T30 Bluetooth

[Six_Shooter]

I will probably just buy a Bluetooth dongle, but would like to go built in, if at all possible.

I have a need for this as of Monday (I need to upgrade some software in a cellular hands free unit, via Bluetooth connection), which is another reason I think I'll probably just end up with a dongle, due to the short time frame here.

What I have read, mostly in passing is that by adding a Bluetooth card to my T30, I will lose the use of my modem, that's fine with me, I can't remember the last time I used a modem, actually I can, and it was many many years ago. If this is true I can live with that.

My more poinient question is, where would I find the needed part (Bluetooth card) to put into my T30? I imagine this will be a fairly proprietary piece.

[RRHODY]

I don't think just adding the daughter card gets you Bluetooth. The T30 I put together had an antenna in the lid and the lid had a Bluetooth button to push to turn on the function. There was a connection from the lid to the daughter card, with an end to the wire from the lid that matched the receptacle on the daughter card.
My other T30 without the built in antenna uses a Xircom PCMCIA card. The card in the slot, plus the software that came with the card, works well with my Bluetooth GPS.

[Six_Shooter]

Yeah I did a bunch of reading over the last hour or so concerning the Bluetooth addition to the T30, and what it takes. I'm not worried about the work involved, a little about the software needed and to install, but I'll get over that.

Adding antennas and such doesn't bother me, I have a lot more hacking planned for my T30 in the future, that will require some saws, and glues and mpre tools that I will have to use.

[truk]

I got a bluetooth card off eBay for ~$25, but it takes time to ship that kind of stuff. USB bluetooth dongles are usually pretty cheap, so I'd go with that and integrate later if you still wanted to. As for the antenna, I used my auxiliary wireless antenna and it worked fairly well.

Hope this helps,
Truk

[Six_Shooter]

I got a bluetooth card off eBay for ~$25, but it takes time to ship that kind of stuff. USB bluetooth dongles are usually pretty cheap, so I'd go with that and integrate later if you still wanted to. As for the antenna, I used my auxiliary wireless antenna and it worked fairly well.

Hope this helps,
Truk

So the antenna is just the same then?

I have a broken Toshiba here that I can pirate the wireless antennas from anyway, so I can add a dedicated Bluetooth antenna, not a problem.

I think I will be going the dongle route, just for now, as time looks like it won't allow an internal install at this time. Besides I can use the dongle on the other 'puters.

Was your TP already set-up for BT? I would be interested in knowing what it would take to at least add a BT LED to my TP, even though I should be able to get an icon for the systray. A switch would be nice, but with some softeware information I have found I could turn my "ThinkPad" button into a BT power button.

[NorrisCell]

Same deal here. Picked one up on ebay for $20 shipped. Used my aux wireless antenna until the antenna I purchased showed up.

My TP wasn't setup for it, but adding it was easy. The old Lenovo software package kept an icon in the tray. It's red when BT is off, and white when it's on. The new software set just shows the icon when it's on, and nothing when it's off. There's a program that gets installed which toggles it on/off. I put a shortcut in my start menu, but you can get fancy and remap your Thinkpad button to control the app too.

[truk]

Yah, my tp was far from built for a bluetooth card, and I actually installed one in it that was not meant for the t30 (saved me $10 at the cost of a modem and having to mess around with improper connections, but in my world it worth it.) As for the antenna, they are NOT the same. The aux. antenna is basically a wire that runs up the right side of the screen and has a bit of an open end on it. It will work to start with, but you will have less quality and range from your signal. (I hated the quality issue, where I was using headphones, but I got signal all through my tin-can mobile-home.)

[Six_Shooter]

Yah, my tp was far from built for a bluetooth card, and I actually installed one in it that was not meant for the t30 (saved me $10 at the cost of a modem and having to mess around with improper connections, but in my world it worth it.) As for the antenna, they are NOT the same. The aux. antenna is basically a wire that runs up the right side of the screen and has a bit of an open end on it. It will work to start with, but you will have less quality and range from your signal. (I hated the quality issue, where I was using headphones, but I got signal all through my tin-can mobile-home.)

Ok, so I'll try and find the proper BT antenna then, to go with the BT card.
You mention that you lost the modem, which is not something I think I would ever use (except maybe at the GFs cottage), but did you lose the LAN connection as well? I need to be able to keep that, since I may occasionally need to plug directly into my router, to change settings and such.

FYI, I did buy a BT dongle on Saturday and have used it since, first to connect with my phone, and then to upgrade the hands free device at work today, worked flawlessly everytime. I'm really digging this Bluetooth deal.

[NorrisCell]

LAN works flawlessly with the modem removed.

[Six_Shooter]

LAN works flawlessly with the modem removed.

That's what I figured, since the LAN (network) connection is linked directly to the MoBo and not a daughter car, correct?

Any information on BT daughter cards that I could use then?

[NorrisCell]

Correct.

As the person said above, the range with it hooked to the aux antenna isn't that great. I honestly didn't mind, because I used it for data transfers only, so I always had the phone pretty close to the computer anyway.

Below is a link to the BT software package on Lenovo's website. Like I said before, you have a program that toggles the device on and off.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-39556

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Six_Shooter]

I've found that link in previous searches on the IBM site in my attempts to find an OEM daughter card, or any compatible daughter card for that matter, without success in that regard.

I've found other information on remapping buttons and such for other uses than intended, like changing the "ThinkPad" button to a BT power button, but seems almost impossible to find information on the BT daughter cards themselves. I can find a whole bunch all over eBay, but want to find it locally, or somewhat locally as I would rather not buy from eBay.

[NorrisCell]

What else are you looking to find out about them? I know ebay can be a gamble, so I picked someone that had sold similar items before with positive results. If you choose to take the ebay route, here's a good candidate for you:

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Bluetooth-II-Mo ... dZViewItem

My T30 was pretty stripped as far as options go when I got it, so I had to source a lot of parts for it on ebay. So far none have failed me yet, luckily.

[Six_Shooter]

I'm trying to avoid the eBay route, as I would like information on the cards themselves so I can order locally.

[ajkula66]

Just an FYI, the very same card that you're looking for is used in:
A31/p, X24, X30 and a few other machines...

The correct FRU, according to what was in my T30 that had factory-installed Bluetooth (2366-97U) would be 12P3872.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.