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  • Author Author: mfetting
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Convert a 2.4GHz wireless speaker to bluetooth.

mfetting

My Rocketfish RF-WS02 Digital Wireless Speaker uses a proprietary 2.4GHz wireless communication system to transmit low-latency, high fidelity audio from an audio source to the speaker.  Which worked great at first, but has developed an annoying issue of dropping the 2.4GHz signal sporadically (recovers after a few seconds).  I could use a different Bluetooth speaker that would be smaller and likely cost less, but would miss the fun of extending the life of a useful product. 

 

I tried to identify any interference that could be causing the problem; as  suggested in his comment, maybe my new wireless mouse is the root of the problem.

 

Additional note:  The buttons are beginning to exhibit what some would call rubber rot (sticky texture when touched), so I also plan to replace the buttons (on/off, bass boast, three position switch for Left-Mono-Right,and volume control)

 

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Held together by Philip head screws, start at the bottom and move towards the top.

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This card appears to be both amp and logic board, the wireless card is on the other side connected by a micro ribbon cable (30 pins).  Searched the internet for board/schematic information but did not find anything.

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bass/woofer

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2.4 GHz receiver technology from 2008 (AVM07212-02-ACPA)

 

Product Features:

  • Wireless Transmitter uses stereo RCA connectivity (this might we worth converting to bluetooth receiver or transmitter, project #2).
  • 5" driver with 2" tweeter:Delivers 20W RMS of clear, quality sound using a built-in Class D amplifier.
  • Bass boost function.
  • Volume and speaker selector controls:For customizable sound.
  • 40Hz - 20kHz frequency response.
  • 80dB sensitivity.
  • Power via an AC adapter or using 8 C batteries (can use rechargeable).
  • Weight: 5.51 lbs (rather large)

 

Plan:

  • Evaluate the current product construction for reuse of existing components (i.e. amp, bass boast, speaker L-MONO-R switch, etc.)
  • Determine necessary power requirement for replacement components (currently 15v DC)
  • Determine if speakers are 4 or 8 Ohm (discovered the bass speaker is 3 Ohm)
  • Alternate components to consider
    • small amp board
    • step-down power supply Voltage Regulated (15v to 5v)

 

My initial plan was to open it up and remove the 2.4GHz receiver and replace it with the Bluetooth Audio Receiver board Bluetooth 4.1 mp3 lossless decoder board.  If life could only be that simple.  Now I'm looking for a cheap amp with crossover for the tweeter.  For most of us, projects like this are about learning and not necessarily the least expense finished product. Given what I know now, it would be cheaper to go purchase a new bluetooth enabled speaker.

 

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Parameters characteristics

Power Supply

3.7-5V

SNR

90dB

THD+N

-70dB

Crosstalk

-86dB

DNR

91dB

Support Profile

A2DP/AVCTP/AVDTP/AVRCP/HFP

LOS

>15m

 

 

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Bluetooth Receiver with Amp

 

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crossover for the tweeter

 

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Realized I will need to address the stereo to mono on this project.

  • Rocketfish will not provide any documentation other than the user manual.  There support team, which responded quickly to my request, provided the following suggestions:

     

    1. Unplug the units (Sender and Speakers) from the power outlet
    2. While unplugged, turn the Power Switch to ON located on each unit for 30 seconds
    3. Once time is up, turn the switch back to OFF
    4. Plug the units back to the power outlet and give it a try to make the pairing process if needed :

     

    1. Set the Wireless receiver to ENABLE (power indicator must turn green)
    2. Press and hold the power button on the Wireless receiver for more than three seconds (pairing mode). The power indicator starts blinking rapidly for 30 seconds
    3. Press and hold the button on the Speaker for more than three seconds so the Wireless receiver and speaker enter pairing mode
    4. --- At this moment the power indicators light steadily if the pairing was successful. If not please try again from step 5 above

     

    This comment is to provide additional information to anyone who comes across this blog looking for information concerning the Rocketfish RF-WS02 remote speaker.

  • in reply to koudelad

    That may be the case given the age of the unit. I know my newer Bluetooth speakers do not exhibit the same performance under identical conditions; therefore, I assumed the unit was beginning to fail or it simply unable to perform with the increasing level of interference in the house.  The unit utilizes technology from 2008 (AVM07212-02-ACPA) and may be unable to handle as much interference as a newer receiver.

     

    Do current Bluetooth modules deal with interference more effectively?

     

    Would a 2.4 GHz receiver, engineered in 2008, be less effective in current home environments?

  • Are you sure that the dropping or original radio communication was not caused by some local interference at 2.4 GHz? In that case, it could behave the same, when replacing one 2.4 GHz radio for another.

     

    I have experienced similar issues with proprietary 2.4 GHz vs Bluetooth vs 2.4 GHz WiFi (especially when downloading or uploading at higher bandwidth) mice, speakers, network adapters and other peripherals . The only solution for me was to replace some or them by wired versions.