G-boy rev 3 vga problem?

CrazyGadget

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Just to test if your left / right are working, can you toggle back and forth on the wifi patch option?
 

1NK

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Ok, I got the install to work, but I had to hold down my right input on the d-pad for it to register for some reason.
 

1NK

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Ok, RVLoader is installed, and I see a clock on the top middle of the screen saying 3:30 pm.
 

CrazyGadget

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Glad to hear you got it to work, it could just be a dirty conductive membrane, did you use button pads from an original DS Lite? I know I've had to clean mine with some IPA.

A clock! That means your MX chip is all good to go.
 

1NK

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I did use original contact membrane, so that's weird. I'm happy to hear my mx chip is working. Now I'm off to solder the Bluetooth module.
 

1NK

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Ok, so I tried wiring up the bluetooth module, and after soldering everything I was going to scratch off the silkscreen to solder the last two pieces of magnet wire to the very small traces, when I accidentally bent the traces. Luckily the G-boy still works, but I'm going to hold off from including the Bluetooth module for now until I know a better and safer way to remove the silkscreen layer. I was thinking maybe a fine grit sandpaper pen could work to remove it.
 

CrazyGadget

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What do you mean by bent the traces? Send a pic here.
The best way to scratch the soldermask is to use a brand new / sharp x-acto knife, and gently scrape (you don't need much pressure at all).
 

1NK

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I would send pictures but when I was closing the shell yesterday one of the screws wouldn't fully screw in, and after trying to unscrew all of them, one of the screws had been stripped. So the shell is stuck closed at the moment.

Ok, I just got the shell back open, and I got some brand new x-acto blades. tomorrow I'll see about sending the pictures of the bent traces, and I'll give the bluetooth module relocation another shot now that I have fresh x-acto blades. I wasn't going to attempt the bluetooth module relocation again because after bending the traces to the point where I thought they may break, I didn't want to ruin the entire project because of that mistake.

I'll post pictures of the "bent traces" before I try the bluetooth module relocation.
 

1NK

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Ah. Apologies. I don't know why I never saw that button, honest.

Anyway here is a picture of the traces.
20120113_093825.jpg

Upon looking at them again I'm not sure if they're "bent", but what do you all think? I'm aware I did a bad job initially.

Sorry for triple posting again, I should've known better.

Edit: I have a better picture of the traces after scratching them with a new x-acto blade.
20120113_101238.jpg

They don't really look bent now that I cleaned them up some more.
 
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1NK

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Ok, I wired up the Bluetooth module, here are the pictures.
20120113_111249.jpg

20120113_111226.jpg

20120113_110056.jpg

I have cleaned the board since I took these pictures, so the flux residue in the pictures is not there anymore, but here is my wiring.
 

CrazyGadget

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It looks like you exposed a lot of the ground plane on both sides of the two bluetooth traces, so I would be especially careful about how much exposed wire you have coming off of the joints to those two lines; also be sure to test your resistances between those lines and each other / ground to ensure there are no shorts. It doesn't look like your two BT lines are making very solid connections, especially the top one. You should be able to give both of them a light tug without them popping off. If you feel like you screwed up scratching the mask at that point, you can always try it at another spot.

Also, looking at those solder joints, the joints on the BT module itself, and just some more around the Wii board, it looks like you're not using enough flux for the solder to flow properly to the pads / traces / vias. The joints should be shiny and organic-looking, without any raised points / bumps / cancerous tumors.
 

1NK

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I'll try re-soldering some things, but it seems like no matter how much flux I use sometimes, the solder doesn't flow to where I need it to. I'm sure that's just because of me though.
 

CrazyGadget

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What's your iron temperature at? And what kind of tip are you using? I usually use around 350C / 650F, and a small, chisel like tip for a lot of surface contact between the iron and the pad.
 

1NK

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I'll admit, I had my iron at about 800F. I use the same tip that my Hakko came with, so I believe it's a chisel tip.
20120113_134544.jpg

20120113_134505.jpg

Here are the pictures after I re-soldered some things. Still not great, but a little better I think.
 
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Lower your temperature and space out the distance of where to solder. I used the same tip that came with my hakko and it worked fine.
3229DDB3-6F6B-4D1C-A5F1-1D8674A4CC8A.jpeg
 

1NK

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Ok, I'll give that a shot. I'll be back with results soon hopefully.
 

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20120113_143107.jpg

Image quality is poor, but what about these solder joints?
 

CrazyGadget

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Definitely an improvement over the last ones, but it still doesn't look like they're super secure in place, rather more or less tacked there. Again, you should be able to give them a light tug without them popping off. Also be sure to check resistances between the lines and each other / ground, just to make sure it all looks good before you turn the Wii on.
 

1NK

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Just to be clear, what should I see that's different if the bluetooth module is working?
 
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