diff --git a/openlp/core/common/settings.py b/openlp/core/common/settings.py
index cd121c2ef..dd343525d 100644
--- a/openlp/core/common/settings.py
+++ b/openlp/core/common/settings.py
@@ -294,6 +294,10 @@ class Settings(QtCore.QSettings):
         'user interface/preview panel': True,
         'user interface/preview splitter geometry': QtCore.QByteArray(),
         'projector/db type': 'sqlite',
+        'projector/db username': '',
+        'projector/db password': '',
+        'projector/db hostname': '',
+        'projector/db database': '',
         'projector/enable': True,
         'projector/connect on start': False,
         'projector/last directory import': '',
diff --git a/openlp/core/lib/db.py b/openlp/core/lib/db.py
index e089cd8a4..e1c9c9117 100644
--- a/openlp/core/lib/db.py
+++ b/openlp/core/lib/db.py
@@ -106,9 +106,6 @@ def init_url(plugin_name, db_file_name=None):
                                        urlquote(settings.value('db password')),
                                        urlquote(settings.value('db hostname')),
                                        urlquote(settings.value('db database')))
-        if db_type == 'mysql':
-            db_encoding = settings.value('db encoding')
-            db_url += '?charset=%s' % urlquote(db_encoding)
     settings.endGroup()
     return db_url
 
diff --git a/openlp/plugins/alerts/alertsplugin.py b/openlp/plugins/alerts/alertsplugin.py
index 0a8adf23b..9517f1aa0 100644
--- a/openlp/plugins/alerts/alertsplugin.py
+++ b/openlp/plugins/alerts/alertsplugin.py
@@ -112,6 +112,10 @@ __default_settings__ = {
     'alerts/font face': QtGui.QFont().family(),
     'alerts/font size': 40,
     'alerts/db type': 'sqlite',
+    'alerts/db username': '',
+    'alerts/db password': '',
+    'alerts/db hostname': '',
+    'alerts/db database': '',
     'alerts/location': AlertLocation.Bottom,
     'alerts/background color': '#660000',
     'alerts/font color': '#ffffff',
diff --git a/openlp/plugins/bibles/bibleplugin.py b/openlp/plugins/bibles/bibleplugin.py
index 6bb977e09..acc9e8440 100644
--- a/openlp/plugins/bibles/bibleplugin.py
+++ b/openlp/plugins/bibles/bibleplugin.py
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 __default_settings__ = {
     'bibles/db type': 'sqlite',
+    'bibles/db username': '',
+    'bibles/db password': '',
+    'bibles/db hostname': '',
+    'bibles/db database': '',
     'bibles/last search type': BibleSearch.Reference,
     'bibles/verse layout style': LayoutStyle.VersePerSlide,
     'bibles/book name language': LanguageSelection.Bible,
diff --git a/openlp/plugins/custom/customplugin.py b/openlp/plugins/custom/customplugin.py
index 1320503d2..e2087b92a 100644
--- a/openlp/plugins/custom/customplugin.py
+++ b/openlp/plugins/custom/customplugin.py
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 __default_settings__ = {
     'custom/db type': 'sqlite',
+    'custom/db username': '',
+    'custom/db password': '',
+    'custom/db hostname': '',
+    'custom/db database': '',
     'custom/last search type': CustomSearch.Titles,
     'custom/display footer': True,
     'custom/add custom from service': True
diff --git a/openlp/plugins/images/imageplugin.py b/openlp/plugins/images/imageplugin.py
index 197ed6c02..743c20ad9 100644
--- a/openlp/plugins/images/imageplugin.py
+++ b/openlp/plugins/images/imageplugin.py
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 __default_settings__ = {
     'images/db type': 'sqlite',
+    'images/db username': '',
+    'images/db password': '',
+    'images/db hostname': '',
+    'images/db database': '',
     'images/background color': '#000000',
 }
 
diff --git a/openlp/plugins/songs/lib/db.py b/openlp/plugins/songs/lib/db.py
index e341dfd54..9205539a5 100644
--- a/openlp/plugins/songs/lib/db.py
+++ b/openlp/plugins/songs/lib/db.py
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ def init_schema(url):
         'authors_songs', metadata,
         Column('author_id', types.Integer(), ForeignKey('authors.id'), primary_key=True),
         Column('song_id', types.Integer(), ForeignKey('songs.id'), primary_key=True),
-        Column('author_type', types.String(), primary_key=True, nullable=False, server_default=text('""'))
+        Column('author_type', types.Unicode(255), primary_key=True, nullable=False, server_default=text('""'))
     )
 
     # Definition of the "songs_topics" table
diff --git a/openlp/plugins/songs/lib/upgrade.py b/openlp/plugins/songs/lib/upgrade.py
index a3556e456..21d488b88 100644
--- a/openlp/plugins/songs/lib/upgrade.py
+++ b/openlp/plugins/songs/lib/upgrade.py
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ def upgrade_4(session, metadata):
         op.create_table('authors_songs_tmp',
                         Column('author_id', types.Integer(), ForeignKey('authors.id'), primary_key=True),
                         Column('song_id', types.Integer(), ForeignKey('songs.id'), primary_key=True),
-                        Column('author_type', types.String(), primary_key=True,
+                        Column('author_type', types.Unicode(255), primary_key=True,
                                nullable=False, server_default=text('""')))
         op.execute('INSERT INTO authors_songs_tmp SELECT author_id, song_id, "" FROM authors_songs')
         op.drop_table('authors_songs')
diff --git a/openlp/plugins/songs/songsplugin.py b/openlp/plugins/songs/songsplugin.py
index 333611996..f7f2741f9 100644
--- a/openlp/plugins/songs/songsplugin.py
+++ b/openlp/plugins/songs/songsplugin.py
@@ -50,6 +50,10 @@ from openlp.plugins.songs.lib.songstab import SongsTab
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 __default_settings__ = {
     'songs/db type': 'sqlite',
+    'songs/db username': '',
+    'songs/db password': '',
+    'songs/db hostname': '',
+    'songs/db database': '',
     'songs/last search type': SongSearch.Entire,
     'songs/last import type': SongFormat.OpenLyrics,
     'songs/update service on edit': False,
diff --git a/openlp/plugins/songusage/songusageplugin.py b/openlp/plugins/songusage/songusageplugin.py
index 1cae4fbb1..c267f9294 100644
--- a/openlp/plugins/songusage/songusageplugin.py
+++ b/openlp/plugins/songusage/songusageplugin.py
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ if QtCore.QDate().currentDate().month() < 9:
 
 __default_settings__ = {
     'songusage/db type': 'sqlite',
+    'songusage/db username': '',
+    'songuasge/db password': '',
+    'songuasge/db hostname': '',
+    'songuasge/db database': '',
     'songusage/active': False,
     'songusage/to date': QtCore.QDate(YEAR, 8, 31),
     'songusage/from date': QtCore.QDate(YEAR - 1, 9, 1),
diff --git a/scripts/check_dependencies.py b/scripts/check_dependencies.py
index dc2284427..0fb99a79f 100755
--- a/scripts/check_dependencies.py
+++ b/scripts/check_dependencies.py
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ MODULES = [
 
 
 OPTIONAL_MODULES = [
-    ('MySQLdb', '(MySQL support)', True),
+    ('mysql.connector', '(MySQL support)', True),
     ('psycopg2', '(PostgreSQL support)', True),
     ('nose', '(testing framework)', True),
     ('mock',  '(testing module)', sys.version_info[1] < 3),