[Isthmus]

Originally Posted by gspears

I'd get the 1510 or 1520 cards and bluetooth modules for both. Check the guy I recommended earlier in the thread. If he's still in business he gave me great package deals. I would update at least 2 at a time so I'd order at least 2 of each of the cards.

I could never get the HB95 card to go above 150 whereas the 1510 and 1520 will do 300. That speed is really only important if you are connecting to a gigabit router and wanting to transfer files across. Anyway, for the small investment you might as well have full speed components and while the system is pulled apart you should go ahead and install the BT module as well. You might never know when you'll need it. Just be sure to get the tiny little screws for the BT module.

Good Luck!

Thanks, I shot him an e-mail. by any chance, would you happen to know his ebay name?

I ran some searches on ebay and found the 365 BT module going for under $20 shipped; the DW1520 wirless-N card going for about the same price, and the DW1510 going for about $30. Is there any difference worth noting between the DW1510 and the DW1520, or should I just go with he cheapest one? It seems like I can get both cards for under $40 shipped from the hong kong based seller who has a ton of them listed. No word on including the screw for the card though.

[somms]

Originally Posted by Isthmus

Thanks, I shot him an e-mail. by any chance, would you happen to know his ebay name?

I ran some searches on ebay and found the 365 BT module going for under $20 shipped; the DW1520 wirless-N card going for about the same price, and the DW1510 going for about $30. Is there any difference worth noting between the DW1510 and the DW1520, or should I just go with he cheapest one? It seems like I can get both cards for under $40 shipped from the hong kong based seller who has a ton of them listed. No word on including the screw for the card though.

DW1520 has a slightly newer chipset over the older DW1510 and seems to use less power...

Documentation

Documentation

Documentation

I bought my DW1520 direct from dell for $40: DELL Wireless 1520 (11agn) WLAN Half-Height mini-Card for Select Dell Inspiron Desktop / Inspiron / Latitude / Studio Laptops / Alienware / OptiPlex / Precision Mobile WorkStations : Networking | Dell

[rrfranczak3]

@somms, I think ya did the right thing buying from Dell, I dont trust ebay for stuff like that, I will pay $10 extra and get it from Dell, I see so many people buying 3rd party power adapters then they dont work or the battery wont charge or the charge light flickers....I will spend the extra and get it from Dell and get the warranty with it just in case it cooks my system which is something you wont get on ebay..............good job....

[gspears]

Originally Posted by Isthmus

Thanks, I shot him an e-mail. by any chance, would you happen to know his ebay name?

I ran some searches on ebay and found the 365 BT module going for under $20 shipped; the DW1520 wirless-N card going for about the same price, and the DW1510 going for about $30. Is there any difference worth noting between the DW1510 and the DW1520, or should I just go with he cheapest one? It seems like I can get both cards for under $40 shipped from the hong kong based seller who has a ton of them listed. No word on including the screw for the card though.

I'd go with the 1520s, especially if they are cheaper. His eBay name is blue32701. His stuff is directly from Dell. I've probably ordered more than 20 units from him without any failures and they were all genuine Dell products. Caution is warranted in dealing with eBay providers but in this case it worked out very well. I emailed him when I first saw his auctions and asked if his products were genuine and he said they were so I decided to give it a go. I had been burned once before on a knockoff from Asia that didn’t function at all, so I was careful and only ordered one piece (I believe it was a 1510.) After confirming his products were good quality and actually Dell parts, I started purchasing all my Dell parts from him and ended up paying less than half of what Dell wanted at the time. His prices did go up as time went on though. I guess not all good things last forever. Just learn from my hard knocks, don’t buy anything that is not guaranteed genuine Dell and only purchase from a US provider so you can get your money back from PayPal if there is a problem.

[Isthmus]

Thanks Gspears. I spoke to your contact (great communication) and he is sourcing both the 1520 and the Bluetooth module (including the screw) for $51 shipped. He also has the 1510 in case anyone is interested. the parts are shipping from florida and were shipped on friday, so they should be here tuesday or so. overall a very pleasant seller. Thanks for the recommendation.

[gspears]

Originally Posted by Isthmus

Thanks Gspears. I spoke to your contact (great communication) and he is sourcing both the 1520 and the Bluetooth module (including the screw) for $51 shipped. He also has the 1510 in case anyone is interested. the parts are shipping from florida and were shipped on friday, so they should be here tuesday or so. overall a very pleasant seller. Thanks for the recommendation.

Glad i could help. Unfortunately I got bit before I found him so it's nice to help others avoid that frustration.

Have fun with it.

[Isthmus]

Ok, so I did it.

Last night I tore the chassis in the 1012 down, replaced the wireless card with the new 1520 and added the bluetooth card. Sadly the screw the seller sent me was too big.

Do any of you know where I can source the screw to lock the Bluetooth card in place?

Anyhow, I left the card plugged in place and closed it all up. Restarted and the system recognized everything. My internet connection is now beautifully fast and my bluetooth card is working (now to get the bluetooth mouse and headphones). Finally the little 1012 has become a true full fledged laptop in a truly portable package, as opposed to the half baked web appliance that originally came from dell.

BRAVO!!!!
________________________________________________

If any of you would like to replace your wireless card and add the bluetooth module, here is how you do it:

Follow the dismantling instructions in this guide:

How to dismantle and upgrade Dell Mini 1012

More particularly, if you have a separate computer, you'll want to run the video in that page, as it is far clearer than the written instructions and it is extremely detailed. You can also find the video here:

YouTube- How to upgrade and dismantle Dell Mini 1012

YouTube- How to upgrade and dismantle Dell Mini 1012

The steps on the video will walk you through the complete disassemble of the chassis so as to give you access to the motherboard and everything plugged to it. the instructions in the video are a little more rational than the written ones. Here is the important part, everything in the video is necessary and there are no shortcuts, so do it. The only thing you can skip (though for safety reasons I recommend you don't skip it) is the removal of the RAM chip. you don't have to take it out, but to prevent bumping it, I would. When you are done, your chassis should look like this (click on the picture for a full sized image):





Now that's how you get access. the video does not explain how to swap the cards. for that your'll need to go to the Wireless Mini-Card(s) and the Bluetooth Card sections of the Dell Mini 1012 Service Manual.

Installing the Bluetooth Card is easy. It is literally plug and play. the connector slot is on the motherboard, just inboard of the right side speaker, underneath palm rest in the right hand corner of the chassis, as indicated in this picture"



Just plug it in and use the tiny screw to bolt it in place.

The Wireless Mini-Card is a little more involved, but not much.



You will see that card in the lower left hand corner of the chassis, just to the right of the left speaker. To unplug the existing one, just remove the single screw locking it in place in the upper left hand corner. Make sure you have a good screw driver, as this screw can be tight (I had to use pliers to give my screw driver enough torque to initially turn the screw - it was that tight). Just be careful not to poke anything. Once the screw is removed, the card will lift on it's own, with the connector acting as a hinge. before pulling out the card, you will notice two little wires plugged into it. these are antenna wires. remember which one goes where. the little golden ends are pressure plugs. grab the plugs with a flat set of tweezers and wiggle them straight up. you are trying to separate the connector from the card, not the wire from the connector. once you remove the first one, removing the second one is easier if you unplug the card. To plug the new card back in, reconnect the antenna wires in their respective locations. This is easy to do with your fingers, but make sure the connector is properly seated in it's socket before you press. if you deform it you'll be screwed, so be patient and do it right. you'll feel the snap into place when they are plugged in. you can now connect the card and bolt it down.

Now follow the reassembly steps as shown in the video above; restart the computer and let it recognize everything. Your computer should now have a nice fast wireless connection and your bluetooth card should be recognized automatically.

you should be able to configure your wireless card to run at it's maximum transfer rate. how you go about doing that depends on the OS you are using. I don't know how to do it in Windows, but if one of you does, please post a how to. In Linux, I found the following How To, WHICH I HAVE NOT YET TRIED, which might be helpful:

How To Increase Your Internet Connection Speed in Linux

Again, if any of you know of a better way to configure your wireless card in linux (I'm running Linux Mint 9), please let me know. BTW, Linux Mint 9 recognized the 1520 wireless card automatically.

I hope this post if some use to anyone wanting to try this out.

Good luck.


PS: Now to find some other piece of crazy hardware t add to this machine.

[gspears]

Originally Posted by Isthmus

Ok, so I did it.

Last night I tore the chassis in the 1012 down, replaced the wireless card with the new 1520 and added the bluetooth card. Sadly the screw the seller sent me was too big.


PS: Now to find some other piece of crazy hardware t add to this machine.

I've got a screw for you if you want to PM me.

Great job on the guide. Glad it all went well.

[Dan 1012]

FWIW, check your local Ace or True Value for the screw. Their selection blows the big box stores out of the water.

Dan

[Isthmus]

Originally Posted by gspears

I've got a screw for you if you want to PM me.

Thanks. PM sent.