| Author | Message | ||
     Upaero |
Search Buelltooth on eBay. Compatible with free ECMDROID app available at google play store. | ||
| Greg_e |
Don't take too much offense by this, but that's a crappy way to make these! I made a small circuit board, voltage regulator, LEDs, and most of it fits down into the connector. Hot glue makes a decent waterproof cover, and since it is in the connector, it is small. After all that, the price is pretty close to what I would suggest, and it does give people freedom from the cable. So again, don't take my comments as being too harsh, but take them as suggestions to make a better product. Guess I never took any pictures when I made mine, thought I posted a few years ago, but never did. | ||
| Froggy |
I've found Bluetooth dongles to be too much of a pain in the ass to deal with. The USB cable works perfect every time, Bluetooth requires pairing and hoping it stays paired then futzing around trying to figure out why it won't connect. Then you end up with the giant box that may or may not be easily to store away while you datalog, and you have to hope it doesn't disconnect half way through again. | ||
| Upaero |
Thanks Greg_e! That's a lot of valuable input. I obviously need to spend a lot more time making something a lot smaller for the sole purpose of saying I did it like you. Your story also reminds me of the time I built a motorcycle that did 200 MPH and ran completely on sarcasm. I guess I never took any pictures of it though... Froggy, I agree that it is better to use a cable with ECMSPY and the other PC tuning programs out there. The problem isn't with the bluetooth device, it's with the software in the PC. Why fuss with all of the settings when you can just plug a cable in and be done? However, for guys like me that want a simple, cheap, small, and easy to use interface you just can't beat ECMDROID. For this you NEED to use a bluetooth adapter and in this case it works perfectly without hassles. Nobody else seemed to be selling these so I thought I would make up a batch and offer them to the community at a reasonable price. MAINLY for ECMDROID. If somebody has the time and know-how, they can and should build there own adapter. Just don't forget to post pictures! | ||
| Greg_e |
I guess the requirement of being a sponsor has also been dropped for anyone wanting to advertise their product. When you make things to sell, have a little class with the design. | ||
| Greg_e |
Here's what I could find of what I did, looks like I never took final pictures of the pieces, probably said F' it since no one had an interest. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/disc us.cgi?pg=prev&topic=32777&page=510531 | ||
| Upaero |
OK greg_e we get it. You have the smaller dongle!  Seriously though, I didn't reinvent the wheel. I used off the shelf components that work and hooked them together with a Deutsch connector. It's not supposed to be pretty or impress anyone. It's just supposed to allow people to do things like upload custom maps onto their bikes from their phones. That option wasn't available until recently, so interest in bluetooth adapters will probably increase from the days before Android. As for advertising, I'm more interested in getting the word out about ECMDROID and how it's open-source and FREE. This is good for a community of people whose best source of support is from other members. Hopefully somebody will start making bluetooth adapters that are much smaller, cheaper and prettier than mine. That way I won't have to defend myself against the people who seem offended by my efforts anymore. (Message edited by upaero on August 13, 2015) | ||
| Reepicheep |
The board advertising rules still stand, but these kinds of "group buys and I'll help you assemble since I have all the parts right here and figured it all out anyway" have always been on the edge of problematic or not with the board sponsor rules. I've done it to help people out as well. The more it feels like somebody is making a business, the more it would be a problem of running afoul of the sponsorship rules. One good way to make it clear that it isn't a business is to just share tons of details about what you are doing so anyone else can do it also. I bought a $15 Amazon bluetooth slave, slapped a 5v regulator on it, and wired it up onto a deutsche plug from ebay. It works fine for what I want (which is to do diagnostics and TPS resets without balancing my netbook on the seat in the garage). I don't mess with maps or elaborate data logging. If you were willing to solder into your diagnostic port harness, and leave the thing there (instead of the deutsche connector), you could probably get a working setup for $20 in parts and 8 solder joints. But $60 for what Upaero is doing, by the time you factor in the sourcing, getting components, soldering, packaging, connectors, and shipping is perfectly reasonable. It's a hassle to build these things. And the construction and packaging Upaero is doing looks perfectly reasonable to me. I probably spent that much building my own (I was being lazy and sloppy and fried modem the first time). Greg, I didn't see that thread when you were first doing it, but the lack of interest may have been that there was a $15 part on Amazon that alraedy did 90% of what you were doing. It only needed a 5v regulator and a couple of caps (and it would probably work fine without the caps). The custom fab'd surface mount two sided board was getting awfully expensive and complicated. And hot melt glue can be hot enough to partially fry parts of some chips... for example it will fry the output drivers on an Arduino (ATMega), but not on a PIC. Depending on the hot melt glue and the gun and how it gets applied. The USB cable works fine too, but I've had to repair the ebay one I bought twice now, and finding a place to set the laptop while I am working on the bike with a wire hanging across was a headache, and I kept yanking the cord and catching a tippy little laptop. A longer cable would probably have helped, but that laptop has a bad battery, so it also has to be plugged into the wall, etc etc. | ||
| Upaero |
It's funny to me that some people are just looking for a reason to get their panties in a wad. If somebody else (especially a sponsor) was selling something similar I wouldn't have considered this endeavor. For the DIYer that wants to build their own there are instructions for one here: http://www.ecmspy.com/btwireless2.shtml Mine uses a cheaper, yet completely capable modem that can be found on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Solu-Bluetooth-Converter-Com munication-Transceiver/dp/B00SR4PULU/ref=sr_1_3?ie =UTF8&qid=1439474965&sr=8-3&keywords=hc-06 The voltage regulator can be a circuit board or one of these: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/107 Once I have everything assembled with the connector I dip it in Plasti-Dip, then put on a label and clear shrink wrap so it should be rather weather resistant. I don't like the idea of using a bulky plastic box, plus it just adds to the cost. Don't worry, I'm not getting rich from this. I make a lot more money at my day job. This is just a fun way for me to make a contribution with a little compensation for my time. Also, if anyone isn't happy with their purchase I will gladly refund their money. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Agreed Upaero. It's clear you aren't trying to eat some sponsors lunch, and that what you are charging is pretty much just the cost of materials. The topic just came up because Blake (owner of the board) has been very strict in enforcing the "only advertisers can promote their products here" rules. Easy to criticize and second guess, but the board isn't cheap to run and maintain, and the sponsors that do pay to support us should be respected and appreciated. Posting the DIY details for wiring and parts sources make it really clear that you are building these as a favor and not as a business. I'm doing the same thing with a grip heater temperature controller (new rev coming soon!). I like the plastidip and shrink tube combo approach. For little stuff with a wire hanging from it, boxes often seem to cause more problems then they solve. I just did shrink tube. Thanks for sharing the details, and building these for people without the experience or interest to reliably build their own. | ||
| Livers |
I'm glad I bought mine from Mike. Works great and no drama. | ||
| Shoggin |
You'd have to sell a metric crap-ton of these to make a viable "business" out of it. Seems like a guy who is just helping fellow Buellers out to me? I can order from e-bay, solder joints, and shrink tube, but for $60? We all have the internet ya know… I'll buy his and spend my free time doing something else (like riding)  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Don't bust on Greg too badly, he was right, and the offer did technically violate the sponsorship rules for badweb. Moderators have discretion to apply common sense though, and in this case, it seemed clear (particularly after sharing the links to the parts and assembly instructions) that Upareo was simply offering to help out some fellow buellers and trying to manage his losses in doing so by asking for enough money to cover his costs. No harm, no foul, and it's nice of somebody to take the trouble to help out a few other folks instead of just solving his own problem. | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
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| Reepicheep |
 Yeah. |
