Mod gives Google’s Home Mini speaker its ‘missing’ line-out jack
For many, Google’s Home Mini speaker has one key disadvantage over Amazon’s Echo Dot: there’s no line-out jack. If you want more powerful sound without buying a higher-priced model, you have to stream to a Chromecast-equipped speaker system. However, that didn’t deter SnekTek — the site has added an aux audio port to the Mini through a clever homebrew mod. To say this required some delicate surgery would be an understatement, mind you. The procedure involved boiling the adhesive off the bottom, finding the one space where a headphone port would fit, and carving out a hole. As with the iPhone 7 headphone mod, the product clearly wasn’t designed for this — there won’t be any doubt that you voided your warranty once you’re done.
This doesn’t disable the Mini’s built-in sound, but it otherwise works: Google’s puck is suddenly much better-suited to kicking out the jams. And it’s not an expensive mod, either, as the biggest costs are the port itself, some wiring work and epoxy. The main catch, of course, is the effort. If the thought of tearing open your speaker triggers a mild panic, you’re probably better off springing for a Chromecast Audio adapter and setting your mind at ease.
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