Worklog G-Flip (Wii Portable)

[ToxicBananaFish]

I want to make something like a Nintendo Switch, but as a Wii Portable. When I say "something like a Nintendo Switch," I'm not referring to the way it looks or feels. I'm referring to the ability to "dock" it for external TV output and support for external GC controllers. I hope for my portable to be mostly similar to Ginger's Louii. When I say "dock," I don't mean it will actually slide into and hide inside of a dock. I want the dock to be more like a stand, so I can also set it on a table while using an external controller. Due to various reasons (mostly money, but also laziness), updates will likely be few and far between. For TV output, I had the idea of using the AUX audio port, since cables exist to convert this to composite, and it shouldn't affect how the headphones work. The issue with this, though, is that I wouldn't be able to use a VGA screen, unless I were to make it turn the screen off every time the cable is connected (this wouldn't work, because then it would turn off every time headphones are used). So I'll try to come up with some ideas.

Oh yeah I forgot to specify that the name, Tendii Flip (subject to change, idk), is supposed to be a bad pun on the name of the Nintendo Switch

I'm now thinking that I might just have to have USB C specifically for charging and file transfer, and then making a custom connector to get the audio and VGA (to convert to HDMI?), and GC controller ports, and maybe even 5v to be boosted for an external Sensor Bar. (I forgot to specify that I'll be relocating the Bluetooth module.) I want this console to be a portable console that I can use as a normal Wii if I want.

I juts found out that someone has already done something similar with USB as a mod to the G-Wii, I think they called it Starlight or something like that. Anyways, I'm definitely going to check that out, but I still think I'd prefer having something more similar the the Louii, but this should be a good start, since I'm pretty much too lazy to design everything on my own.


Edit:
I know I stated multiple times that I wanted my design to look more like a Louii, but the more I think about it, the G-Wii seems to feel more and more desireable. I think I'll try to recreate the Starlight mod of the G-Wii, but with HDMI and GC controller ports attached to a dock, which I'll probably pass through USB ports.

[MOD EDIT] - Merged quad post.

 

[Stitches]

Electron-Shepherd sells a VGA switch board that would allow what you want to do with the docked video

 

[ToxicBananaFish]

Okay, so my current plan is to start off with a G-Wii Rev 2 (making sure to include Bluetooth), and I'll have an extra port at the bottom, of which will have at least 12 pins (4 gc controllers, r, g, b, hsync, vsync, gnd, 3.3v, and a pin to receive 3.3v, which will be used to switch from built in controller to external using a relay). Most likely I'll use an HDMI port, but I'm still looking at options, as I'd prefer a less common port that nobody would try to use directly from the Wii. The dock will have the male connector for the port, connecting controller ports and bridging the 3.3v to the relay. It will also have a VGA to HDMI adapter for video out, and I may or may not include an alternate charging port on the dock, and also may or may not boost the 3.3v to at least 7.5v for an external Sensor Bar. Again, these are just plans, as I'm only just beginning to even set up my workstation. If any of my ideas are incorrect or unreliable, or you have another idea, feel free to share! (P.S, I plan on calling this the G-Flip, as I'll reserve the Tendii Flip name for when I come up with my own portable design)

EDIT: It's been a good long while since I've updated this thing. I still haven't gotten the tools and parts, but I've gotten my hands on the funds to give it a start. The reason I'm updating this is that my plan has changed. I still intend to do some modifications to a G-Wii rev 2 as my first prototype, but my idea of how to do that is different now. Now, I don't want a "dock," but rather a station. I want the HDMI to be on the portable itself, and then I want a station to be able to plug in to the portable to add sensor bar and 4 GC controller ports. Ideally, the P1 GC port will use the ground pins or something to detect if a controller is plugged in (I think that could be done by disconnecting one of the GND pins from GND inside the port, so it should be connected to GND only when a controller is plugged in to bridge the connection between it and the other GND pin.), in order to switch off the internal GC+ controls. But the hope behind this "station" idea is that you'll still be able to use the portable itself as a controller when using HDMI, but you can still have the option to make a stand to set it on a table and play with an external controller by yourself, or with friends, at your convenience.

UPDATE:
I know, It's been a while since I dreamed up this project, but I've finally started working on it! Haven't done much yet, but got the wii trimmed and working. The photo I got wasn't great, but it was the best I could get at the time. [Yes, that battery holder is carved out of a block of wood. Don't ask.]

UPDATE 2:
Yeah, I've been really bad about remembering to update this thing. I've decided that this working will be dedicated solely to the G-Wii that I'm working on.
I wired up the PMS, PD, and the batteries, only to find out that the PMS can't handle 7v (I put the batteries in 2s2p), and fried the BQ. I should be getting a replacement BQ today and will test again now that the batteries are all wired in parallel. Here are a few images, though they don't really show much; I need to get better at taking pictures more often, but you can see a little bit that the BQ hasa strange little mark, that's where it popped. Won't make that mistake again, lol.

I'm going to re-print the bottom case to see if I can get the settings just right, and I need to print the top case and buttons/mounts, but it's coming along! (I'm so excited!)

UPDATE 3:
I've replaced the PMS' BQ, but the PMS gives no sign of life. It's starting to look like I'll have to save up for a bit to get a new one
Here are some images, though I don't know what help they'll be.

Quick little update: New PMS, all is well again!

UPDATE 4:
Wired up USB without a problem, wires are way longer than they need to be, but it doesn't seem to have been an issue. Also temporarily wired up one of the ports that I'll use for the external controller solution later on, to test loading up a game, and had no issues! Currently printing what I hope will be the final iteration of the bottom case, then I'll start making test mounts for HDMI out and controller expansion, then I'll move to the front case (I'm so excited!!!). Anyways, here are some photos:

 

[ToxicBananaFish]

There is currently a brief hiatus in the progress of this project, as USB does not seem to work when VGA is enabled. I am encountering a LUA System Error, stating that "topbar.lua" cannot be found (I have checked, the file is indeed in the correct path). I don't know why this problem only exists when using VGA, and I don't know why topbar.lua is the only file that encounters errors. I've only seen one other mention of LUA System Errors, and it was stated that using higher gauge wire with USB seemed to fix it, so I'll be trying that as soon as said wire arrives. Though this problem is immensely annoying, this project seems to be going quite well overall, and I hope to keep updating!

UPDATE:
Once again, forgot to update. Figured out the problem, it was the SD adapter. In the process of redoing the wiring at some point the pads lost continuity so I ended up soldering them to the pins on the USB protection board thingy. After this, it recognized USB again but still gave the error, until I realized that I should've just tried a different adapter, and it works with VGA now. Project is still going slowly, mostly because a ton of stuff in school, but I ain't gonna quit that easily!

AUGUST 2024 UPDATE:
I haven't worked on the portable very much since the last update, I've been working on getting my printer to spit out the best bottom shell that I could get it to. I redid some of the wiring just because, and upgraded my PD-2 to the PD-3 because the data +/- traces on it got ripped off somehow. I also wanted to test &make sure that I was able to get bluetooth working, and finally got it, though I'll probably have to redo it once I start actually mounting things. Right now I need to make modifications to the Top Shell model to accommodate HDMI and the connector for my external controller dock thingy. I got some pictures showing the Bluetooth working, but be warned, my desk is complete chaos at the moment

Minor Update:
I've made some decent progress on getting things working. I've got everything in the bottom shell mounted and working, including Bluetooth. For switching between HDMI and the built in screen, I was using the 5v Hot Plug detect pin from the HDMI to activate a small NPN transistor to power a relay to switch the power. I ended up neglecting to consider that the power to the HDMI adapter could also trigger the transistor, and I ended up creating a sort of feedback loop that blew the transistor. I went through another transistor before figuring out what actually happened. Long story short, I made a small modification to the HDMI module that prevented this from happening, but I broke my screen trying to free the HDMI module due to the nature of how I had to mount it. everything else seems to be working well now though, so the portable itself should be able to get finished not too long after I replace that screen & top shell