Tutorial
Updated
n3DS XL with Integrated Bluetooth Audio (Hardware Mod)
Hi,
I love my n3DS Xl but the one thing I really wanted was to be able to use Bluetooth audio, I though I'd share with you how I did it.
So things I used
iFixit Teardown
JETech Bluetooth Stereo Audio Transmitter and Reciever
Rimmel London 447 Barmy Blue Nail Varnish
No Clean Flux
0.35mm Rosin Core 60/40 Solder
Hakko FX951 Soldering Station
PH0 Screwdriver Bit
Craft Knife
Black Electrical Tape
3.5mm Headphone Jack from an old pair of headphones
KYNAR Wire
Micro Push Button Switch
3.5mm Drill Bit
Dremel With Cutting Disk
Step 1.
I took apart the Bluetooth Transmitter, the case is just held together with clips so a bit of brute fore and ignorance got the case opened, Inside there is the Circuit board and the 3.7v 150mAh rechargable battery
I desoldered, The Headphone Socket, TX/RX Switch, Battery and just used a pair of snips on the micro usb port to remove it. to make the board as low profile as possible
I didn't take any photos as I did this but you can get a good idea of the layout of the board in this picture
Step 2.
I bridged the two pads on the board where the TX/RX Switch used to be to put it permanently in Transmit mode see the pic in Step 1
Step 3.
I had to remove a little bit of the internal plastic of the n3DS XL case for the board to fit there was a small area next to the GameCard Slot and at the same time I removed one edge of the Headphone socket plastic to allow me to see the indicator lights for the JetTech board when it was mounted I just used the craft knife to do this. The board is held in place by compression it fits nice and snug in this area
Step 4.
The most fiddly bit of soldering was on the opposite side of the board where the on/off/pairing button is, I solder 2 wires to the button so I could extend it to be mounted to the rear of the case.
Step 5.
Using a very small drill bit and the Dremel I drilled a hole in the top edge of the 3ds case to act as a pilot hole to drill the 3.5mm hole for the micro push button switch
I used a litlle bit of double sided foam pad I had lying around to mount the switch to the case, I also use a triple thickness piece on the back side of the switch to cover the switches legs and also to help keep it in place when the case is closed
Step 6.
I had to do a little bit of testing around the audio jack on the n3DS as the point I initially thought was going to be the left audio point was incorrect
The Points I used
White (Left Audio)
Red (Right Audio)
Black (Common)
Step 7.
The n3DS XL uses a 3.7v battery , which is perfect as its the same voltage the Bluetooth transmitter works on I soldered to the following points on the Battery connector and connected them to where the Battery for the Bluetooth board used to connect.
Step 8.
Wire Routing and connecting the audio wires up
Step 9.
Used a Couple of pieces of Black Electric insulation tape on the back of the Bluetooth board not only to support the soldered connections but also to stop the possibility of a short between the Bluetooth board and the n3DS XL
Step 10. (Also future upgrade)
So to set the n3DS to output sound over the headphone jack you have a couple of options,
A. I cut up an Old headphone jack with my Dremel and a cut off wheel, Sanded down any sharp edges and then borrowed some of the Wife's nail varnish, I found the one linked at the top of this post to most closely match the Dark Metallic Blue of the n3Ds XL there maybe closer matches but I wasn't going to go out and buy something if I didn't need to. I painted the flat wnd with the nail varnish to match the colour of the n3DS
Inserting this small cut off headphone jack into the headphone socket works really well Switching between Bluetooth and the n3Ds's Speakers.
B. Alternatively you can put a switch/latching push button across these two point on the board I have some switches on order so I can update my mod once they arrive.
C. You could connect these 2 points directly with a short piece of wire but you wouldn't be able to get sound out through the n3DS's speakers any more.
externally the only thing you can see is the small hole where I drilled for the Bluetooth on/off/pairing switch
I love my n3DS Xl but the one thing I really wanted was to be able to use Bluetooth audio, I though I'd share with you how I did it.
So things I used
iFixit Teardown
JETech Bluetooth Stereo Audio Transmitter and Reciever
Rimmel London 447 Barmy Blue Nail Varnish
No Clean Flux
0.35mm Rosin Core 60/40 Solder
Hakko FX951 Soldering Station
PH0 Screwdriver Bit
Craft Knife
Black Electrical Tape
3.5mm Headphone Jack from an old pair of headphones
KYNAR Wire
Micro Push Button Switch
3.5mm Drill Bit
Dremel With Cutting Disk
Step 1.
I took apart the Bluetooth Transmitter, the case is just held together with clips so a bit of brute fore and ignorance got the case opened, Inside there is the Circuit board and the 3.7v 150mAh rechargable battery
I desoldered, The Headphone Socket, TX/RX Switch, Battery and just used a pair of snips on the micro usb port to remove it. to make the board as low profile as possible
I didn't take any photos as I did this but you can get a good idea of the layout of the board in this picture
Step 2.
I bridged the two pads on the board where the TX/RX Switch used to be to put it permanently in Transmit mode see the pic in Step 1
Step 3.
I had to remove a little bit of the internal plastic of the n3DS XL case for the board to fit there was a small area next to the GameCard Slot and at the same time I removed one edge of the Headphone socket plastic to allow me to see the indicator lights for the JetTech board when it was mounted I just used the craft knife to do this. The board is held in place by compression it fits nice and snug in this area
Step 4.
The most fiddly bit of soldering was on the opposite side of the board where the on/off/pairing button is, I solder 2 wires to the button so I could extend it to be mounted to the rear of the case.
Step 5.
Using a very small drill bit and the Dremel I drilled a hole in the top edge of the 3ds case to act as a pilot hole to drill the 3.5mm hole for the micro push button switch
I used a litlle bit of double sided foam pad I had lying around to mount the switch to the case, I also use a triple thickness piece on the back side of the switch to cover the switches legs and also to help keep it in place when the case is closed
Step 6.
I had to do a little bit of testing around the audio jack on the n3DS as the point I initially thought was going to be the left audio point was incorrect
The Points I used
White (Left Audio)
Red (Right Audio)
Black (Common)
Step 7.
The n3DS XL uses a 3.7v battery , which is perfect as its the same voltage the Bluetooth transmitter works on I soldered to the following points on the Battery connector and connected them to where the Battery for the Bluetooth board used to connect.
Step 8.
Wire Routing and connecting the audio wires up
Step 9.
Used a Couple of pieces of Black Electric insulation tape on the back of the Bluetooth board not only to support the soldered connections but also to stop the possibility of a short between the Bluetooth board and the n3DS XL
Step 10. (Also future upgrade)
So to set the n3DS to output sound over the headphone jack you have a couple of options,
A. I cut up an Old headphone jack with my Dremel and a cut off wheel, Sanded down any sharp edges and then borrowed some of the Wife's nail varnish, I found the one linked at the top of this post to most closely match the Dark Metallic Blue of the n3Ds XL there maybe closer matches but I wasn't going to go out and buy something if I didn't need to. I painted the flat wnd with the nail varnish to match the colour of the n3DS
Inserting this small cut off headphone jack into the headphone socket works really well Switching between Bluetooth and the n3Ds's Speakers.
B. Alternatively you can put a switch/latching push button across these two point on the board I have some switches on order so I can update my mod once they arrive.
C. You could connect these 2 points directly with a short piece of wire but you wouldn't be able to get sound out through the n3DS's speakers any more.
externally the only thing you can see is the small hole where I drilled for the Bluetooth on/off/pairing switch
Last edited by EddCase,