Cardo Scala G-4 Ear Bud modification

Glad you got it all working! Good job Ilener...

On my last post I said ...This is what worked:
1. I took the L-Antenna/Copper and attached it to the Copper on the new plug.
2. I left the R-Antenna/Green Stripe alone and did NOT connect it to anything. Leave it hanging.
3. I took the L+/Green and the R+/Red Striped and attached them to the Red on the new plug.
4. I took the L-/Red and the R-/Blue and attached them to the Blue in the new plug.

CORRECTION----------------------- it turns out that all the wires did NOT need to be paired up. I have no idea why.
(remember, I was listening to the iPod the entire time to assure my music worked)

When this morning, I bought a real electrical soldering iron and solder wire with flux core, I thought I was in heaven!
OMG, Things soldered perfectly, neatly, cleanly and it was so simple and fast Wow what a difference!
I resoldered everything so easily....and then unfortunately the music was hard to hear!!!
Damn! I was so fed up with this.

So, I stared at it all to try and locate the problem, but couldn't. Then I thought the connection to the blue wires looked kind of "iffy" and since I was now a great electrical wire solder person and soldering was now fun, I thought I'd clip off one blue wire and reattach it. What the heck, I had nothing to lose at this point.

Great decision, lucky choice of which wire to cut.

BAM!!! The moment the one blue wire was clipped off from the one speaker wire, the music was blasting loud and I quickly pulled out my earplugs!
Woohoo!

We tested the helmet intercoms and everything was perfect. Amazingly perfect and soldered! So I very neatly hot glued each wire connection to protect the ends and isolate them. That turned out nice, too. Then I used the shrink tubing to protect it and in the morning will use an electrical tie to fasten it to the headset clamp. I'll also take another picture to show you the finished piece.

What a struggle, but I'm glad I persevered.

I believe when the next one arrives I will just cut it off at the two speaker wires right next to the speakers and not worry about anything else. I ordered some Koss PortaPro headphones and will switch out the speakers to put in my 2nd helmet. Then I will have two setups, one in each helmet and can choose whether I want earplugs or helmet speakers.

Crazy stuff, Scala must do this to keep us on our toes, and make it near impossible to screw around with their headsets. (or so they hope, but we know better)


Here's a photo of the completed connections.

I have the new Scala Rider G9. Have you done this mod on this unit yet? I'm assuming the base unit is pretty much the same?
Please PM me your contact info Eileen if you're still doing this mod.

--Mark

She had a thread in the Vendors section. http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=694473
BTW, she did a great job on my G4's. I highly recommend.

The only unit I've done this on is the Q2 Pro, it was hell and I'd not attempt it again only because it was so frustrating. If I had the photos that I eventually put up here, it would have saved me about 5 hours

If you can get someone to do it for you, I advise it.

Some has asked about ear buds... Here is what I do...

Something I discovered about using the ear buds in a helmet is that they would begin hurting my ears after a while in the saddle, mostly my lower ear lobe where the wires come out; it seemed that the padding would push it into my ear lobe... Some worse than others... Now, I put the ear buds in upside down with the wire pointing up and it stays within my ear instead of pressing against my ear lobe... There is a little sliding tie (I use the 20 dollar Sony ones from Wal-Mart) that takes up slack on the wires that I slide close to the top of my head, put my helmet on then plug it into the G-4 and it is COMPLETELY pain free! I have worn them this way for up to 8 hours, and I do not even know they are there...

Maybe someday I will take a few photos of that and post them...
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Im sorry but I have no idea how to make that crazy photo of the wires smaller, it's huge but at least you can clearly see the wire colors.

I wanted to say that I bought the two color epoxy mold stuff from Amazon.com and you mix the blue epoxy with the white epoxy for two minutes until its well blended, then push it into your ear, get it inside your ear canal, then gently push in the earbuds and work the soft epoxy a little bit around the ear bud, not completely over top of it, this way you can always buy another set if you need to replace them.

what you end up with is an INCREDIBLY comfortable custom made ear plugs that fit only your ears and once they're in, you don't even feel them.

Hint* I did find out that if you put an eraser in between your teeth when you do this, it opens the ear canal more by moving away the jaw bone, this way the plugs will fit even better. Mine are awesome, I got the purple color. That was before I tried to just change out my Scala Rider Q2 Pro lousy speakers for something better. I did that, easily made the change and the difference was incredible. I used the speakers from headphones called something like the Sony PortaPro... I think that was it. MUCH better, more bass, louder sound.

So now I can choose either the custom ear plugs or the better in helmet speakers, whatever I'm in the mood for!

I love this website, You guys are awesome, thanks!

Did the mod this morning. Pretty tight in there so make sure you get a small plug! We gave up on feeding the wires through the holes and just soldered them to the back. It works fine.
The FM does work still, same reception as before.
The sound quality is a million times better. I am listening to MP3's through my Zumo 660 and it almost sounds as good as an iPod. Very happy!!!

Thanks for the great instructions! Gave me the courage to try it out myself yesterday.

But after putting it all together and trying it out, playing some music from my zumo 660, i found the volume to be far to loud. Even with the volume turned all the way down i was afraid I would damage my headphones, not to mention my hearing. So I found a resistor I had laying around and thought I should trow it in the mix. I cut the black wire going to R- and L- an soldered the resistor to the new ends. Works great!

I used a 56 Ohm resistor and I would say it reduced the volume to about 1/3.

Don't know if there are any downsides to this solution though, as I don't really know much about electronics...

Has anyone tried to fit a 3.5mm jack with switches? This will allow the speakers to be connected and deactivate when the headset is plugged in.

A corollary question.... what size part can fit, or what is the internal clerance measurements?

I have done a few mods on the G9 and it is quite different than the G4.

First here are some pics of the clamp. The first one is a picture of the open clamp, you can see there is much less room inside partly due to the smaller section along the bottom to accomodate the larger G9 unit and partly because Cardo went to a new method of mounting the microphone boom with a 3.5mm plug into the back of the unit. There are now 2 jacks inside from the factory, they are mounted on a small circuit board that stacks beneath the main board and has a very small connector between the boards.




Stacking boards



Small bottom board with connectors:


Finished unit with jack bonded to clamp bottom:



I will do the mod for the same $30 price as the G4 mod, $5 shipping, $5 plug for the speakers option. It takes a little longer to do however because of the glue.

Email me for my address and to make arrangements: eileen.kelleher at gmail.com

I've made a new thread regarding the G9 mod. I've found an interesting new way to mod it. Please give me some feedback in the thread there! Link.

I got a clamp today from Houston Tx and the return address is a mailboxes etc. I have no payment for it nor a return address I can send it to. If anyone knows who sent it they should contact me at eileen.kelleher AT gmail.com and make arrangements for it's return.

Please email me with the street address of the Mailboxes it was sent from.

Thanks,
Eileen

I started in on doing the mod today, but got stuck...er...on step 1. I'm using a T7 driver on the the two tiny bits on the back, but I'm getting zero purchase. From what I can barely make out (with the help of a magnifying glass and a headlamp), they almost look smaller than T7 (which is the smallest T driver I've got). I've been dorking around with it for 25 minutes...starting to get looks from the wife. "So if can't open it up, are you sure you're up to the task of soldering stuff...?" Did any of the G4 releases use other bits in the back?

Its a T6, they all are. I think the original post was wrong.

Regards

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy II using Tapatalk

Thanks Jetgirl!

Golvevi, if you're still following the thread, editing your instructions (T6!) would help future modders with only T7s from getting all

Have you (the collective 'you') considered branching out, and figuring out this solution for us riders using Sena SMH10's? I'm one of them, took a shot at a mod awhile back, but in the end had to un-mod to get it working again. If anyone has any interest in going down this path, either speak up here, post over on Sena thread (link), or just send me an email and I'll tell you what I learned about the Sena setup.

Right now in order to use earbuds with Sena, you purchase an accessory, mount it to the helmet in place of the speaker based unit, and off you go. The desire is of course to be able to use earbuds, or, unplug them and have the speakers be activated... without any helmet changes.

email sent about a possible smh10 earbud mod

Cardo Scala G-4 Ear Bud Modification – With Switched Jack<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
First of all Thanks to Golevi for pioneering the modification, and for the great instructions – see http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=628028<o></o>
I wanted to perform the earbud mod, but retain the ability to use the built in speakers. The solution is of course to use a switched jack. Finding a switched jack small enough to fit in the G-4 base led me to an SMT mount unit – Switchcraft # 35RASMT4BHNTRX which I purchased from Mouser (Mouser# 502-35RASMT4BHNTRX) on line for $1.11 + shipping. This appears to be a common form factor, and other manufacturers may make an equivalent.<o></o>
Materials/Tools Needed:<o></o>
· Switched 3.5mm jack: Switchcraft # 35RASMT4BHNTRX (Mouser# 502-35RASMT4BHNTRX)<o></o>
· 28 Gauge stranded wire – multiple colors (Flat Multi-colored Ribbon Cable is a good source)<o></o>
· Fine gauge (.03”) rosin core solder<o></o>
· Solder wick (for desoldering the Circuit Board)<o></o>
· Small – approx. 1/16” heat shrink tubing <o></o>
· Good Temperature controlled soldering iron with a fine pointed tip (not chisel)<o></o>
· T7 Torx driver<o></o>
· Wire strippers<o></o>
· Diagonal Cutter<o></o>
· 5 Minute Epoxy or Hot Glue<o></o>
· Hand Held Power Drill<o></o>
· Drills<o></o>

o Drill Bit - Approx. #67 or 1/32; (for pilot hole)<o></o>
o Drill Bit #6 (for finished hole)<o></o>
o 2 or 3 intermediate drill sizes between 67 and 6 for enlarging the pilot hole.<o></o>
​

A few notes on soldering:<o></o>
· A good temperature controlled soldering station is strongly recommended . Use a fine pointed tip.<o></o>
· If you are unfamiliar with PCB (Printed Circuit Board) soldering, do a little internet research – it’s nothing to fear, but there a few principles to follow:<o></o>

o Keep the tip clean by wiping on a damp sponge. Keep the tip tinned with fresh solder followed by wipe on the sponge after every solder joint – keep it clean and shiny with solder.<o></o>
o Don’t use too much heat – you will damage the PCB – I like about 750ºF<o></o>
o With the exception of the PCB, tin both sides of every joint before you make it – by this I mean put a little solder on each side of the joint before making the joint. i.e., pre-tin the wire and the terminal.<o></o>
o In general, when soldering, heat the terminal or joint, touch the solder to the joint or terminal, not the iron – when the temperature of the joint reaches melting temp, the solder will melt – this will avoid a cold brittle solder joint. In practice, with terminals and wires this small, you can touch the solder to the iron and let it flow around the joint, but make sure that the solder flows out onto and into the joint.<o></o>
​

Procedure:<o></o>
Step 1) Disassemble G-4 base <o></o>
· Follow Golevi’s instructions (http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=628028)<o></o>
Step 2) Make the Hole<o></o>
· Scribe or otherwise mark the hole position as seen in the figure below. A dial caliper is a nice way to do this – the jaws of the caliper can be used to scribe the plastic.




· Carefully center punch the position of the hole<o></o>
· Starting with a very small pilot drill – such as #67 or 1/32” work your way up in progressive drill sizes to the final size of #6 drill (.204”)<o></o>
· Be careful drilling, and work your way up slowly, you risk cracking the part with too big a step in drill size, I did it in 5 steps. The plastic does seem to be pretty forgiving, but don’t risk it.<o></o>


Step 3) Build the Jack Sub Assembly

· Pre-tin all the terminals on the Jack - be careful, just apply a small amount of solder to each terminal – pretty much as little as you can while still wetting the terminal with solder. You don’t want to melt the plastic of the jack, or get solder inside the jack or its internal switches. (You did buy extra Jacks - right? They’re cheap)<o></o>
· Cut five Approx. 6” lengths of the 28Ga stranded wire, individual colors are of course easier to follow, but not necessary. Don’t use solid wire it WILL break in use or during assembly.<o></o>
· Strip one end of each wire – trim the exposed copper to .05” - .100”<o></o>
· Pre-tin the exposed wire, again go easy – if you get too much solder wicked up inside the wire, the wire will be too stiff to manage – you also don’t want to melt away the insulation.<o></o>
· Now – with everything pre-tinned, the next part is easy. Pick a wire, bend it to match the configuration shown below, place the wire into place, make sure the end of the wire to be soldered is in contact with the terminal, and naturally falls into contact with the terminal – i.e., does not “want” to move away from the terminal.<o></o>
· While holding the wire in place, simply touch briefly the soldering tip to the joint. The pre-tinning should melt and the joint is made. Extra hands, tape, etc. can be useful here.<o></o>
· Repeat for all five wires – work carefully, try to achieve the wire routing shown below.<o></o>
· Keep an eye on the insulation - it is very easy to put too much heat into the wire, and melt the insulation and cause a short between wires – don’t be afraid to remove a wire and replace it.



· Trim the leads you just soldered to the Jack to the proper length by temporarily placing the Jack sub-assembly into the housing as shown below, routing the wires as shown, and trimming all leads coincident with the vertical wall in the housing as shown below.


· Slip a 1” piece of heat shrink tubing over the Yellow and Green Wires – but don’t shrink yet.<o></o>
· Finished Jack Sub-Assembly is shown below


Step 4) Prepare PCB<o></o>
· Desolder and Disconnect the two positive Helmet Speaker leads labeled RIGHT and LEFT from the PCB as follows (Do not disconnect R-and L-):<o></o>

o This is the hardest part of the process – work carefully – there is nothing to fear.<o></o>
o As it turns out, the helmet speaker wires are much larger gage, and easier to work with than I expected.<o></o>
o Heat the joint with the iron, and pull the lead out of the hole. Be very careful that the solder is melted – don’t force the wire – you can pull the solder pad off the PCB and ruin the PCB. This is a three handed operation - have a helper hold the PCB, or clamp the PCB in a vise to free your hands. Don’t overheat the PCB – again, you can cause the pad to separate from the PCB.<o></o>
o Use de-soldering braid to clean the solder from the pad. To use desoldering braid, place a fresh portion of the braid against the solder to be removed – place the iron on top of the braid (the braid is between the iron and the PCB) – as the heat from the iron soaks into the braid, the solder will begin to melt and will wick into the braid – move the braid to a clean portion of braid, and repeat until the hole in the pad is open to receive the new lead. Again, be careful not to overheat the PCB – work slowly, and let things cool down between applications of the iron.<o></o>
​

Step 5) Solder the Jack Sub-Assembly to the PCB<o></o>
· Here is the circuit diagram – wire colors match the stock colors found in my G4 unit, and the colors I used for my jack sub-assembly. Colors therefore match the photos.<o></o>




· The positive speaker leads (green and dashed green) that were de-soldered from the PCB are not long enough to reach the jack – they must be soldered to the yellow and green leads on the Jack Sub-assembly as follows. Refer to the circuit diagram above where “solder and heat shrink” is indicated. <o></o>

o Strip and tin the ends of the green and yellow wires on the Jack Sub-Assembly. Trim the tinned ends to aprox. .10” (2mm) exposed and tinned wire.<o></o>
o Straighten and tin the green and dashed green right and left speaker leads.<o></o>
o Make sure that the heat shrink tubing is placed on the green and yellow jack subassembly wires <o></o>
o This is another good place for a helper – hold the two solid green leads together – overlapping end to end, and touch the iron to the joint – because the leads are tinned, the joint should melt almost immediately – remove the iron while holding the leads for a moment unit the joint cools. Repeat for the Dashed Green and Yellow joint.<o></o>
o Slip the heat shrink into place over the solder joint and shrink using a heat gun, match, or candle.<o></o>
​

· Solder the Brown and Blue wires from the Jack Sub-Assembly to the LEFT and RIGHT (respectively) terminals of the PCB. See wiring diagram. If you get these backwards, no harm will be done, but the left to right balance will be backwards.<o></o>
· Strip and tin the red wire from the Jack Sub-Assembly about 3/8” (10mm) – Solder this wire to both the R- and the L- terminal on the PCB – this is the negative or ground line and is common to right and left. See picture below.<o></o>




Step 6) Install the Jack in the Housing<o></o>
· Seal the Jack - You need to keep the Epoxy out of the two terminal openings in the rear body of the jack (terminals 3 and 5). I used a strip of adhesive tape to mask the openings. The epoxy is thick so there is no need to make the masking “water tight” – just block the “oozing” of the adhesive.


· Fit the Jack into the housing – pushing the tip of the jack into the hole.<o></o>
· Route the wires as shown<o></o>
· Mix some 5 minute epoxy<o></o>
· Dispense a mound of epoxy in the area behind the back end of the jack. Hold the jack in place while the epoxy sets. Hot glue should also work <o></o>
· The goal of the epoxy is to form a “wall” or “stop”at the back of the Jack which keeps the jack securely engaged in the hole in the housing.


Step 6) Reassemble the G4 unit<o></o>
· Route the wires as seen in the Photo above.<o></o>
· Reassembly is reverse of disassembly

Great improvement! Now *that's* the way to go. Well done, and thanks for posting.

I did the "unswitched" mod last weekend and took a long, deep breath when I cut the speaker wires off the unit. "There's gotta a be a decent switched solution, but....[snip]"