This how-to shows you how to add a bluetooth wireless headset inside of a full-face motorcycle helmet.
Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmet DIY Design
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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.
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Cutting holes in safety rated equipment, especially, is a pretty sure path to injury. The equipment is rated as safe as shipped. Most helmets and hard hats state, if any visible cracks or holes are present that you should cease use and obtain a new undamaged helmet or hard hat. Please consider finding a way to perform this modification without damaging the helmet, or using a non destructive method entirely.
Agreed. This is as safe as wearing a bluetooth headset without a helmet.
I was about to say the same thing. this is a terrible, stupid idea.
There is no need to drill holes. I posted my bluetooth helmet mod a while back here:
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/10/diy_bluetooth_frankenphon.html
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Posted by: Russtang on October 3, 2007 at 10:49 AM
I just finished something similar a few weeks ago for my motorcycle helmet. I used the same Logitech headphones.
Instead of hardwiring the speakers to the board, I connected a headphone jack to the PCB, and use my earbud speakers.
I attached the LiPo battery next to the board, and the whole assembly slips between the helmet shell and cheek pad. I wired a magnetic reed switch in parallel with the play/pause/power switch. This lets me power on/off the receiver with a small rare-earth magnet stuck to my glove. A lot easier than fumbling for a contact switch.
The transmitter plugs into my zune which I’ve mounted to the tank.
I picked up the headphones for ~$30 off ebay. This is a lot cheaper solution than the commercial versions designed for motorcycles ($200-$400). It is also nice and invisible. Other solutions I’ve seen are usually big bulky modules you’ve got to stick on the side of your helmet.
Russ
This hack is a really bad idea. Cutting holes into the styrofoam of the helmet poses a grave risk. If you fall the styrofoam will be compacted. Now guess what happens to your skull if it crashes into a soft foam layer in which a hard bluetooth device is embedded. Usually helmets are also produced in a way that they have an internal tension to strengthen the material. These inner workings are destroyed by modifying the helmet or even glueing something onto it. There was a long discussion at hackaday when some jerk decided to attach a brake light to his helmet. Why does Make paost such crappy ideas that could kill people? Aren’t there enoug safer projects out there?
No really. Don’t do this. I love make but this is a plain stupid idea if you value your head.
he simple Bluetooth wireless intercom systems we wished for are here! Here are two units that claim to meet our requirements of a Bluetooth motorcycle intercom system that does NOT use a cell phone or other intermediary “hub” device; thanks to Jan from MC Sport in Denmark for sending us information on the Cellular Line Interphone (Italy).
tdale8
http://www.bikeintercom.com/products/ridemate.html
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