Scala Rider FM Mute Switch.
Adding a mute switch to a scala rider bluetooth headset is pretty easy. This headset clips onto a motorcycle helmet and it has amazing noise cancleation. You can have a conversation easily even in a very noisy environment. The only problem is I end up needing to be on company conference calls during my comute. And if you have ever been on conference calls you know how distacting it is to have someone with an unmuted phone.
The headset that I used was a scala rider FM. This bluetooth headset comes in two main peices. One has the microphone, speakers, and the clamp to hold it to the helmet. The other has all the circuitry for the bluetooth, noise cancelation and fm radio. There are 4 contacts that make up the connection between the two peices. I expected to find a ground, right and left speaker, and microphone connections but I was wrong. Looking closer the speakers are set up as mono. The way it is actually wired is microphone with a ground, and then speakers with a ground. |
Originally I was planning on putting the switch in the peice that remains connected to the helmet. The main reason for this decision is that it was cheaper to replace if I broke something in the process. After trying to open the helmet side peice, I found that there was a ring where the microphone boom connected that was glued firmly in place. I was sure to break something by trying to pry it off, so I opened up the bluetooth peice. The cover came off with four small torx screws. There was some sort of rubbery sealant that I ended up ruining by opening the unit. Once I test out the unit for a few trips I intend on resealing the unit with some silicone. To my suprise there was plenty of room for a switch to be added and after pulling a couple of screws out the wiring was pretty accesible to soldering. They had four short jumper wires that went from the contact pads to the main board. I desoldered one of the mic connections and extended the wire. Using a jumper wire for breadboards I added a new wire to the solder pad on the main board.
I ran these wires along the side of the battery and to the top rear corner of the unit. I drilled a small hole in the cover of the unit and screwed on the switch. I went with a mini-toggle switch for the mute switch so even with thick gloves I would be able to easily mute or unmute the headset. I soldered the two wires to the switch and went to test out my modification.
I used skype and called my cellphone from my laptop. It worked like a charm, there is a extreamly faint click in the audio went the switch is flicked but other then that the sound is perfect. The hard part now was contorting the wires into a position were the unit would close without stopping other buttons from being pressed. Closed it up, tightened the screws and gave it one last test before I called it a night. The entire process took a couple of hours, and all components other then the headset were scavenged from stuff I already had. | 
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