, what part #/whatever did you order?  I want to try this. Get my own piconet running.

All will be disclosed once I verify that it actually works… The hardware light is definitely encouraging but it’s meaningless if it doesn’t actually function.

It’s seems to be mostly a software/driver issue although it may be more than that. I’m just trying to save everyone the hassle of fumbling around with this. So, I suspect I will have everything sorted out by this weekend or by early next week…I hope.

I have the TR3SP from Japan but I did have a Z1 from the UK before this and the bluetooth/wireless LAN works exactly the same. The switch on the front of the laptop turns off both bluetooth and the wireless LAN.

You can then pick to have either the bluetooth or wireless LAN or both enabled using the Wireless Switcher Utility. So this on my TR3SP allows me to turn on and off the 2.4Ghz band, the 5Ghz band and the bluetooth.

Bluespace NE I am sure is the same. I can send you the drivers and the switcher utility if you like, both are in English. Also I can send you the LAN Express drivers which I imagine will work with the A/B/G card you have fitted into your laptop. If you install these first and then put on which drivers you want if you don’t want to use them, the 5Ghz option will appear in the switcher utility. If you don’t install these drivers, it’s not there regardless of the fact that your card can work on 5Ghz.

I did actually document most of the setup information in a seperate thread but no one really seems to have read it. Hehe.

that sounds really cool…i hope u didnt have to dig too deep into the machine to install it…because if thats the case i’d prefer not to risk it.

also, could u let us know the price if not the part #, etc as of now.

ty

In theory (famous last words) that’s the correct driver. The PCGA-BA1 uses the CSR chipset, so it follows that Sony would use that chipset internally as well.

Great news, and it’s cool that Sony left the Bluetooth LED in the light bar. Despite Sony’s long history of trying to make their computers non-upgradeable, the TR is shaping up to be quite receptive to add-ons with a little elbow grease. Thanks for the research, gr00vy!

If the dongle is seen by the OS as a CSR USB BT device, then it *IS* just a software/driver issue.  Trust me on this one :mrgreen:

Also, be aware that many (I’d say all) BT dongle manufacturers use just a few implementations of common stacks (made by Widcomm and couple of others) and “brand” them using the BD address of the dongle (like the MAC address in a network card).  I’d suggest that in order to find out if you have a software issue, you just install the BlueSoleil stack/app.  A demo version is available at http://ivtcorporation.com/products/bluesuit/indexsubproduct.htm  This version will only allow you to transfer 5MB of data, but it is otherwise fully functional and supports practically every chipset ever made.  I’ve been using the full version for a while now and never had a connection or compatability issue, even when my dongle is so old that the manufacturer does not support it any longer.

I look forward to hear your experience.  Having my BT internally will save me more than one headache.

Regards,
Marcelo

Ok, update on the situation. I found the software needed to supposedly turn on/off the bluetooth chip. Of course, now the issue that exists is a missing cable. It’s a mini coaxial cable (type U.FL connectors). I believe this is a necessary component and now I’ll have to order it separately. I visited all of my local computer/electronics stores and none had any and the salespeople had no clue what I was talking about (as I expected).

So, I’m going to order the part (regardless of price :( )that “should” be correct and see if it’s the final piece of the puzzle. So, progress continues…although it may take a little longer than expected as i’ll have to wait on shipping.  :?

suitable for a 2.4Ghz application. Spill the beans! What are the specs, and where did you order the unit.

Thanks!!!

gr00vy0ne - You have us all holding our breath.  Don’t take too long or there are bound to be a few casualties.  Thanks for blazing the trail, we appreciate it.