HED Project

Life/Tech/Ideas

Tag: music

  • DIY Weekend: resurrecting a dead JBL Go Bluetooth speaker

    DIY Weekend: resurrecting a dead JBL Go Bluetooth speaker

    I had this JBL Go speaker laying around and haven’t touched it since I don’t know when.

    I generally like JBL as the sound quality is amazing and the price is way lower than some super high end brands (like BOSE).

    The only problem with this Bluetooth speaker, and generally with the Bluetooth speakers is that the battery is not easily accessible. This means that when the battery is worn off, then you must replace the whole speaker and buy a new one.

    But, if you want to experiment a little bit and you are not afraid to use a soldering kit, then with less than £10 you can give a new life to your speaker.

    The process is straight forward.

    First you remove the front mesh and reveal the speaker and the screw holes.

    Secondly, you unscrew the screw holes (T6 screwdriver to remove the four 9 mm screws).

    The motherboard is revealed. Unmount the speaker cable.

    The motherboard has only 1 screw. Unscrew it.

    The battery can be seen. It is glued on the case. Inside the battery there is a small “charging circuit” which allows the electricity to pass on the opposite way, from the cable to the battery so it can be charger. Remove the battery cover so this circuit can be revealed. Remove the old battery from it but let all the other cabling as it is.

    Solder 2 cables on the new battery. Red is the positive, Black is the negative.

    Connect the Black with the Negative pole on the charging circuit and the Red with the Positive and check if everything works (you don’t need the speaker to be connected, just press the TURN ON button and the blue led should light on.

    Then solder the cables. (not the best soldering in the world…)

    Start reassembling everything back. Put on the screws, mount the speaker and that’s it! The speaker is alive!

    Disclaimer: Use tape to hide all the naked cables so they won’t touch each other and will not create a short circuit.

    Have in mind, the battery that I used has a way bigger capacity that the previous one but there is a catch. It is thicker and I cannot close the speaker completely. So before buying a new battery make sure that the speaker and the battery fit inside the speaker box.

    The battery I used is a rechargable one for an old NOKIA 3310 phone with 3.6V and 1000mAh (£7.99 from Amazon).

  • Mobile apps that you should be using

    Mobile apps that you should be using

    There are several apps on my mobile phone that I use. But on the below list there are 10 apps that I cannot thing that I could use a smartphone without them.

    Firefox

    • When it comes to browser, I do not use Safari or Chrome. I prefer something that I quite more private (Chrome is made by Google and it probably tracks whatever you are browsing) and can also sync with my laptop (Safari is only for apple devices).

    Brave

    • I use Brave for one specific reason. I deleted YouTube from my device as it has become annoying to a maximum level with the ads it has added at the beginning or during their videos. I wanted something to watch YouTube videos without ads (and with a better experience compared to Firefox). The solution is Brave Browser. Not only lets you watch YouTube videos without ads, but it can also be used to watch with the phone screen turned off. Also, in terms of privacy it is the top private browser. Highly recommended.

    Google Keep

    • When it comes to note keeping, lists etc there are many choices. I prefer the Google Keep as it can sync through many devices. The interface is very simple and does the job well.

    Pocket

    • My go-to app when I need to save a page to read it later.

    Revolut

    • In my honest opinion, one of the best banking apps. It converts currency in seconds and at very good rates without taking any fees. It has vaults with good interest and can send money to your phone contacts if they have Revolut as well. Money is sent in seconds and there are no fees as well. It has really helped me when I am abroad.

    Waze

    • I was using Google Maps for navigation, but a friend introduced me to Waze. Basically, Waze is now part of Google as it was bought a couple of years ago, but it is kept the same as it was before. Once I started using it, I never went back to Maps. There are some good reasons for this. First of all, it displays various information that will save you from getting fined. It shows police on the road, cameras, speed traps, red light cameras, roadblocks, stopped cars in front of you, pot holes and so many other things. Secondly, it shows your speed while displaying the speed limit, so you know how much you are speeding. Finally, the navigation system is way better compared to what I used so far. I have noticed that Maps is telling you to turn way before the corner that you must turn with a result to take turns that you shouldn’t. This is not a thing with Waze. Notifications are always on time.

    Spotify

    • I believe this is one of the most popular apps. I cannot live without music and I also spend a good amount of time listening to podcasts.

    Dictionary

    • As I am not a native English speaker, I wanted to expand my vocabulary. This dictionary (which is called Dictionary) is one of the best I have used. Give it a try.

    Coingecko

    • I use this app to track crypto prices. Simple and easy to use interface.

    Alpha Bravo alphabet

    • Numerus times I was asked to say my name or spell my post code on the phone. Well, I didn’t know how to say the letters in Zulu Tango etc. So, I thought that it would be a good idea to create an app that does this. And voila! I coded this app! It hasn’t been that much time since I published it and it helped me a handful of times! I hope it helps you as well!

  • Things I don’t regret buying: JBL Flip 3

    jbl logoAs I spend many hours in front of my pc drawing, surfing and writing, I wanted to listen to music from a sound device that performs much better than my laptop speakers. I also was wondering how many people out there practically do not listen to music. I don’t mean that they do not listen to music literally. The sound they hear is not music. It is just something that has rhythm, a lot of bizzzz and hizzzz and something like melody. But certenly not music. Laptop speakers do not produce even an average sound quality (unless your laptop is equipped with some state of the art laptop speakers but even then…). (more…)