Mac OS 9 Lives
Mac OS 9 Discussion => Mac OS 9, Hacks & Upgrades => Mac OS 9 on Unsupported Hardware => Topic started by: UnexpectedBomb on October 06, 2026, 01:02:23 PM
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The follow-up to the AirPort Extreme release, here is the OTHER half of the Mac OS 9 wireless equation ;D
Presenting the first-ever Bluetooth driver for Mac OS 9! Developed on the MDD FW800 with the internal A1044 Bluetooth card installed, this driver seamlessly integrates into the Mac OS 9 experience.
COMPATIBLE DEVICES
This driver has been tested and confirmed to work with at least two specific Apple devices:
- A1015 Apple Wireless Mouse
- A1016 Apple Wireless Keyboard (volume, mute, and eject keys work too!)
Released together in 2003, these devices were Apple's first attempt at Bluetooth HID, running on Bluetooth 1.1 technology. Both devices can be paired and disconnected using the driver's control panel, just as you would expect in contemporary versions of OS X such as Jaguar and Panther. It is possible that other Bluetooth 1.1 mice and keyboards can be paired as well; if you own devices of that vintage, give it a try and report back with your findings! I'll try to maintain a confirmed device compatibility list as test reports come in.
INSTALLATION
1) USB Bluetooth Support system extension (the driver itself) into your Extensions folder
2) USBBluetoothSwitch system extension (allows the driver to take control of the A1044 card at boot) into your Extensions folder
3) Bluetooth control panel (UI for pairing/disconnecting/renaming devices) into your Control Panels folder
4) Bluetooth Strip CSM (monitors battery level, device connection status) into your Control Strip Modules folder (technically optional but very useful)
5) Reboot
6) Open the Bluetooth control panel; put your Bluetooth device into pairing mode and scan for it, then connect it when it appears in the devices list
A paired A1016 keyboard still reaches the Open Firmware boot picker, so holding Option at startup works with no wired keyboard attached (although I'd recommend keeping one nearby ;)) A known quirk here is that a wired keyboard will be ignored at the boot picker when a Bluetooth keyboard is paired and active. Switch your Bluetooth keyboard off and the wired keyboard should come right back.
COMPATIBLE DESKTOPS (A1044)
In addition to the FW800 MDD, the following G4 desktops work with the A1044 Bluetooth card:
eMac G4 1.25GHz (USB 2.0)
eMac G4 1.42GHz (2005)
iMac G4 15" 1.0GHz (GeForce4 MX)
iMac G4 17/20" 1.25 GHz (FX 5200)
Mac Mini G4 (Early 2005)
COMPATIBLE LAPTOPS (A1041)
The following G4 laptops usually contain the A1041 Bluetooth card, which is the exact same silicon as the A1044 but in a different form factor; I fully expect these A1041 cards to be compatible. There is a chance you might have a later revision A1114 internal card, in which case I don't know if it's compatible for sure (but would love to find out!); those models are marked with an asterisk.
iBook G4 2003-2004 (Radeon 9200)*
Al PowerBook G4 12" 867MHz
Al PowerBook G4 12" 1.0-1.5GHz*
Al PowerBook G4 17" 1.0GHz
Al PowerBook G4 15/17" (Radeon)*
COMPATIBILITY UNCERTAIN
The following G4 machines carry the A1126/A1127 combo card, and their compatibiltiy is uncertain but worth trying:
iBook G4 Mid 2005 (Radeon 9550)
Mac Mini G4 (Late 2005)
BONUS: once installed, this driver will bind the internal A1044/A1041 Bluetooth card which should eliminate that pesky "unsupported USB device" message that appears at startup for some unsupported G4 laptops; would love to get confirmation on this specifically.
In progress for future release: adding support for the D-Link DBT-120 USB Bluetooth dongle, potentially bringing OS 9 Bluetooth functionality to every G3/G4 Mac ever made.
You can download the Bluetooth driver components here:
https://github.com/UnexpectedBomb/MacOS9-Bluetooth/releases/tag/v17.6