Hardware Version 2.0 FAQs

Why did you redesign the unit?

Since early 2021, the electronics supply chain has made it extremely difficult to source the components that the BlueBus was originally designed with. The main component that has became unavailable was the BC127 Bluetooth module. It has a 40 week lead time and can only be purchased in quantities of 1000. Because of this, I chose to take the BlueBus back to the drawing board and redesign the unit around a more readily available Bluetooth module -- the BM83 from Microchip. Gone also is the WM8804 S/PDIF transceiver that has become increasingly expensive, and in its place is now a Texas Instruments DIT4096 S/PDIF transceiver. Finally, I took the time to lay the circuit out in a way that would allow me to have the case altered so that the enclosure is less problematic. This resulted in a 5mm increase in size on both the X and Y axis.

Are there any major differences?

Not really! The core product is still the same. However, there are some differences that should be mentioned:
  • The 3.5mm aftermarket microphone port has been moved to the other side of the board
  • The board has increased in size by 5mm on both axis
  • The new Bluetooth Module supports AVRCP browsing, which will allow me to let you browse through a playlist on your headunit in the future
  • Caller ID will, for now, only display the incoming callers number and NOT a friendly name. I hope to address this through a software update.
  • Automatic volume management does NOT work for now. This only impacts two features: Automatic volume Management and Volume halving while reversing.