The Acer Guy

** update **

I found a useful Service Manual for the 5920G enjoy!

This is a DIY guide to install an internal USB bluetooth on the Aspire 5920 model, the physical USB Bluetooth installation instructions may apply to other machines with one or more Mini PCI-E slot/s and internal space.

Warning! Do this in your own risk, please observe other similar modifications and understand your own skills on these tiny operations, unplug the computer and eject the battery for safer working enviroment. REQUIRES A STEADY HAND for the physical part. I am not able to hold responsible for any damages to your own systems.

Table of Contents:

1a. Suggested Tools
1b. Materials

2a. Make the Mini PCI-E to USB Pins
2b. Plug it into the Mini PCI-E slot
2c. Make the holder to keep the pins steady in place
2d. Insert the USB Bluetooth

3a. Install the driver
3b. Install the Bluetooth remap patch
4a. Remarks
5a. Reference
6a. Contact

1a. Suggested tools:

Plier/s (sharp ended)
Piler/s with clip and hold (to hold on to tiny opjects for soldering)
Tweazers
Sissors
Soldering gun
Solder

1b. Materials

Aspire 5920 (models with Intel ReadyBoost might require the removal of the disk)
A short USB extansion cord
2 or more bobby pins
Normal transparent plastic tape
Paper clip

2a.Make the Mini PCI-E to USB pins

Here we make the Pins that will attach to the Mini PCI-E slot without needing to solder the USB cord on to the machine.

Bobby pins from your sister/s or mom or from places like the dollar store will do the job. Cut it in about the length of your finger nail.

bend the bobby pin to the shape of a mini crowbar (about 90 to 100 degress).

Peel the skin on each cable in the USB cord, twist the cable around the bobby pin’s bent corner.

Clamp the bobby pin to the pliers for soldering

Soldered, notice the melting of the plastic skin on the cable, should be normal. MAKE SURE IT COOLS DOWN BEFORE YOU WORK ON IT AGAIN

2b. Plug it into the Mini PCI-E slot

To plug the the pins in, make sure you take a look at both these locations
http://www.spielme.com/spiel/files/images/pinout.jpg Mini PCI-E pins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Types_of_USB_connector Pin configurations
Noticed I stuck a piece of tape (2 pieces tapped together and cut into the same width as the bobby pins) to prevent the bobby pins to conduct both pins where it is placed (also to keep the pins in place), you have to be very careful for the first 2 pins as they are the power, you might short the computer anytime if you don’t have the current blocked.
Also make sure all the soldered ends are not touching each other, notices where I put a piece of plastic between the green and the white cable since the soldered section are closer with each other.

2c. Make the holder to keep the pins steady in place

This is a holder made with a paper clip, bend the circles for the screws accordingly to the two screw holes in the laptop.
The screws ARE THINNER then the ones used for CD-ROM’s, there is a standard type used for laptops.

Now the cable should be more stable, less chance for the pins to get pulled out while carrying.

2d. Insert the USB Bluetooth

disassemble the Bluetooth device like so

Tape the Bluetooth PCB board so it is safe from shorting other chip/devices in the laptop (top and botton)

The USB out, plug the USB Bluetooth in now.

Insert the USB Bluetooh under the metal looking plastic, just the space behind the card reader.

It should fit, cut out cunks that is in the way of the screw, there are plenty of height space, so the thickness of the USB port should be no problem.

Make sure things that are not suppose to be touching are not touching, then close the laptop.

3a. Install the driver

Start up your computer, if it does not power up, reopen it, make sure nothing is touching. If nothing is touching and not turning on, make sure you have the battery pulled out and the power unplugged for about 10 seconds for the memory to clear again, try booting then.

When it DOES boot up, you should see new device found, install the driver accordingly like usual.

3b. Install the Bluetooth remap patch

Once the driver has been installed correctly, bluetooth working fine, time for the coolest thing. Remember your useless Bluetooth button? let’s make it enable disable the USB Bluetooth we have in right now. To work around the Launch Manager that controls which button’s job, we change the Internet button to the bluetooth button, therefore, when you add a function to the internet button in Launch Manager, it you are changing the bluetooth button function. Since the Internet Button is regonized in windows to open up your default Internet Browser, this button should remain functional as well.

Here is the latest patch (V10.1) I have made for the Launch Manager (for 2.0.10, one click install, anything older requires you to exit launch manager prior to install), download and install the patch, you will see the taskbar icon has changed to the one in the installer’s screenshot.

you can find the latest patches here
Morris’ Launch Manager V10.1 x86+64-bit.exe

After the patch has been installed, open device manager by running devmgmt.msc or under System Properties.

Locate your USB bluetooth device in Device Manager, right click and click propertise.

Go to the Details tab, select Hardware Ids, highlight the first item in the list, press “Ctrl + c” to copy the text.

Navigate to “C:BT” right click and edit all the “BT.cmd” file under the “current”, “disable”, “enable” folders

The line in the red circle, replace it using “Ctrl + v” to paste, notice the extra empty line is added, remove it so it looks like before, KEEP THE QUOTES.

Once all three BT.cmd’s has been modified and saved, the changes should take effect immediately when you press the Bluetooth button.

4a. Remarks:

- My Bluetooth device is Belkin F8T003xx1

- Enabling the Bluetooth device took away about 30 minutes of battery on my laptop

- This was my third try to make the Mini PCI-E to USB converter

- Using the internal Mini PCI-E to USB was inspired by the EeePC internal USB device MOD.

- Both bluetooth remap installer patch are packaged and configured by me

- This DIY guide is written by me.

- The primary opjective for this guide is to share my findings to worldwide. so others can follow, and no need to waste time for trial and error like I had to.

5a. References:
http://www.spielme.com/spiel/files/images/pinout.jpg Mini PCI-E pins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Types_of_USB_connector Pin configuration Figure

6a. Contact

If you have other questions, please reply on the bottom here, www.theacerguy.com or Email me at morrismurphy@gmail.com

Morris Lee
Revision 1.1 Jan 2009 (first edition can be found here)