Make Bose QuietComfort 15 (QC 15) Bluetooth Wireless
by Michael Bell in Circuits > Wireless
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Make Bose QuietComfort 15 (QC 15) Bluetooth Wireless
Bose QuietComfort 15's are a great pair of headphones, but they're not wireless. I have no idea why Bose doesn't make a wireless bluetooth dongle for them, so I hacked together one in less than 15 minutes. Here's what you need:
- Pair of Bose QC 15's
- 3.5mm Bose QC audio plug (this needs to be the Bose one, comes with the headphones)
- cheap bluetooth A2DP dongle from eBay ($15)
Tools:
- Soldering iron & a bit of solder
- 1" of solid wire, ~22 gauge (found on most resistors and solderless breadboard kits)
- Wire clippers or scissors
- Flat head screw driver
The first step is to take apart the bluetooth dongle and 3.5mm jack. You can pry the bluetooth dongle case apart with your finger nail. The 3.5mm jack takes a bit more work. I used a small flat head screw driver and it came right off.
You should be left with exposed circuit boards of the 3.5mm jack and the bluetooth dongle.
- Pair of Bose QC 15's
- 3.5mm Bose QC audio plug (this needs to be the Bose one, comes with the headphones)
- cheap bluetooth A2DP dongle from eBay ($15)
Tools:
- Soldering iron & a bit of solder
- 1" of solid wire, ~22 gauge (found on most resistors and solderless breadboard kits)
- Wire clippers or scissors
- Flat head screw driver
The first step is to take apart the bluetooth dongle and 3.5mm jack. You can pry the bluetooth dongle case apart with your finger nail. The 3.5mm jack takes a bit more work. I used a small flat head screw driver and it came right off.
You should be left with exposed circuit boards of the 3.5mm jack and the bluetooth dongle.
Solder 3.5mm Jack to Bluetooth Dongle
Both the bluetooth dongle and 3.5mm jack have aligning wires (red, gold, green). This makes it really easy for us.
The first step is to desolder the wires from both the 3.5mm jack and bluetooth dongle. Apply the soldering iron to one of the solder joints and pull gently on the wire. It will come freely when the solder is melted.
Once all wires are desoldered, it is time to use the 22 gauge solid core wire to bridge the two parts together. Cut 3x 0.5" lengths of wire. Apply some solder to both ends of each wire, and then solder to the bluetooth dongle first (the bluetooth dongle is more cramped). Solder all 3 wires to the bluetooth dongle first. Once done, solder the other end to the 3.5mm jack as shown in the picture.
Once all 3 wires are soldered, you're done!
The first step is to desolder the wires from both the 3.5mm jack and bluetooth dongle. Apply the soldering iron to one of the solder joints and pull gently on the wire. It will come freely when the solder is melted.
Once all wires are desoldered, it is time to use the 22 gauge solid core wire to bridge the two parts together. Cut 3x 0.5" lengths of wire. Apply some solder to both ends of each wire, and then solder to the bluetooth dongle first (the bluetooth dongle is more cramped). Solder all 3 wires to the bluetooth dongle first. Once done, solder the other end to the 3.5mm jack as shown in the picture.
Once all 3 wires are soldered, you're done!
How It Looks and Works
I personally don't care that there is a PCB with a battery sticking out of my $300 headphones, but you may. In that case, you can try and stick the bluetooth dongle case back on with a little modification.
To charge the bluetooth dongle you just have to pull it out and plug it in to the USB mini jack. My dongle lasts around 6 hours. The solid core wire is strong enough to allow the jack to be pulled out without a problem.
The audio quality is superb. I could not tell a difference compared with having the headphones wired. Having the headphones wireless makes life so much easier, you can get up and roam around! The bluetooth dongle worked without problems on my windows 7 computer and iphone. It should not have any problems on a Mac or android device. I have tried other bluetooth dongles that were more expensive and they sounded identical, and had the exact same chip in them.
Enjoy wireless freedom!
-Michael Bell
To charge the bluetooth dongle you just have to pull it out and plug it in to the USB mini jack. My dongle lasts around 6 hours. The solid core wire is strong enough to allow the jack to be pulled out without a problem.
The audio quality is superb. I could not tell a difference compared with having the headphones wired. Having the headphones wireless makes life so much easier, you can get up and roam around! The bluetooth dongle worked without problems on my windows 7 computer and iphone. It should not have any problems on a Mac or android device. I have tried other bluetooth dongles that were more expensive and they sounded identical, and had the exact same chip in them.
Enjoy wireless freedom!
-Michael Bell