Question First Wii Portable (Gwii Case). Several Questions before I start trimming.

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I finally found some magnet wire in our lab and made all of the nessesary connections but the drive still won't turn on. :(

(I'm using the existing solder pads for testing.)
 

GingerOfOz

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Try making you data wires shorter. It's best for then to not be longer than they have to be. Also I assume that drive works just fine when it's in the port on the Wii?
 
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I GOT IT!!!!!
So I did two things and I'm not to sure which was the solution. I shortened the magnet wire like you suggested but I ALSO grounded the metal shielding around the USB port.

That's all four things (U10, BT, USB, AV), so I guess its time to start dremeling? Any suggestions?
I also wanted to ask, Is it safe to use hot glue on the board? My professor says I shouldn't but all of my fellow classmates say its fine.
 

GingerOfOz

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Sounds like you're ready to cut! Just make sure to put masking tape over the CPU/GPU/RAM to keep dust from getting underneath there and potentially causing shorts.

As for the hot glue, it isn't conductive you you won't hurt anything by putting it on the board. I'd reccomended not putting it directly over any joints though, I'd stick to gluing further up the wire if you want to hold the wires in place, so that if your soldering job comes loose then you can still fix it.
 
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Sounds like you're ready to cut! Just make sure to put masking tape over the CPU/GPU/RAM to keep dust from getting underneath there and potentially causing shorts.

As for the hot glue, it isn't conductive you you won't hurt anything by putting it on the board. I'd reccomended not putting it directly over any joints though, I'd stick to gluing further up the wire if you want to hold the wires in place, so that if your soldering job comes loose then you can still fix it.
I guess I can always resolder the points. I mainly did all of this relocation before hand just to make sure that once it is cut, It will work.

Although I still am afraid that it will not work after it is cut. From what I understand, the wii runs off of around 2A (correct me if I am wrong). Theoretically, could I hook up 4 power supplies set to 5, 3.3, 1.15, and 1 volts to the board and power it on that way to see if it all works?
 
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(Sorry for the double post)
I understand not as much research as been done on the 6-layer board as the 4-layer board, but since my 6-layer board doesn't match the one in the guide, I am very hesitant to cut it.
upload_2019-4-19_12-44-11.png

Capacitor C17 is in a different spot than the one on the guide and there are a few others too.
 

GingerOfOz

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Don't worry about stuff being slightly different too much. That C17 is a cap for the 1.15v line and it's normal for it to move around between revisions a bit. So long as you don't cut inside the trim lines you'll be fine.
 
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Don't worry about stuff being slightly different too much. That C17 is a cap for the 1.15v line and it's normal for it to move around between revisions a bit. So long as you don't cut inside the trim lines you'll be fine.
upload_2019-4-19_13-13-43.png
upload_2019-4-19_13-14-10.png

So.... Do you think this is good. I'm sorry, I'm just super nervous and have to make sure. The tape goes out a little farther than what the guide calls for but not by much. I'm okay with it being a little wider.
 

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Might be a bit overkill, but should be ok. Be sure to remove any components outside of the trim line if you do trim a bit wife though.
 
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Well, I did it. I finally dremalled it. How did I do. Oh geez, I'm really worried I messed something up... Let me know if I need to show higher res pictures just to make sure.
upload_2019-4-22_8-5-20.png
upload_2019-4-22_8-5-36.png
upload_2019-4-22_8-5-55.png
upload_2019-4-22_8-6-12.png

I know there is still that one piece sticking out. I'll remove that soon. I also haven't sanded it yet. I'll do that soon as well.


Edit: Okay, Now i'm worried. I see some dust on the RAM(?) I thought I had it sealed tight but I guess not! What do I do? :(
upload_2019-4-22_8-15-13.png
 
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Gman

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Looks fine. Do a good job sanding. Use isopropyl alcohol and qtips to clean the surface of the board
 
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Looks fine. Do a good job sanding. Use isopropyl alcohol and qtips to clean the surface of the board
I may need a little advice with sanding.
1. I should most likely cover the board with tape again right? just to prevent dust from getting in the GPU,CPU, and RAM?
2. Copper Dust Vs. actual peices of copper. Will a little dust kill a Wii?
3. I have a dremal with a sanding bit on it. I tried using it and I'm worried that it may do more harm than good. My department doesn't have a single shred of sand paper around here. -_-
4. What should the finished board look like? When I tried to sand one of the sides with a dremmal sanding bit, it didn't look that much better.
 

Gman

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I may need a little advice with sanding.
1. I should most likely cover the board with tape again right? just to prevent dust from getting in the GPU,CPU, and RAM?
2. Copper Dust Vs. actual peices of copper. Will a little dust kill a Wii?
3. I have a dremal with a sanding bit on it. I tried using it and I'm worried that it may do more harm than good. My department doesn't have a single shred of sand paper around here. -_-
4. What should the finished board look like? When I tried to sand one of the sides with a dremmal sanding bit, it didn't look that much better.
1. Yes you can use tape just over the chips if you want.
2. It may be possible though I personally have never used the tape methods and I've never killed my consoles. I just clean them well afterwards.
3. Get sandpaper, dremel will not suffice for this. You will need 200, 400, 800, 1000 grit. Or any close to those but you need a variety to work up to 1000 otherwise you will be sanding day and night. It should only take 5-10 minutes to achieve smooth layers
4. If you inspect the sides, you should be able to see all 4 layers and they are not touching
 
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So I think I sanded the edges of the board pretty good (Lord, I sure hope) and I am beginning to solder some wires that will be connected to the custom regulation. I have a few questions about it.

1. The on board voltage regulator that produces the 1.8 voltage is powered from a 3.3V signal on the 4 layer board. However, there is no indication to power it on the 6-Layer guide. Am I supposed to supply a 3.3V signal to it like the 4-Layer guide?

2. When I am powering the components should I wire it like this or this?
upload_2019-4-24_7-32-17.png

Correct me if I am wrong but there is a difference in current supplied to the components depending on the configuration

3. On the 4-Layer guide where it talks about powering the USB, I got confused. The component it shows is dremalled off the board. I guess I shouldn't worry about that and just apply 5 volts directly to my USB port. Its' a dumb question but I fealt like I should ask anyways

4. Going back to the 1.8V, I just need to jump those two connections together right, (just take a wire and connect them) Dumb question I know but I just want to make double clear.

5. Last question. 26 AWG magnet wire should do me just fine in wiring all these voltages right?

Edit:
6. I forgot to ask this. Would it be safe to supply the 4 needed voltages from 4 individual power sources? I want to make sure the board works before I invest in the regulators. I obviously can't turn all voltages on at the same time so that is what concerns me.
 
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1. The on board voltage regulator that produces the 1.8 voltage is powered from a 3.3V signal on the 4 layer board. However, there is no indication to power it on the 6-Layer guide. Am I supposed to supply a 3.3V signal to it like the 4-Layer guide?
IIRC just wire the 3v3 line to your 3v3 regulator, because they are all internally connected to where they need to go.(3v3 just means 3.3v jsyk)

2. When I am powering the components should I wire it like this or this?

Correct me if I am wrong but there is a difference in current supplied to the components depending on the configuration
Either one works, I've done both : ), just make sure it's the right voltage for the right components of course

3. On the 4-Layer guide where it talks about powering the USB, I got confused. The component it shows is dremalled off the board. I guess I shouldn't worry about that and just apply 5 volts directly to my USB port. Its' a dumb question but I fealt like I should ask anyways
yeah, Wii doesn't need 5v to function, most if not all people just use the 5v for their usb drive(and fan sometimes).

5. Last question. 26 AWG magnet wire should do me just fine in wiring all these voltages right?
Yeah, 26 will be fine
Excerpt from the Modding Bitbuilt Discord
upload_2019-4-24_8-9-10.png


6. I forgot to ask this. Would it be safe to supply the 4 needed voltages from 4 individual power sources? I want to make sure the board works before I invest in the regulators. I obviously can't turn all voltages on at the same time so that is what concerns me.
As long as they are the right voltages, it should work I think.(like if you have a bench top power supply) BUT, I just recommend getting PTH08080 or a powermii lite board, just buy the regulators now if you can, PTH08080 are kinda hard to damage unless you tear off a component or something. as long as you sanded right(you can check with a multimeter to make sure).
 

jefflongo

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To clear up some points Deonaught missed, you cannot use magnet wire for your power lines, I don't know if that's a typo. I recommend just using 22awg wire for all power purposes.

In your diagram, notice that in both pictures your components are connected in parallel, so it's the same thing.

Yes you need to connect the two 1.8v points together.

If you use individual sources to power the Wii, make sure they share a common ground.
 

GingerOfOz

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26 gauge magnet wire is a real thing, but I'd recommend using 22 gauge stranded wire. 26 gauge will work for the positive voltages but not ground, which will definitely need 22 gauge.

I've tried using thicker gauge magnet wire in the past, but I've found that it is very brittle and finicky when used for voltage. I can't see a need to ever use magnet wire that's lower than 30 gauge.
 
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IIRC just wire the 3v3 line to your 3v3 regulator, because they are all internally connected to where they need to go.(3v3 just means 3.3v jsyk)
Edit: The two are connected, I just tested.

Yeah, 26 will be fine
Excerpt from the Modding Bitbuilt Discord
26 gauge magnet wire is a real thing, but I'd recommend using 22 gauge stranded wire. 26 gauge will work for the positive voltages but not ground, which will definitely need 22 gauge.
To clear up some points Deonaught missed, you cannot use magnet wire for your power lines, I don't know if that's a typo. I recommend just using 22awg wire for all power purposes.
Got it, I went ahead and soldered regular 20(ish) awg wires to all the points

If you use individual sources to power the Wii, make sure they share a common ground.
Absolutely! :)
 
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jefflongo

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Edit: The two are connected, I just tested.




Got it, I went ahead and soldered regular 20(ish) awg wires to all the points except for the on board regulator (still confused)


Absolutely! :)
What are you still confused about? All of the voltage points on the board are internally connected, so you only need to power one of them. Aside from that 1.8v point that requires a wire since you sever that connection when trimming the board. So you can either connect all your peripherals to the regulators itself or a point on the board after you've connected the regulator to the board, since they will all be connected.
 
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What are you still confused about? All of the voltage points on the board are internally connected, so you only need to power one of them. Aside from that 1.8v point that requires a wire since you sever that connection when trimming the board. So you can either connect all your peripherals to the regulators itself or a point on the board after you've connected the regulator to the board, since they will all be connected.
That was my mistake, When I edited my post earlier, I forgot to remove "(still confused)". That is my bad and I apologize.

As of now, all of my wires except for my video wire is hooked up.
Although I hope my the wires I connected for audio are okay. I may or may not have destroyed the 10K resistors so I soldered on my own 10K resistors for left and right audio. These are the resistors that are just before the Preamp.

Tomorrow is the day I test it and pray it works. I'm nervous but at least I only payed $13 for the wii.
 
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