The forum and the internet are full of questions about the DIN8 connector on the back of the Beolab 3500 (BL3500) and how to use it, for example to connect Bluetooth, a streamer or a TV.
This is a follow-up to the thread "BL3500 and the MCL/PL connector" (https://forum.beoworld.org/forum/beolab/bl3500-and-the-mcl-pl-connector). I'm starting this separate thread to give the project more visibility and to explain in a straightforward way how to use the PL/MCL connector.
Of course, the easiest way to use either version is via Masterlink. If you don't own a Beomaster with ML, a Beolink Converter 1611 is enough, either on its own as an ML driver or as a Beomaster Audio/Aux to ML converter. But that is not the topic of these threads.
There are two versions of the BL3500 that look the same from the outside but work in completely different ways: the MK1 (MCL connector) and the MK2 (Powerlink connector, S/N > 19343452). Because of this, I'm splitting the topic into two threads, one for each version:
MK1 thread: [link to MK1 thread]
MK2 thread: [link to MK2 thread]
Please use the thread that matches your speaker.
The MK1 understands the MCL protocol. It is basically a Bang & Olufsen MCL X-TRA Speaker Kit with speakers, with all its pros and cons.
Out of the box, the MK1 can be used with any Beomaster with MCL: it needs a cable with two of the odd 3-pin speaker plugs on one end and an 8-pin DIN plug on the other. The pinout can be found on BeoTech: https://archived.beoworld.org/beotech/wiring1.htm
Connect the two 3-pin plugs to the Speaker 2 sockets of the Beomaster, as these carry the MCL data.
How to use the BL3500 MK1 standalone
There is a known workaround: Menu + 0 + 4 + GO and a DIN-to-jack cable. We don't use it, because it has certain disadvantages, e.g. after a power loss you have to set it up again.
Instead, an ESP32 simulates the Beomaster, and a Bluetooth receiver with an amplifier feeds in the sound.
MCL expects a speaker-level signal. A line-level signal works too, but the volume is limited, and with the BL3500 turned all the way up you hear an unpleasant hiss when playback is paused. So an amplifier is recommended.
With a proper Bluetooth receiver that supports these control commands, you can also control pause, next and previous on the Bluetooth device with a Beolink remote.
Location: Villach, Austria
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