Hacking cheap Bluetooth speaker into stereo Bluetooth receiver with MP3 player

In this video you can learn how to modify mono cheap BT speaker (model in the video is Manta SPK411) into stereo Bluetooth line-out with USB and micro SD player (it also has FM radio functionality). This can be used in any other device that has only AUX input.

[@VeXxit]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks man!

[@UnExpertoEnNada]

Awesome ! I was also trying to use it in stereo mode, since mono is boooriiing :-) . Your video has been very helpful !!

[@pandaengineering]

+Rodrigo Fernandez Glad I could help :) Sometimes cheapest stuff can be re-used in all kinds of projects :D

[@leandrox1]

Panda Engineering hi panda...you can do the same with a blue piston bluetooth speaker???....mono to stereo...

[@attilarivera]

1:30 " *_the bluetooth duo wise is really too pale_*

[@Zebra_Paw]

No it’s: The bluetooth device is ready to pair

[@thomasotter7873]

dewice is weady to use dewecied connected sucsesolllfy

[@virathiyam5401]

My bro.. is it possible to turn down the volume of that turn on girl voice prompt by connecting to a PC or flashing something.. it's too loud to turn on the speaker at night to the point that I don't use it at night..

[@manipatnaik1627]

sir i have same bluebooth speaker, how can i repair it, its alway telling low power and poweroff, plz help meee

[@houssemeddine2275]

the battery is dead

[@pandaengineering]

I agree, if speaker works fine while connected to USB power supply, then battery needs replacing. Batteries in those speakers are really cheap and poorly made. They're supposed to hold charge 20-30 times and then you'll have to replace them. This is by design (I paid about 3-4 USD for the speaker) as most people would simply throw it out. Same goes with cheapest replacement batteries for mobiles - they suppose to be usable for a month and then capacity drops to 20-30%

[@हिंदीज्ञानगंगा-ड8ठ]

Mine is not responding even on USB charging mode having the same model u have is the cheapest is dead

[@bugrahanpir2794]

Hello, is it possible to solder or attach a third party mini stereo amp card such as Pam8403 onto this board and keep using the existing functions like bluetooth, sd, 3.5mm, usb ..? Since there is an all in one setup on this board, I can upgrade it by adding a new cheap powerfull mini stereo amp and relatively high cap battery and speakers...

[@pandaengineering]

Sure, I don't see why not. If you need a stabilised 5V to power the amp, you could probably get that from USB out on the board.

[@deeptak222]

Hey You just join the jack of 3mm You can join it direct by the charging slot And by pressing stop button continues you goes to the Line a mode and you can use MP3 player

[@sunilkarki4670]

I could not find right and left channel how can i find them?? i have similar type of cheap bluetooth speaker .

[@algivarirramadhan9939]

Me to,im using lm4871 ic on the module

[@ViệtPhạmQuốc-o3e]

Kết nối vào nó dăng ra giờ làm sao để kết nối đc

[@coskunkocagoz792]

I have a weird question...is there a way to change the announcement sounds of the device? Mine speaks with a weird accent while turning on, turning off and between the modes.

[@pandaengineering]

I tried that on one of the radio styled speakers and I came up with chip that contained the voice data, it was communicating using IC2. Disconnecting that communication line just hanged up the boot process completely and it had to be disconnected after initial start for this to work, so there isn't a good solution for this afaik.

[@coskunkocagoz792]

Panda Engineering Thanks anyways. I’ll write if come across a solution.

[@pandaengineering]

It's a good idea to take a look at datasheets, you'll rarely find anything by just a number, but googling the number may give you some similar chip results. I've eventually lifted chip legs one by one from the board and checked if that helped. It's a shame that they make some nicely designed speakers with annoying announcements instead of chimes.

[@reparalcd]

I am looking for a USB stereo bluetooth transmitter but all are mono, do you know a model that can be hacked into stereo?

[@pandaengineering]

I coudn't get any no-name brands to transmit stereo(I have a few, BT 3.0, 4.2, 5.0 and all are mono) and it seems that it's mainly because it's easier since there is only mono input and output for most chips in the spec sheet and for stereo it requires more work and circuitry(I think they would need to program inputs and outputs). I think the safest bet are name brands (Jabra, Sony, JBL, Philips) and check with their support first if they made it work.

[@nexttsunami]

This is brilliant.i am looking for it a long time. and one more question "can i change the default sound of it when it on or connected to device?? "

[@pandaengineering]

I don't thinks so, if you had an adapter with separate EEPROM for this you may be able to mute it by disconnecting it, but I tried it with another device and it just stopped working when it lost connection to EEPROM.

[@randomstuff8286]

I have a Bluetooth single 3w speaker so it is possible to connect that speaker connection to another amp input directly or need to step down?

[@pandaengineering]

AFAIK most amplifiers expect line level input and there are even ready made kits to bring down signal to line level for cars to get them amplified again for huge speakers in the back. You may be able to just set the output volume very low, but most of these speakers either reset to mid volume when turned off or have all status sounds unaffected by the volume set.

[@sunilkarki4670]

I have RDA5856TC CHIP inside the wireless speaker. I could not find right and right audio output please help me out

[@jimmm5699]

My bluetooth headphones play on mono, any ways to convert it to stereo?

[@pandaengineering]

It's rarely the case (otherwise they would be already stereo), but if you want, you can disassemble them and post here (via imgur or something like that) pictures of the board and I can take a look. If you're curious I've posted a video about mono headphones sometime ago kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZeWZpWQlNB6aNE and there is absolutely no way to make them stereo :(

[@natarajantsss4508]

Sir I done all the steps but still I am having more noise

[@pandaengineering]

It's a very noisy chip, it's possible that SMD capacitor on the output did a lot of the filtering, so you can try adding something similar. You can also try looking for simple schematics of high frequency filters for audio, it will remove some of the noise. I found that speaker works best when it's battery powered, my USB chargers were introducing more noise to the audio.

[@amanshah7291]

My switch is broken down then what i dooo

[@ranjithkumar1384]

Thanks

[@leandrox1]

Panda Engineering hi panda...you can do the same with a blue piston bluetooth speaker???....mono to stereo...

[@placemusichd7041]

This mp3 work in Bluetooth, sd card

[@attilarivera]

Thanks for the video!

[@LDCoronel1]

Now i'm not necesarily modding the bluetooth speaker but i'm looking for jazz songs 👍👍👍

[@CUB1_C]

so is the rom the beken chip that has the voice prompts?

[@Drayos]

How do i find out where my Left and Right channel is?

[@pandaengineering]

If there is no datasheet and I have no idea I usually use a small earpiece from old headphones and solder it to audio ground (or battery minus if I don't know where is the ground). Then I try to play something and probe around (just briefly touching connections) with the other cable from earpiece near the chip to see if I can hear anything. If I have any clue what could be the audio signal, then I just play the stereo test (there are many available on youtube or if you google it, there are mp3 downloads) to figure out what the channels are. Probing by just touching briefly is important in case you'll be shorting something out (with earpiece there is a very minor chance to break anything) and in case you get amplified output that could be very loud. Of course you could use two tone signal on different channels and probe it using oscilloscope or a meter that shows frequency of the signal, but not everyone has this.

[@Drayos]

@@pandaengineering Thank you!

[@vishnudevkv3160]

Hii.. Can u name where should i connect female receiver

[@pandaengineering]

Hi! at 7:29 I explained where I soldered ground, left and right channel out to the board, but if you're looking for AUX-in, then I had a AUX to USB cable in set with the speaker, so I think it uses USB pins (possibly D+ and D-) to send audio. More details on AUX-in you can find in datasheet oss.aliyuncs.com/netmarket/29bc7cac-8266-45bf-b2b0-f152227ba546.pdf look for package SSOP28 (28 pin) it would seem that pin 10 and 11 match (LINR LINL), but your chip may be a bit different.

[@skndjremix8565]

are sure its work really?

[@pandaengineering]

I worked :) Later I connected it to a car radio as BT receiver but it was so noisy (a lot of hiss, I think that alternator in my car creates a lot of high frequencies and this speaker doesn't have a good power supply isolation since it runs off the battery all the time). Now I would recommend just buying simple Bluetooth receiver on ebay or Aliexpress for ~$2.

[@pendejos1900]

I have 2 speakers with rda5856te chip any hope in turning them into stereo? also I have a Bluetooth receiver that has the same chip Ithought it was stereo but I found that left channel plays on both sides and right channel is muted but couldn't find a route it's weird both speakers sound is completely mono while the receiver only gets left even if they have the same chip

[@pandaengineering]

I found www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/inteasting-bluettoth-speaker-chip-rda5856/ which also links to a datasheet of that chip, seems to be a SoC with programmable outputs, but probably in your instance they went with pin 14 (DAC OUT) with single channel for simplicity as it only has one analogue output from audio codec (see Block Diagram on page 6 of datasheet github.com/RDA5981/RDA5856/blob/master/Datasheet/RDA5856TE_Datasheet_V0.03.pdf ). It has stereo capability but it would have to have additional circuitry and be programmed to use GPIOs

[@ighoor9996]

EXCELLENT THANKS FOR THE TUTORIAL 👌👌👌 👍👍👍👍

[@jimmihenry]

1:28 "the bluetooth the vice is 3D to paL" 🤣🤣🤣🤣! 100%

[@joaquin_087]

How do you lead with the noise? I read that is bc the amp and the bt receiver are connected to the same ground (or power source). If you remove the amp the problem is solved?

[@pandaengineering]

It's not gone - just not as bad. I think the poor quality of the BT chip itself causes the noise too (probably the frequency it generates for the BT transmission isn't filtered and causes harmonic frequency to be heard in the output). Best results I had was always with battery as power supply and nothing else connected.

[@jilubhai5255]

Hello I want diagram 🙏plss

[@shox-il4yl]

How to make aimpflir creat vidyo

[@ChillSik]

Its posible to make the same but without batery,using phone charger?i try but overheat,can you help me with that?

[@pandaengineering]

Make sure you connect the power bank to charging port and not the battery. MicroUSB here is happy with 5V on input, but on battery terminals it expects no more than 4.2V, so it may cause it to burn the chips if you connect the 5V there. Just leave the battery disconnected.

[@VLPCreations]

I have a neck Bluetooth but the problem is only one channel sound is playing in both sides can you do a video that how to convert it into duo channel

[@pandaengineering]

If it's mono, just connect two speakers to the output, you will have to see what chips you have inside and check their datasheets. There are a lot of different BT chips.

[@VLPCreations]

@@pandaengineering my Bluetooth headset name is HBS-730 Please check it and reply to me

[@pineshsaliya9560]

Can I fix this module in PC???? And if yes,then how can I do it??please suggest me

[@pandaengineering]

If you want to connect it to a PC, maybe simply plug it into a line in or mic input. If you mean that you have issues with Bluetooth in your PC, then it's a completely different module. I suggest reinstalling drivers or even OS and if that doesn't help maybe check with manufacturer if they have some suggestions. Often if BT module fails you will have to replace it along with WiFi in laptop or simply buy external USB module (that's the cheapest solution).

[@revoxjazz8317]

Nice job, man! Keep it up!

[@jilubhai5255]

Extant sir tq for information

[@freddynomas]

Where did you got the right channel signal

[@pandaengineering]

You can get it from datasheet, but I usually just probe around the main IC - I solder one wire from earpiece to ground and I touch the other wire to outputs of the chip.

[@sunilkarki4670]

@@pandaengineering It seems my device have only mono output because the device has headphone jack and when i checked for right and left channel the headphone jack just gives mono sound .I checked for the right and left channel on board but could not find .

[@pandaengineering]

That's possible. One of the headphones I reviewed ( m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZeWZpWQlNB6aNE ) had mixed stereo channels - there was no difference between left and right. Chip didn't have the stereo capability at all.

[@rushikeshdheringe8425]

If we remove amplifier attach our output aux wire to speaker point. Can it work ? Know I use it in my car but i not remove the amplifier but it consume more power.

[@pandaengineering]

Without amplifier it will be very silent on decent sized speaker - you might want to consider connecting it to AUX of the radio - I have another video on how to do that for radio in Fiat Stilo on this channel.

[@leandrojordao1]

U are a god, thank you, that was exactly what I was looking for

[@mafaqkhanafridi6632]

Don't say God man God is only one

[@monkeh3612]

@@mafaqkhanafridi6632 stfu

[@deeptak222]

So go to the stereo mode and enjoy the music

[@8a15zinithsahoo7]

Can we connect two speaker with the Bluetooth module

[@pandaengineering]

If you'd like to have proper stereo speakers, I recommend doing something like in the video and adding to output a stereo amplifier chip (like LM4873 - 2.1W, 5V VCC and has some additional features) or another LM4871 mono for the second channel, but keep in mind that there is a capacitor between output of main IC and amplifier in circuit and for the other channel it's missing, so you would need to add it too.

[@Zebra_Paw]

If you want to make a powerful stereo channel, use a TPA3116 module.

[@Speedydeer225]

Hey is there a way i can get you to help me with specific something

[@theocarurucan7594]

Is it possible to reprogram bluetooth speaker sounds using pc

[@pandaengineering]

Most chips are usually all in one and have baked in firmware, but some of them have GPIO pins. Unfortunately I never saw any deocumentation on commands you can send to them. I think this would be mostly restricted to basic configuration like enabling/disabling functions (fm/mp3 from sd card/aux etc) but those also require all other components.

[@mr.praharaj_ashu]

I did same....but m getting some background hissing noise

[@pandaengineering]

Try looking for another connection before amplifier. In recent mod when I connected headphone to minus of battery I had a lot hiss and I noticed that audio ground is completely separate and gives much cleaner sound.

[@Ashvani.85]

Mera on ho rha hai mager phone se connect nahi ho raha hai kaise hoga

[@talesbrandao6078]

Thanks dude

[@shox-il4yl]

Good

[@rachanabishowkarma2649]

Please so how to make it by headphones Bluetooth device

[@somethingspecial1453]

How to fitting old home theatre in this board

[@pandaengineering]

I made a video about adding similar receiver to a car radio if you're looking for ideas kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIe2poimhap5bpI if your home theatre has a audio in, I'd just go with jack to RCA cable and a USB charger to power the board.

[@natarajantsss4508]

My Bluetooth speaker sound lags

[@pandaengineering]

If you're using Android you an try to change codec and see if it helps (I've found a guide here: mashtips.com/change-bluetooth-audio-codec-android-device/ ) but lag is mostly because of the receiver.

[@joshuamason1867]

I've been looking for some info like this for a while. I must have been searching the wrong terms or something. It didn't fully get me to where I need to be but its gotten me a lot closer.

[@pandaengineering]

If you want to get the chip itself, it's available on AliExpress www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=BK3254 (there are even some nice modules with IR remote) I also made a video about connecting a better(less noisy) BT receiver to my car radio kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIe2poimhap5bpI Let me know what exactly are you looking for, maybe I will be able to help :)

[@subhasnamdev2484]

Sir can u make a vedio on adding multiple speaker in this pcb board that u use in this vedio

[@pandaengineering]

I'm not planning to go back to that project, but you can output sound to the speakers using something like TDA2822M www.st.com/resource/en/datasheet/cd00000134.pdf (see page 4 for usage scenario and sample board). Basically any audio stereo amplifier would do, but this speaker module was quite noisy and I eventually used simple BT receiver and mounted it in my car (in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIe2poimhap5bpI ).

[@___jassi_sidhu__]

Sir ye Vali ham plate kharid sakte h

[@ABTECHNICALGURU_ankur]

What will happen if we dont remove the amplifier?? Pls help

[@pandaengineering]

It's possible that you will have some more noise on the output. You can try leaving the chip, soldering the jack and comparing right and left channel (right could have more noise), but other than that it shouldn't impact the circuit.

[@shoyebmhettar1567]

My blth is on but has no sound Plz help

[@pandaengineering]

Did you check all solder connections, especially battery and speaker?

[@prashantsimkhada4599]

MY circuit uses BDAT750-Z as main IC, couldnot find left audio channel in the circuit. Removed amplifier and still mono,lol. Is the main ic mono type??

[@pandaengineering]

I tried to google this IC, but can't find anything. What I often do in this situation (as this is low voltage and low current application) is simply, that I get a broken headphone without connector, connect ground to minus of battery and probe (for less than a second in case I connect it to +5V ;-) ) other wire across all IC pins while music is playing so I can "find" the other channel. Keep in mind that some chips are for very specific applications and may be that your is mono. You can download stereo test mp3 from KZbin to check what channel you're listening to.

[@prashantsimkhada4599]

Your instructions were awesome , i connected ground to minus and probed all IC pins, and it sounds in only one pin in which i connected right audio channel prevoiusly😭 and it plays in left speaker in youtube mp3 audio not while playing right speaker!

[@pandaengineering]

Sorry to hear that :( I guess they've optimized the chips for exact purpose of BT speakers.

[@arunnayak7639]

Some bt ic are mono...

[@muhammetyaman1377]

😍😍

[@puneetkamboj2627]

Is it necessary to remove 3w amplifier from board

[@pandaengineering]

I don't think so, but if you want to conserve we much power as possible then you can do that (power consumption should be very low when it's not connected, so I didn't bother).

[@algivarirramadhan9939]

How If i didnt remove the ic but i I directly connected the R output and L output to the (in+) ic pinout?

[@algivarirramadhan9939]

I sorry i mean the (-in) pin out of the ic

[@rehanrajaraja6151]

How to set earphone plug in this speaker

[@100roberthenry]

great vid, i just bought one of these cheap bluetooth speakers, and want to hack it, it says the usb charge socket is also the aux input combined....which means i'll have to add an external 6.35mm jack socket for easy connection....i'll also add a led on off switch too....thanks.

[@chheangsovathana]

That what I want🤙

[@tulsidas5106]

in hindi

[@lokeshloki9778]

Bro how to convert mono Bluetooth receiver to stereo sound bro

[@pandaengineering]

You can try method from the video, but f you have a different speaker, then you will have to look up your chip datasheet (just google the number) and see it has stereo output. Some BT receiver chips are only mono and you won't be able to do anything with it.

[@lokeshloki9778]

@@pandaengineering i have car Bluetooth receiver its on Amazon Captcha 3.5mm Jack Wireless Bluetooth Receiver Adapter With AUX Audio Stereo Music Along With Car Kit For all Android & Iphone Device (Color May Vary) www.amazon.in/dp/B075M3GY1D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DBN8BbZYDNA0M Plz tell me its work on these Bluetooth receiver

[@pandaengineering]

According to the description it's already stereo, you can open it and check if both channels are connected to different pins on IC inside or simply play stereo test (there are some on KZbin).

[@lokeshloki9778]

@@pandaengineering i was play left right stereo test but it was mono what will i do now

[@lokeshloki9778]

@@pandaengineering plz bro tell me a solution