Over the past weekend I decided to change this by looking at adding the features I was missing to the speaker. I felt adding the below would make me want to use speaker again:

Lightning port dock by replacing the old 30 pin Bluetooth wireless connectivity

1. Adding the Lightning port

Deep-diving into the schematics of Lightning Connectors made me realized its complexity. It was simpler to hack a Lightning to 30-pin Adapter ($29) on top of the existing casing. The top of the plastic had to be widened for the adapter to fit, but it the end it worked out well. Some glue and 2 longer screws holds everything in place. My iPhone SE is recognized without any issues and charges/plays nicely.

2. Adding Bluetooth connectivity

Bluetooth connectivity turned out to be more complicated. After browsing the web, I opted to order an XS3868 bluetooth audio board based on the OVC3860 chipset. The cheap module offered a good range of features I wanted to integrate (stereo audio, bluetooth V2.0). Audio quality turned out to be decent.

External RESET button & cable to AUX IN

For integration, I wanted to keep the impact on current systems to a minimum. While the board is placed within the speaker it connects externally through the AUX input jack. I can unplug the bluetooth module at any time from the outside.