Topic: Bluetooth in helmet- easy and cheap project-pics

[savannahcafe]

OK, let me start off by saying that I in no way think anyone should ever have a blue tooth bob in their ear at any time. It looks absolutely retarded. It IS NOT cool. They were created so you could talk on the phone while using your hands for something else. This means if you are in the grocery store, at a restaurant or any where where you could be holding your phone to your ear, you shouldn't be using a blue tooth ear bob. Not to mention it looks so so so stupid when you're talking to yourself.  That being said, I want to share a little project with ya. I was at the local Staples and I found a super tiny blue tooth ear bob on sale for 15.00 It is normally 40.00 so I decided to grab it in the name of science. I thought that maybe I could do something cool with it so this is what followed.

Here it is in all its stupid looking glory.



And here it is opened up. It just snaps apart. The wires you see going to the cover on the right run into the small speaker. I cut them and removed the three little screws that held the ear phone part on. Then I took a nice pair of Sony ear bud headphones and hacked one side off and soldered it to the 2 wires coming from the blue tooth thingy.





Then I simply routed the ear bud to the left ear and attached the unit at the front left of the helmet. I can place calls and receive calls from the small button. I have only tried it here at my shop and Ill let ya know what the performance is on the road. It works great in doors.



And lastly if I offended anyone with my strong feelings about the whole ear bud thing, well you might want to ask someone else cause I'm not the only one who feels this way. Seriously, are you the terminator or something? lol

Mark

[gerhed]

I agreee on the ear bud thing--Jeez !

[my78k]

Yeah I agree too...except I have one. Was bought for me by work. Not only do they look dumb they work like shyte!

Let me know how it works and I may just have to butcher it and try this out...

Dennis

[super pasty white guy]

Cool idea-  I've wondered about doing the same with a small speaker instead of an earbud.  I've always got earplugs in so a bud wouldn't work for me.

It's getting hard to tell who's crazy and talking to themselves on the street...

My peeve?  Get that damn thing out of your ear in the movie theatre. Those glowing blue lights really make me want to start throwing stuff.

Dave

[Bodi]

I wish someone would make one with the lump separate and a wired subtle earplug/mic. You could clip the lump to your shirt collar and not look like a freak alien zombie.
And... speaking as a cranky old curmudgeon... I don't want a frigging phone when I'm riding!

[mark]

If they would put a cell phone, DVD player and make it all wheel drive and call it a suv crossover it would get the soccer moms to ride.

it seemed appropriate.

carry on.

[andy750]

Bodi, I had (still have it) one of those ear bud/mic clip ones when I was in the UK - was the old style...got replaced with the new in your ear version....somethings dont really progress.

cheers
Andy

[S-Dog]

I will take a pic of a setup I just bought for under 20 bucks... It does bluetooth for you phone and it has an extra bluetooth transmitter for your mp3 player...

you can play tunes and when a call comes in it automatically mutes the mp3 player and allows you to push 1 button to answer the phone.  Hang up and the tunes start playing again..

Havign said that...  that a nice setup.. I love taking stuff apart and modifying it from its original intention.

If anyone is looking for a cheap bluetooth headset. check out www.woot.com .  2 for 20 bucks and only 5 bucks shipping.

[savannahcafe]

I will take a pic of a setup I just bought for under 20 bucks... It does bluetooth for you phone and it has an extra bluetooth transmitter for your mp3 player...

you can play tunes and when a call comes in it automatically mutes the mp3 player and allows you to push 1 button to answer the phone.  Hang up and the tunes start playing again.

Whats it called? make and model? Im interested in what you have. I would love an option so I can listen to the ol ipod

[KB02]

Well, I work for a cell phone company and love my Bluetooth headset. I use it all the time, mostly when I'm driving, but it comes in the most handy when I need my habnds to do other things (like when I'm at work, or when washing the dishes - Somehow my mom knows when I'm washing dishes and she will call).

But, with that said, there is no way in ever living H#LL that I will have a phone headset in my helmet. I used a CB before an that was annoying enough. There's so many things going on that we need to have our attention on when riding down the road that a phone call should not be one of them.

Okay. I'm off my soap box now. Nice looking work Savannacafe.

-Bob
KB02

[my78k]

I like it more for the convenince factor...not having to take off the helmet and gloves etc to return a 2 second call or page while commuting to work. Never fails when I ride in I always get paged by my boss! This way I could quickly pull off and return the call (usually just to say I will call him in .5 hr when I get into the actual office) or whatever in seconds rather than fumbling around. Other thing is lots of times with stop and go traffic during the commute I could talk no problems as getting distracted at a walking pace isn't really a huge concern to me. I would definitely want the ability to ignore the call still rather than have one of those auto answer functions.

Dennis

[florence]

I certainly do not want to offend anyone and if you want to use one it is your own choice but, personally, I think listening to anything, walkman, mp3 player, telephone etc. is dangerous.  It's isolating enough being confined to a helmet and being numbed by the rush of air.  I want to have all of my senses working and my attention focused on what I am doing when riding a bike.  I really don't need any distractions.  On one occasion, for example, I was about to overtake a car.  I did all the usual checks and even when I looked over my shoulder at the last minute I saw nothing behind.  However, as I started the manoeuvre, I vaguely heard the sound a fast car coming up behind and managed to tuck back in (he had obviously ignored my signal).  I am sure that if I had been listening to music or something I would have ridden into his path.

That said, I must applaud your ingenuity, that is a nice modification and if you can use it safely it looks brilliant.

[KB02]

Question, how do you plan on answering or placing a call? Are you going to use an auto answer function, or will you have to bring your hand up to the headset to hit the button? (Or do you plan to use your tongue?... no, seriously.)

[svenD]

get a life man.

[savannahcafe]

Well, Ive seen some super expensive bluetooth helmets so I'm definitely not the inventor of this idea. They do actually sell them. And with anything, you must use your head. My idea of this set up is I'm at a red light and I get a call, take it very quickly and say, "Ill call ya back" Or, I'm riding and a call comes in, I hear the tone and don't answer then at the next light check my voice mail or at my destination I now know I missed a call. No, auto answer would be suicide in my opinion. As you can see in the picture, I have mounted the actual unit at the front left of the helmet. Takes about half a second to push the answer button. And if I really wanted to, the same button places a call by activating voice recognition dialing, say maybe after I suit up and have my helmet and gloves on and my phone tucked away and I needed to call and ask, "was that Denny's or Vinny's?" before I jump on the bike. A common mix up here in Savannah. So I'm happy with my 15 dollar investment. Didn't mean to start a big stink, just thought maybe 1 person on the list could have a way no not miss the "Honey, its time" call. LOL   Mark

[333]

I get the best fun from making fun of my 21 year old son, who keeps that thing in his ear constantly.  Every time I see him with it I ask if he's waiting for a call.  That having been said, your setup looks cool.  But what are the laws in GA.?   Where I live in Northern VA., it's clear.  You can have one ear covered.  But in nearby Washington D.C. there are conflicting laws.  The old law says no earphones may be used at all, a new law says you must use a hands-free device when using a phone behind the wheel.  I have not tried anything for my phone, but a few years ago, I did try a headset for my Ham radio.  It did work, but the motor noise could not be silenced.  I'm sure it would not be a problem with todays digital phones.

Okay, next question.  Are you talking about Dennys, the national chain?  My daughter went to SCAD, so I know Vinnys.  How could you confuse those?  One is the best pizza in town, the other is (generally speaking) the only place you can get food at 3:00AM.

[edbikerii]

I think it is brilliant, Savannah.

I normally have my mobile phone in my pocket, so I'll either hear it ringing or feel it vibrating when I'm riding, so it is a major distraction and an annoyance to pull over, remove helmet and gloves and call back.

In every instance so far, the conversation has gone like this:

Me: "Hi!  I missed your call because I'm out for a motorcycle ride.  So what's up?"
Them:  "Oh, go have fun!  I'll call you later!"

This is especially annoying when I'm on a straight highway blast, and simply answering the phone would have saved me from exiting and pulling back onto the highway, too.  Much better to just answer the call and not be annoyed at my friends and loved ones for ruining 10 minutes worth of my adventure!  But, I guess I have pulled off at some towns that I ordinarily would have never visited, so it is not so bad, either.  In the city, pulling over to take a phone call is also a great opportunity to girl watch safely.

[savannahcafe]

LOL, yes, There was once a misunderstanding. We said Vinnys, and they went to Dennys. Very funny indeed. And the law recently changed about driving with a cell in a car, it is now a no-no to be holding a phone to your ear and Im pretty sure it been against the law for a long time to have headphones in your ears. In my car I use a Parrot blue tooth car kit model# CK3100 which I also sell here at my shop. Best thing on the market.

[KB02]

...just thought maybe 1 person on the list could have a way to not miss the "Honey, its time" call. LOL   Mark

Now that's a good reason that I can accept. 

And I guess I lied in my earlier post. After I posted that I wouold never use a phone headset while on the bike I realized that I have a stereo Bluetooth headset for my phone (which has an MP3 player built in) and I have used that on occations (barely fits under the helmet). No way to actually answer a call if one comes in, though. Not that I would if one did. 

Motorola S9 Stero Headset

[Geeto67]

I don't see what the fuss is about, I have a flip and if I really need to talk to someone on the phone I open it up and jam it in the side of my full face and close the visor. works great.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Oh geez guys I thought we rode to get away from the real world! We never had cell phones in the earlier years (aka old days for the young guys) so it IS possible to do without (kinda like sex once you've been married 20-25 years). If it's really important it can wait or they can call you back. Perhaps you don't realize this but the cell phone was invented by a lonely wife whose husband often left the house to go drinking to escape her costant nagging and she didn't have anyone to #$%* at and he was pussy enough to carry it so he could be constantly henpecked. 

 

[edbikerii]

You are absolutely right about the wife issue(s).  But now that I've been relieved of that burden, I have to manage my most pleasurable "booty calls"!

It is great having sex again after being married for so damned long!

Oh geez guys I thought we rode to get away from the real world! We never had cell phones in the earlier years (aka old days for the young guys) so it IS possible to do without (kinda like sex once you've been married 20-25 years). If it's really important it can wait or they can call you back. Perhaps you don't realize this but the cell phone was invented by a lonely wife whose husband often left the house to go drinking to escape her costant nagging and she didn't have anyone to #$%* at and he was pussy enough to carry it so he could be constantly henpecked. 

 

[savannahcafe]

LOL, I can promise that if Im on a leisure ride, I wont have the bluetooth anywhere around. However, I'm usually commuting therefore Ill have it. Wow, Im glad I dont have that kind of relationship with my wife. I love her to death and would put off any ride to hang out with her. I'm sure the wife in your analogy wouldn't be #$%*ing so much if her husband would just hang out with her a little instead of going off and drinking with the boys all the time. Then when he said, "hey, theres this ride Sunday", she would say, "go enjoy yourself" My wife would anyway.

[savannahcafe]

Check out this page.   http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products/product.asp?Item=SCL     or my little idea which by the way works great, for only around 20-25ish  Bluetooth unit was 15.00 headphones maybe 10.00

[upperlake04]

Oh geez guys I thought we rode to get away from the real world! We never had cell phones in the earlier years (aka old days for the young guys) so it IS possible to do without (kinda like sex once you've been married 20-25 years). If it's really important it can wait or they can call you back. Perhaps you don't realize this but the cell phone was invented by a lonely wife whose husband often left the house to go drinking to escape her costant nagging and she didn't have anyone to #$%* at and he was pussy enough to carry it so he could be constantly henpecked. 

    That's a classic Rxman        There should be an informational sticky for gems like this where the hard-earned wisdom of the 50+ guys could be saved for the benefit of younger guys  in need of guidance in matters other than things SOHC.

[S-Dog]

I will take a pic of a setup I just bought for under 20 bucks... It does bluetooth for you phone and it has an extra bluetooth transmitter for your mp3 player...

you can play tunes and when a call comes in it automatically mutes the mp3 player and allows you to push 1 button to answer the phone.  Hang up and the tunes start playing again.

Whats it called? make and model? Im interested in what you have. I would love an option so I can listen to the ol ipod

Here it is... I got it for 18 bucks shipped on woot.com ...
http://www.woot.com/Blog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryId=3216

I do not actually answer the phone while driving ... But its nice to know I got a call...  I also listen to music but I can barely hear it when my motor is revving over 4k RPM

[savannahcafe]

I will take a pic of a setup I just bought for under 20 bucks... It does bluetooth for you phone and it has an extra bluetooth transmitter for your mp3 player...

you can play tunes and when a call comes in it automatically mutes the mp3 player and allows you to push 1 button to answer the phone.  Hang up and the tunes start playing again.

Whats it called? make and model? Im interested in what you have. I would love an option so I can listen to the ol ipod

Here it is... I got it for 18 bucks shipped on woot.com ...
http://www.woot.com/Blog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryId=3216

I do not actually answer the phone while driving ... But its nice to know I got a call...  I also listen to music but I can barely hear it when my motor is revving over 4k RPM

Very cool, thanks man. I bet if you hacked those ear buds off and soldered a pair of the sony style headphones I have that go into your ear canal you would get a little more volume from that set up. But very cool none the less

[S-Dog]

I don't have it cranked... I purposely keep the volume low so I can hear whats around me.  I just breaks up the drone of the engine while riding at highway speed.