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Apple Internal Bluetooth Module Experiments

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Hey guys. I recently setup my Core i7 860 Hackintosh and everything is working great. I wanted to post my trials with some Apple internal bluetooth to USB conversions and see if anyone can give any input or at least so no one else wastes their time with this.

I work an Apple Authorized Service Provider so we have lots of spare parts laying around.

I found a PowerMac G5 bluetooth module and figured it must have a relatively simple USB pinout. After some trial and error I figured it out (with the help of a friend). We plugged it into a test PowerBook G4 (just in case it decided to fry the USB Host :eek: ) and it showed up in Apple System Profiler. Success! we thought.
I then plugged it into my Hackintosh. Nothing. So I plugged it into a G5 iMac with no built in bluetooth. Success. Bluetooth showed up in System Preferences and wireless mouse worked. I thought maybe Apple removed the KEXT for this bluetooth module in Snow Leopard since it was only in PPC machines.
So I grabbed a bluetooth module from one of our Intel iMacs with snow leopard on it. Wired up a USB cable (this one was even easier to solder as the PCB was better laid out). We plugged it in to the PowerBook Success. Into the G5 iMac. Success. Then into the Hackintosh. Nothing. Into the same Intel iMac that the bluetooth module came from. Nothing. Plugged it into a working Mac pro and nothing.

All we can figure is that Apple must have programmed something into the Kext on intel machines to accept these modules only if they are on an internal USB bus? We have no idea. Does anyone else have some insight?

I've attached an image with the wiring diagram. The G5 bluetooth part number is 820-1449 The Intel Bluetooth part Number is 820-1696

As far as the reason I am trying this hackery instead of just getting a BT module is because I wanted the module to be fully integrated into Apple's software. Also, we have them laying around.

I don't know if anyone has advice as to how we can get around this strange limitation that affects Intel macs but not PPC macs.
 

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So a small update. I got bluetooth working. It worked on one BUS on the internal USB ports on my motherboard. It seems bluetooth only works on Bus Number0x7d. This is what is is on every intel mac I can find and thats what it was on my Hackntosh.

However, here is the problem. That first motherboard died on me. (I dropped a USB connector on it and it seemed to short something out and it would start up and restart about every 3 seconds. It would never pass post) But I got a replacement motherboard from NewEgg... same model and everything. I updated the BIOS to the same version and put all the BIOS settings the same but I no longer have a Bus Number 0x7d for USB. I cannot get bluetooth to work any more.

Any suggestions on how to change the Bus Number of a USB bus on the board? Can I edit IRQ settings somehow in the Gigabyte BIOS?
 
I can't help with your Bus Number problem, but I have got a Macbook bluetooth module (and IR module) working on my Intel DP35DP based Hackintosh, thanks to the info from this website :

http://www.applefritter.com/node/23860

However... The bluetooth module I have is a 3.3v device, so can't be connected directly to a regular (5v) USB port.

To get around this, I'm taking the 3.3v supply from a pin on the on the "HD Audio Link" header on the Intel DP35DP board.
The remaining pins (D+, D-, and Ground) on the bluetooth module are connected straight to a USB header on the motherboard.

(If you don't have a 3.3v pin available on your motherboard, I guess you could use a couple of resistors in a simple voltage divider circuit to convert the USB 5v to 3.3v)
 
Thanks for the reply.

I did some more experimentation. I replaced the DSDT and tried the bluetooth on every usb port and header in the system and the console always reports the same thing. IOUSBFamily unable to enumerate a USB device. IORegistry Explorer Shows nothing and USBProber sees it but reports that the device did not respond to a probe.

I had a small breakthrough when I plugged it into one of the USB ports on the USB Apple Keyboard I had been using. It showed in Apple System Profiler as USB Bluetooth. But the bluetooth menu item still showed Bluetooth not available. So I restarted the computer and it worked. I was able to pair my mouse and keyboard and they work fine wirelessly. The keyboard even works in BIOS like it does on real macs in EFI :)

I don't know why it works on the USB hub in the keyboard. I imagine it would work on any hub which I will test later. I am thinking that it is possible that BB01's suggestion of it needing 3.3v might be the answer. I need to take a voltmeter to it to see if the voltage dropped by plugging it into a non powered USB hub.

Any other ideas as to why it might work on a hub but not when directly plugged into the motherboard?
 
So I plugged the USB bluetooth module into a small USB hub I had and it works fine. I've stuffed it behind the optical drive in my G5 case. However, I am experiencing very poor reception. I imagine this is due to it being stuffed into a big aluminum cheese grater.

I had been using the antenna from a MacBook Pro and was getting less than 6" of usable reception.
Today we pulled the bluetooth antenna out of the 24" imac that donated the bluetooth module. I hoped they would be better paired. The new antenna does work better but I'm still getting less than 2' of reception and sometimes the mouse jitters on my desk which is about 7" above the computer and is made of wood.

I'll try some more antenna placement options for better reception later.
 
I ripped the antenna from the iMac that the bluetooth module came from. I looked where the Mac pro now keeps the BT antenna in the service manual. Apple put it right near where the video card opening is on the back of the computer. I put the bluetooth antenna there and I get about 6-7 feet of range which isn't great but its better than the 6-7 inches I was getting before.

I now consider this issue of bluetooth closed.
 
you guys have wake from sleep with bluetooth working?
 
Thanks for the info. I have a couple of these modules from a macbook, part #820-1829-A. You can also buy the connecting cables online, which makes for an easier splice.
 
The problem seems to be related to the Gigabyte H55M-USB3... I have the same mobo as the OP and I can't get my bluetooth module working. It works perfectly on my other computers. I don't think it's related to the hackintosh part since it doesn't either on Linux and I get it working on the same version of Linux on my other boxes.

Maybe downgrading the BIOS from F11 to F10 could help?
 
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