Worklog Ashida My First Portable

[Dynamic_Hayden]

So ever since about September I have been hyperfixated on portables and console modding. Finally, here I am building my own. As for my first time doing this I have decided to build a Ashida. After a bunch of research I'm at 90% 80% 75% of understanding on how to build this. Anyways for my first day of work I have populated all the pcbs, trimmed the Wii, u10 relocation, and verified it is still alive. I'm really excited to see how this goes. A goal of my own is to hopefully finish this before the end of the month of June. Wish me luck!

Spoiler: Wii trim

Spoiler: Controller Board

Spoiler: Audio Board

 

[TwoLace]

Nice work so far! Can't wait to see it

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

So its been about a week since I last updated. In the past week I hadn't done as much as I hoped. Mostly due to my 3d printer deciding to stop working. But anyways I managed to finish populating the controller pcbs with the stuff I forgot (speakers and buttons). I also managed to wire up all the pcbs together excluding pms pd because I had kind of forgot it existed. Though, hopefully by the next update I should have that and the screen all wired up. Anyways here is the current state of the half completed portable.

Spoiler: Front

Spoiler: Back

I do also have 3 quick questions I hope someone more experienced wouldn't mind answering.

• The led more specifically the one that came with a pms lite. I have tried sliding it into its respective slot in the case and it just slides right back out. Does it need to be secured with something like hot glue?
• It isn't apparently obvious to me where the 3d printed mount labelled as "DD-Mount" goes. Where do I secure it?
• For wiring up video connections with this screen using composite. Is all I need to do is wire up gnd, AV-CVBS1 to composite and wire mode to 3.3v? Btw does it matter if I wire mode up with thinner wire like 30awg instead of the thicker stranded wire?

 

[Valanduin]

You are going to need some kind of glue for the LED, but what you are doing with the display sounds wrong. Composite video cannot output 480p and it is a low quality signal prone to interference. You can use it for testing whether your trim worked out something but you really don't want to use it in your final build because it won't look very good and the display will have to scale it which will add lag, also you don't wire up mode to 3.3v when you are using composite, wiring up mode forces the Wii to put 480p, which composite can't handle. What you want to do f before your final assembly is wire up VGA, you are going to need 4 very thing coaxial conductors or twisted pairs of weird, one for each of r, g and b, and the last one for h and v sync, and you will also need to run the mode wire.

 

[Viilmo]

So its been about a week since I last updated. In the past week I hadn't done as much as I hoped. Mostly due to my 3d printer deciding to stop working. But anyways I managed to finish populating the controller pcbs with the stuff I forgot (speakers and buttons). I also managed to wire up all the pcbs together excluding pms pd because I had kind of forgot it existed. Though, hopefully by the next update I should have that and the screen all wired up. Anyways here is the current state of the half completed portable.

Spoiler: Front

View attachment 23249

Spoiler: Back

View attachment 23251

I do also have 3 quick questions I hope someone more experienced wouldn't mind answering.

• The led more specifically the one that came with a pms lite. I have tried sliding it into its respective slot in the case and it just slides right back out. Does it need to be secured with something like hot glue?
• It isn't apparently obvious to me where the 3d printed mount labelled as "DD-Mount" goes. Where do I secure it?
• For wiring up video connections with this screen using composite. Is all I need to do is wire up gnd, AV-CVBS1 to composite and wire mode to 3.3v? Btw does it matter if I wire mode up with thinner wire like 30awg instead of the thicker stranded wire?

I think that you dont need the DD mount because its for the RVL-DD that isnt available

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

I think that you dont need the DD mount because its for the RVL-DD that isnt available

Ok that makes sense thanks.

You are going to need some kind of glue for the LED, but what you are doing with the display sounds wrong. Composite video cannot output 480p and it is a low quality signal prone to interference. You can use it for testing whether your trim worked out something but you really don't want to use it in your final build because it won't look very good and the display will have to scale it which will add lag, also you don't wire up mode to 3.3v when you are using composite, wiring up mode forces the Wii to put 480p, which composite can't handle. What you want to do f before your final assembly is wire up VGA, you are going to need 4 very thing coaxial conductors or twisted pairs of weird, one for each of r, g and b, and the last one for h and v sync, and you will also need to run the mode wire.

So for testing purposes I would just wire up gnd and AV-CVBS1 and when I make the switch over to vga everything can be wired in thin twisted wire. Alright thanks for the tip.

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Hey its been a hot minute. So quick question here if I perhaps had put a battery in and the whole project started smoking would there be anything left thats salvageable. I think its pretty safe to assume the pms and wii were killed off at my screw up but are there any boards that might not have been killed? Upon inspection of the boards none of them seem to have any visual damage but it erupting in smoke is a pretty clear sign that its fucked up somewhere.

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Alright so Im back at the grind. After a little while a new pms lite finally shipped and its working good but there is a slight hiccup. I've got the age old problem of the wii not showing any video. Though, I can tell it still boots from the gpu/cpu is getting hot when batteries are plugged in so thats good too know the wiis not dead. Also when the wii is turned on the only thing that appears on the screen is a blue light with "A V2" in one of the corners. Does anyone have some suggestions on troubleshooting methods I should try? Here are some pictures of the boards if it helps at all.

 

[Stitches]

I'm guessing you've run the composite wire to the screen's CVBS2 input?

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

I'm guessing you've run the composite wire to the screen's CVBS2 input?

yeah I tried both input 1 and 2

 

[Stitches]

y helo ther mr blobby

Also have you checked your U10 via with a multimeter to ensure it's getting 3.3v correctly?

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

y helo ther mr blobby
View attachment 23993

Also have you checked your U10 via with a multimeter to ensure it's getting 3.3v correctly?

I cleaned the board up and tried checking u10 for 3.3v and I coudn't get any voltage on my multimeter. In this case I would just swap out the u10 chip for u9 correct?

 

[Stitches]

First I would check that the u10 chip's supply leg is receiving 3.3v, and that the ground blob is actually connected to ground. Sometimes they can end up disconnected and the system won't boot

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

First I would check that the u10 chip's supply leg is receiving 3.3v, and that the ground blob is actually connected to ground. Sometimes they can end up disconnected and the system won't boot

So the ground blog was a little sketchy on the multimeter so I fixed that and that wasnt the solution. So I checked the u10 chip and its not receiving 3.3v. I assume my next course of action would be to route some copper wire from the 3.3v leg to a 3.3v spot on the board right?

 

[Stitches]

So the ground blog was a little sketchy on the multimeter so I fixed that and that wasnt the solution. So I checked the u10 chip and its not receiving 3.3v. I assume my next course of action would be to route some copper wire from the 3.3v leg to a 3.3v spot on the board right?

Yerp. If you give the input leg some 3.3v, then you can check that the output leg is working

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Yerp. If you give the input leg some 3.3v, then you can check that the output leg is working

Alright I routed the 3.3v wire and the output leg doesnt read any voltage on startup

 

[Stitches]

Welp. May as well desolder the u10 wire from the chip and solder it to the u10 via on the PMS then. That'll isolate if it's the Wii being fucky

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Welp. May as well desolder the u10 wire from the chip and solder it to the u10 via on the PMS then. That'll isolate if it's the Wii being fucky

Ok did a quick swap to the pms's u10. Didn't fix the video issue though sadly

 

[Stitches]

Oof. And you've confirmed the u10 via on the wii side is receiving 3.3v from the PMS u10 pad?

 

[Cap’nPhineas]

. After a bunch of research I'm at 90% 80% 75% of understanding on how to build this.

Relatable moment