Question USB Issues

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Hello all,

I have seem to run into some issues with connecting the USB port after trimming the motherboard. Without the USB plugged in the Wii seems to boot up fine without issue. When I plug in the USB, 1 of 3 things happen.

1: The PortablizeMii splash screen appears and the postloader loads. For some reason there are many artifacts and black spots on the screen only visible in the postloader menu, as going to the homebrew channel produces a clear image. Running a wii game causes a black screen.

2: A black screen appears and nothing happens

3: The Wii boots, but then displays an "Exception DSI occured" error message.

I have tried twisting the USB data lines and shortening them but nothing seems to work.
I am also able to boot games perfectly fine with this drive on another wii as well.
I also cannot seem to boot into the Wii menu at all. This is on a 6 layer motherboard.
Near the lower right corner of the second picture, I accidently dremeled and exposed the USB traces going to the port but I am not sure if that is the issue because there doesn't seem to be a short in the data lines.
Also during my trim, I cut outside the lines a little bit to give a buffer so I am wondering if I need to cut all the way down to avoid any issues.

Here is the wiring to the USB port:
60103894_2207217242925968_2492769267359940608_n.jpg

Here is the wiring to the motherboard:
60349245_1076951049174704_8723875857250123776_n.jpg

Here is the full board picture (this was before I shortened the wires also 1V was disconnected):
60040915_2293452830982271_3809430773719629824_n.jpg

And finally, the error message that displays:
60320398_539506579914476_4615626272964345856_n.jpg
 

Noah

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First off, welcome to the forums! Looks like you're making decent progress so far.

OK so your USB relocation is the reason for these issues. Your wires are not twisted enough. We recommend that for twisting wires a power drill be used so ensure they're as tight as possible. When done correctly, your wire will look something like this:


Here's a video that showcases the method better than text is able to convey:

It also looks like the USB vias aren't soldered to properly. Make sure when soldering to vias that the magnet wire actually goes into the via to ensure a good connection. Also another piece of advice, don't use Wii games to test Wii trims. In order to boot Wii games, you need to relocate the Bluetooth module so using GC games is best as there aren't any requirements to boot those aside from having PortablizeMii installed (and obviously having working USB.) The Wii menu also needs the BT module in order to boot. This is a good way to test and see if your relocation is working once you do it, as if the menu boots then the module is correctly installed.

Just fix your USB wires and you should be good. If you need anything else or have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!
 

xsping

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you can try to use 22gauge ground wire or thicker, poor ground will cause all issues you encountered and big power drop,it may be not usb issue
 

GingerOfOz

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you can try to use 22gauge ground wire or thicker, poor ground will cause all issues you encountered and big power drop,it may be not usb issue
Nah, 22 gauge is probably overkill. I've powered it off of 30 gauge wire just fine.

However, I'd recommend using stranded wire for voltage lines instead of magnet wire, as I've had many issues in the past when trying to use even thick magnet wire for voltage lines. If I had to guess, is that 26 gauge magnet wire that you got from RadioShack? I've got some of that exact same stuff, but I've had so many issues with it that I don't use it anymore.
 

xsping

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Nah, 22 gauge is probably overkill. I've powered it off of 30 gauge wire just fine.

However, I'd recommend using stranded wire for voltage lines instead of magnet wire, as I've had many issues in the past when trying to use even thick magnet wire for voltage lines. If I had to guess, is that 26 gauge magnet wire that you got from RadioShack? I've got some of that exact same stuff, but I've had so many issues with it that I don't use it anymore.
What I mean for 22 guage line is,of course, stranded wire. I spent at least half an month to troubleshoot the black screen and usb issues,etc..., no matter how i change usb dataline and twisted it, it worked very unstablly, finally I found all problems were caused by thin ground line(poor ground),
 
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Alright, so I twisted the USB data wires using a drill, switched out the USB port, and tried resoldering the connections to the GPU vias and am still getting the same result. I'm probably going to switch out the power wires for thicker and stronger wires to ensure a proper ground connection. I'm also waiting on new tips so I can solder to the vias correctly, as my current one is very old. The red magnet wire is from amazon, but I did get the green magnet wire from Radioshack a while ago so I'll try switching that out. I have another motherboard cause I expected something like this, so I'll tear that down and check if I can get a USB connection if nothing else works.

On the other hand, I was able to get bluetooth relocated and boot into the system menu!

Twisted Data Wires:
60724391_619491501856655_6386681906057969664_n.jpg

Bluetooth:
60134453_336728217026404_3160093634812968960_n.jpg

System Menu:
60285944_2332052100414081_7906870049875427328_n.jpg
 

Stitches

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It could be the length of your wires. Without the filtering components USB can be very finicky and prone to dying from static discharge. Perhaps try reducing the length of your twisted pair to no more than 1.5 - 2 inches, and make sure you're connecting D+ and D- correctly. Shit doesn't work if you invert them.

Also I can't properly tell from the photo, but you might have shorted the USB data lines together. Do you have a multimeter to check continuity on the lines?
 
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