Worklog The DVDii

AlecM7

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My plan is to make a Wii portable in a small Toshiba portable DVD player chassis I have.
Since the original screen was 480x234, the composite input on it looked like trash, and I had to upgrade.

I ordered a new LCD yesterday. It's the same size (9") but is 800x480 instead, and has a VGA input on it, which I'm planning to use with the Wii native VGA mod.

The DVD player has a detachable 4400mah battery, which I will upgrade in the future, since it isn't very high capacity given the size of it.

I got an RVL-CPU-40 Wii off of eBay for about $15, and so far the rest of the parts (voltage regulators, LCD, 128GB Samsung USB drive, audio amp) have only been around $70. The actual DVD player was basically free, and is in great condition (though the batteries are slightly bloated, one of the other reasons why I want to replace them).

I'm planning to integrate a Gamecube controller into the body of it using 3DS sliders, and a GC+ as well as rumble functionality and WiFi for Wiimmfi WFC.

A question I have is whether there's a board I can get that will allow me to charge my 7.4v battery pack with a normal 12v source. The battery already has a BMS on it that I can probably reuse if I change the cells.

DVD player inside.jpg
DVD player next to wii.jpg
 
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this looks awesome! Keep us posted on it I really think the clamshell design of it will turn out pretty neat. As for the batteries, I think that the best bet is to get a 110v AC to 7.4V DC converter instead of trying to keep the converter you have since it would cost the same to get any sort of adapter and you would need to rig it up too. try this one I found on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Outp...1547091115&sr=8-4&keywords=7.4+volt+wall+plug
 

AlecM7

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this looks awesome! Keep us posted on it I really think the clamshell design of it will turn out pretty neat. As for the batteries, I think that the best bet is to get a 110v AC to 7.4V DC converter instead of trying to keep the converter you have since it would cost the same to get any sort of adapter and you would need to rig it up too. try this one I found on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Outp...1547091115&sr=8-4&keywords=7.4+volt+wall+plug
I'm glad you like the idea! I'll try to update on it when I can, or when I make progress. It'll be a while before the new screen gets here from China, but I'll probably post about the trimming process and other mods in the meantime.

The main reason I wanted to be able to use just a standard 12v input is so that I can charge it in the car and more easily on the go. I know there are plenty of boards for charging single 3.7v cells from a 5v source, but I can't seem to find one for 7.4v setups from a 12v source.
 

ahrlad

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The TP5100 is a Chinese chip that can charge a 2s battery from up to 20V. There are modules available with it for cheap.
 

AlecM7

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The TP5100 is a Chinese chip that can charge a 2s battery from up to 20V. There are modules available with it for cheap.
Awesome, thanks! I was hoping I wouldn't have to repurpose part of the original controller board for charging the battery, and now I don't!
 

ahrlad

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I think it should do the trick. For others who might be interested it's a simple buck converter charging chip, that can be sent to 1s or 2s with a jumper connection. It doesn't have any cell balancing features or discharge protection so you need a separate thingy for doing that.

That does mean it should do fine as part of a simple charge-and-play solution though. It can charge at up to 2A, set by low value resistors. I believe the module is set to 1.5A maybe? Something like that
 
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This is one of my favorite projects; putting wii's in dvd player portables. since you are using custom regs, I say use the battery management inside the player already, unless you can't get it working. I have a 7 inch, and plan to do the same sometime, I cut the boards in more than half(still functional), I could help you trim the board if you need help doing that.

EDIT

I realized you are getting a different screen so you aren't really using the dvdplayer internals(I think) so you can pretty much brush off what I just said
 

AlecM7

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This is one of my favorite projects; putting wii's in dvd player portables. since you are using custom regs, I say use the battery management inside the player already, unless you can't get it working. I have a 7 inch, and plan to do the same sometime, I cut the boards in more than half(still functional), I could help you trim the board if you need help doing that.

EDIT

I realized you are getting a different screen so you aren't really using the dvdplayer internals(I think) so you can pretty much brush off what I just said
Yeah, I had to upgrade the screen, since it was a super low resolution (480x234) and composite input looked like trash. I'm probably still going to try and reuse the charge and play circuit built into it by cutting the controller board.

IDK how much I can cut off, since I don't have the board layout for this model, but I'm going to try and figure out what part of it handles charging.
 

AlecM7

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I trimmed my Wii motherboard yesterday with a hacksaw and water in a syringe to make sure the dust didn't go everywhere. It actually went really smoothly, and sometimes even cut like butter. After sanding, I'm pretty happy with how well it turned out. Since I have extra space, and I want Wiimmfi WFC to work properly, I also cut out the MX chip so that I can still have an RTC. I used a tiny wire out of a laptop LVDS cable (these are a great source for tiny insulated cables) for the U10 relocation. The tiny magnet wires coming off the trimmed Wii motherboard in the images are H-sync and V-sync for the VGA mod.

My Samsung USB 3.0 drive should be here on Monday. Later today I'll try wiring up my custom regulators and see if the trim works (I already set them and glued the potentiometers in the right positions for 5v, 3.3v, 1.15v, and 1v). I have two 5v regulators though, since I am going to use one for the screen, and the other one for GC controller rumble and USB. This might be totally unnecessary, but they're so small, and I still have five more left over (It was only $6 for a pack of 10). I also ordered the red BMS/charger combo board in the battery guide.

Wii leftovers.jpg
Wii portable parts 2.jpg
Wii portable parts 3.jpg
Wii portable parts 4.jpg
Wii portable parts 5.jpg
 
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GingerOfOz

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Unfortunately, I'd recommend holding off on using those regulators and buying the higher quality PTH08080 regulators. Those regs are priced very cheap, but their build quality is so cheap that they're essentially useless (or worse than useless) when it comes to portablizing. Most of the time, their specs are lies and they won't be able to output the current that they claim to be able to. They often don't work at all. Sometimes they overheat and just melt. Not a single Wii portable has ever been built with them, or at least one that was built with them has never worked. If you're in a rush, you can order them from here, but you can find them for slightly cheaper on eBay if you're willing to wait a bit longer.

Aside from that though your progress is looking great! Your board looks to be sanded quite well so best of luck getting it booting!
 
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Oof, hard agree with Ginger, I got those Regulators to mess with, and they got hot really quickly, and someone tried them in a portable once(disregarding our help to get different ones), and haven't even seen the wii portable on even though he said he completed it and working.
Pls don't use those

EDIT: PTH would be your best bet, unless you wanted a Powermii lite, Which Noah might have some, or if you want, we could help you make your own
 

AlecM7

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Oof, hard agree with Ginger, I got those Regulators to mess with, and they got hot really quickly, and someone tried them in a portable once(disregarding our help to get different ones), and haven't even seen the wii portable on even though he said he completed it and working.
Pls don't use those

EDIT: PTH would be your best bet, unless you wanted a Powermii lite, Which Noah might have some, or if you want, we could help you make your own
I would really like to make my own Powermii lite, but I couldn't find any board designs or BOMs for it. Do you know where I could get them?
PTHs are rather expensive and the process of wiring them up still seems quite janky, so I think if I'm going the extra mile to get better ones I may as well make a Powermii (probably about the same cost in parts/boards I'd assume).
 

GingerOfOz

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Noah made the PML files open source in the Discord, so I've attached them here. Regulators are going to be kind of expensive, and while the BOM for a PowerMii board may be cheaper than the BOM for PTHs, you will need a hot air station and solder paste at the very least in order to assemble a PowerMii Lite. I'd highly recommend getting a stencil as well to make assembly as smooth as possible.
 

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AlecM7

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Noah made the PML files open source in the Discord, so I've attached them here. Regulators are going to be kind of expensive, and while the BOM for a PowerMii board may be cheaper than the BOM for PTHs, you will need a hot air station and solder paste at the very least in order to assemble a PowerMii Lite. I'd highly recommend getting a stencil as well to make assembly as smooth as possible.
Ah darn, I thought they were able to be made without a hot air station. Looks like it wouldn't be any cheaper than 3 PTH8080s either.
I'll see how hot my regulators get since I already wired them up, but I'll probably switch to the PTHs anyway. I just want to see if my trim works.

BTW the batch of regulators I got seemed to stay very consistent with or without a 500ma load when I was setting them to the right values. Changing the input voltage relatively drastically also only seemed to change them by around 0.01v
 
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Yeah they will come out to the same price about, but I finally got a Hot air, and OhmiGosh It's a godsent. Definately worth the price.


BTW the batch of regulators I got seemed to stay very consistent with or without a 500ma load when I was setting them to the right values. Changing the input voltage relatively drastically also only seemed to change them by around 0.01v
here's the thing, they could work, but wii uses over 500ma tho, and then you also have your screen, controller, and everything else to power. you can try it, no one is stopping you, we are just warning you that it probably won't, and it's not a reliable material to use for regulation. In my experience, they consume too much, overheat in less than a minute to the point where it burns to touch. It'd be safer to buy (sadly more expensive ) reliable, and trusted regulators. (sorry if I sound mean)
 

AlecM7

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Yeah they will come out to the same price about, but I finally got a Hot air, and OhmiGosh It's a godsent. Definately worth the price.



here's the thing, they could work, but wii uses over 500ma tho, and then you also have your screen, controller, and everything else to power. you can try it, no one is stopping you, we are just warning you that it probably won't, and it's not a reliable material to use for regulation. In my experience, they consume too much, overheat in less than a minute to the point where it burns to touch. It'd be safer to buy (sadly more expensive ) reliable, and trusted regulators. (sorry if I sound mean)
You were very right right :(

I was going to test the trim, adjusted the regulators a bit to compensate for the extra load, and then all of a sudden the amperage started creeping up and the 1V line went up to 1.35v. I seriously hope I didn't kill it. Driving them at 8.4v I hit 1.26A on my adjustable PSU.
Here are the resistances of the voltage lines to ground with the positive terminal of my multimeter on the power input of each line:
3.3v: 8.35Kohm
1.15v: 36.9 ohm
1v: 165 ohm

The 1.15v volt line doesn't look too promising.

Thankfully if the board is dead, they're selling Wiis at my local 2nd hand store for $7.50, and a lot of them too. I'll just have lost a bunch of work :(

It was quite foolhardy of me to try and use my regulators, and I really wish I'd just waited for some of the right ones, more expensive or not. I definitely learned my lesson.
 
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GingerOfOz

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The Wii is probably ok, they tend to be pretty hearty. And 35 ohms is a perfectly normal resistance for that line so I don't think you've killed it yet :)
 

AlecM7

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The Wii is probably ok, they tend to be pretty hearty. And 35 ohms is a perfectly normal resistance for that line so I don't think you've killed it yet :)
Would you recommend getting the PTHs off of mouser? I'll probably just order them there when I go to order the parts for my GC+

I never really expected to spend this much on it, and the PTHs add around another $23 to my total. I'm not pressed for space at all in this really, so would something like this be better? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GJ0SC2...b88d-d58e5c493afd&ie=UTF8&qid=1547429797&sr=1

They seem to have much more granular and steady outputs + they're made by Ti

Also, thanks a lot. That makes me feel way better about the situation.
 
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GingerOfOz

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Where does it say those are made by TI? Regardless, PTHs are your only good option. Portables aren't cheap unfortunately.
 

AlecM7

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Where does it say those are made by TI? Regardless, PTHs are your only good option. Portables aren't cheap unfortunately.
Alright, I guess that's fine. It's not that much more when you really think about it. Ah, sorry I meant the chips were made by Ti. I looked up the model number on them: http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm2596.pdf they're probably far less power efficient than the PTHs though.
 
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