Worklog Ginger's Wii Portable Worklog

[GingerOfOz]

I thought you said it was going to be purple!?!

It will be. I'm not going to waste paint on it until I get a case I like. Then that print will become my practice board for painting.

 

[Stitches]

Well operation "salvage the case" is probably a *nice meme* at this point.

Played around with some case arrangements, and I think I've found one I like (i.e. one that might actually work). Here's a picture of layer one:

View attachment 2567

Layer one consists of the screen, which takes up very little room, as well as my buttons, joysticks, LEDs, GC+, audio amp, speakers, two batteries, and one of my regulators. I'll probably put my start button in that little area between the batteries. I still need a spot to put my volume buttons and my sync button, so I think I'll try to cram them in up top with my LEDs. @MasterNate was kind enough to put up a board with some tiny tact switches for free, so I'm hoping that those will be the right fit. Obviously, the stuff that's tilted in this picture won't actually be tilted in the final product, but I didn't feel like taking the time to arrange everything prettily. One solution for my 3DS slider problem would be to flip them upside down, but I'm not sure if there's a way to get my GC+ to flip the signal. I feel like I saw that option somewhere in the config app, but I'd have to take a look to see if that's actually possible. Another part I'm fitting on this layer is my PCB, which is currently in the middle of being harvested. It'll go just to the right of the ribbon cable. It just has some annoying glue on the back of it, so I'll probably hair-dryer it later to try to pry it out.

View attachment 2568

Layer two just adds the screen control board. And the ribbon cable. I hate that ribbon cable. The ribbon cable has to be folded over itself four times, which takes up almost as much space as the physical board does. That's why I've tried to cram so many components right on top of my screen. The batteries seen here are just to hold the screen down, because the stupid ribbon cable springs it up.

View attachment 2569

Layer three is basically everything else. The Wii motherboard is at the very top so that the fan gets the ventilation it needs. The other two batteries line up just over the buttons, which means that the back of my case will need to stick out along the edges on the back, like a Wii U Gamepad. This means that my controller will be comfortable to hold, but I'm worried about how this will affect my L/R triggers. The change in the grip means that my hands will roll forward from an upright position, to a slightly downward position, which means that hitting the triggers might be a stretch. That might have only made sense to me. Moving on, my other regulators will likely sit on top of the motherboard. I'll be sure to trim the nubs off of the bottom of the regulators and put down electrical tape to avoid shorts, but this is really the only spot in my case that they'll fit. I could fit all four on the motherboard if I needed to. As you can also see in this picture, I've moved the charging port to the bottom right corner. I probably won't have room for it along the top, so I'll probably move it down there. This means that charge and play would be awkward, so that is not its final position at all.

Speaking of which, I was having a problem with charge and play. The diagram worked fine, but when I wired everything up my screen brutally flickered, my fan slowed down, and the board didn't even boot. Is this a current issue? (As in like V=IR current problem, not as in the fact that Russia could decimate the entire East Coast with 3 nukes current problem) Literally everything I've got is wired in parallel, so I could probably wire some of my non-Wii components in series, if my voltage drops aren't too severe. Assuming that's even my problem.

The plan at this point is to wait on my tact switches (the stupid squishy ones from China) before altering my case design. I'm not entirely sure of the extra thickness that that'll add, as well as the space that those will take up. Because of this, progress might be stagnant for a while.

If you guys have any suggestion for other changes in layout or case, feel free to tell me.

Thanks for the suggestions and support!

Small tip: The wires for the amp don't need to be that big.

 

[GingerOfOz]

Small tip: The wires for the amp don't need to be that big.

Oh that reminds me. I've got some 22 and 26 gauge magnet wire, will those work fine for voltages? I remember reading that you don't want to use magnet wire on voltage lines, but that might have just been for the really thin stuff. Would 26 work fine on 5v lines? I've used it on 3.3 without any problems.

 

[Stitches]

Oh that reminds me. I've got some 22 and 26 gauge magnet wire, will those work fine for voltages? I remember reading that you don't want to use magnet wire on voltage lines, but that might have just been for the really thin stuff. Would 26 work fine on 5v lines? I've used it on 3.3 without any problems.

That'd work fine. The amp draws such little power, you could prolly get away with 28-30 gauge. 22 is the minimum for high amperage drawing things like the Wii itself and screens. For the GC+ and that amp, 26 is totally fine.

 

[GingerOfOz]

Edited the front part of the case to make it better. Changed the thickness from .05 to .07. Added start, volume, screen control, BT sync, and reset buttons. Will add another slot on the top for composite out. Made the case slightly wider because my right hand got mushed up against the screen every time I pushed the Y button, which is terrible when you try to play any Mario game. Made it a little bit taller, so that my L/R triggers could sit in a bit more. Readjusted the 3DS Slider parts thanks to dimensions from @Aurelio. Got rid of the garbage vents on the bottom, and made longer vents on the top. Made sure that my speaker hole thickness was thicker, but the holes might still be too small. I made another test bed to make sure that my button arrangement on the bottom is good, as well as the part that holds the fan and the speaker holes. Got rid of the button holders that printed wrong and the screw posts. I think I know where my screw posts will fit correctly, but I don't want to have to cut them out.

Please let me know if something looks off. I appreciated the suggestions last time, and will take into account anything you guys have to say.

This case has to be finalized by next Wednesday. My teacher leaves for trainings then, and I will lose access to the good 3D printer. So I'm on a time crunch now, and finals aren't really helping.

I've got a bit of non-case news as well. I ordered some paints to test out on CaseRev1, thanks to @Madmorda for helping me pick the right ones. Those tiny tact switches came in from @MasterNate and they are perfect for the screen/volume buttons!

THE SQUISHY TACTS HAVE NOT COME IN YET WHY

I got a refund from the seller, but they shipped almost two months ago. Two weeks ago I ordered them from a U.S. seller, and they were supposed to come in on Wednesday. They are still not here. Kill me please.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[cheese]

This looks neat, are the smaller holes around the button holes at the bottom for screws or?
Also china shipping can easily get lost, I've had a few items lost and I just forget to get a refund US shipping is more reliable, but if it has a tracking number, you may want to check that and see if the seller actually shipped it, or just created the label and waited... You can always contact them and try someone else

 

[GingerOfOz]

This looks neat, are the smaller holes around the button holes at the bottom for screws or?
Also china shipping can easily get lost, I've had a few items lost and I just forget to get a refund US shipping is more reliable, but if it has a tracking number, you may want to check that and see if the seller actually shipped it, or just created the label and waited... You can always contact them and try someone else

The tiny holes on the bottom are actually buttons. The big middle one is start, the 2 medium sized ones are volume up/down and the little ones are mute and screen controls.

As for button shipping...

FINALLY

I've been setting up perfboard to use with the buttons. They are tiny, beautiful things. The board with 4 tacts is for my ABXY buttons. The one with ALL THE BUTTONS is the board I discussed earlier. The one with 3 was my first attempt at a Dpad board. Unfortunately, the Dpad is considerably trickier because it has to be very consistent and even. When it's not,you can feel it. I'm trying a different method where I leave a ring around the outside and just drill holes in the middle of the perfboard, but that's really a pain. I'm making holes in the boards so that the buttons take up less space, which in turn allows my portable to be thinner. I saw @pengy and @Shank do this. If anyone has a better suggestion for cutting out those holes, I'm all ears.

I forgot to mention this: For screw posts, I plan to use ones out of a trash Bluetooth controller I cut up. I think I know where I want them in my case, but 3D printing screw posts has not been going well for me. I'll just glue them in, most likely.

Also, could one of you people with the power move this thread to the 2017 contest Worklog thread?

Thanks!

 

[cheese]

Also, could one of you people with the power move this thread to the 2017 contest Worklog thread?

Done

You could try cutting slits with an xacto knife or box cutter and then just snap the boards at the correct spots to go exactly around the buttons where they need to be

 

[Spencer Richardson]

Edited the front part of the case to make it better. Changed the thickness from .05 to .07. Added start, volume, screen control, BT sync, and reset buttons. Will add another slot on the top for composite out. Made the case slightly wider because my right hand got mushed up against the screen every time I pushed the Y button, which is terrible when you try to play any Mario game. Made it a little bit taller, so that my L/R triggers could sit in a bit more. Readjusted the 3DS Slider parts thanks to dimensions from @Aurelio. Got rid of the garbage vents on the bottom, and made longer vents on the top. Made sure that my speaker hole thickness was thicker, but the holes might still be too small. I made another test bed to make sure that my button arrangement on the bottom is good, as well as the part that holds the fan and the speaker holes. Got rid of the button holders that printed wrong and the screw posts. I think I know where my screw posts will fit correctly, but I don't want to have to cut them out.
View attachment 2894
View attachment 2895
View attachment 2896
View attachment 2897

Please let me know if something looks off. I appreciated the suggestions last time, and will take into account anything you guys have to say.

This case has to be finalized by next Wednesday. My teacher leaves for trainings then, and I will lose access to the good 3D printer. So I'm on a time crunch now, and finals aren't really helping.

I've got a bit of non-case news as well. I ordered some paints to test out on CaseRev1, thanks to @Madmorda for helping me pick the right ones. Those tiny tact switches came in from @MasterNate and they are perfect for the screen/volume buttons!

THE SQUISHY TACTS HAVE NOT COME IN YET WHY

I got a refund from the seller, but they shipped almost two months ago. Two weeks ago I ordered them from a U.S. seller, and they were supposed to come in on Wednesday. They are still not here. Kill me please.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I frickin love the design man... it's going to be such a mean looking portable!!

 

[Shank]

I flush mounted my tact switches by laser cutting friction fit holes for the switches in acrylic. I bet you could do something similar with 3d printing. Press them in, drop a little bit of acetone, and they aren't going anywhere. You could even put screw holes on them, and screw mounts on the case if you 3d printed them.

 

[GingerOfOz]

I flush mounted my tact switches by laser cutting friction fit holes for the switches in acrylic. I bet you could do something similar with 3d printing. Press them in, drop a little bit of acetone, and they aren't going anywhere. You could even put screw holes on them, and screw mounts on the case if you 3d printed them.

That's a great idea. My teacher taught me how to use the MakerBots we have, so I can print things to my hearts content


I FORGOT TO MENTION

I am changing the control stick placement on my portable to match a GC controller. My ABXY buttons will remain in the same design, but will swap places with the control stick above it. Hitting the triggers in that position was quite uncomfortable, and would have required me to design some crazy 3D printed stuff to mount them in a good spot, so I'm just going to do that instead. Unfortunately, I forgot to upload my CAD files from school, so I can't make that edit until Tuesday.

 

[GingerOfOz]

Well today has had its ups and downs.

Some good news: I tried to take @Shank 's advice of 3D printing a part to hold my Dpad buttons, but I never actually designed anything. That's because when I put the buttons into the DPad on my testbed, they fit flawlessly.

So I just cut out the Dpad from the testbed, added some super glue to help hold them in place, and drilled some holes into the edges for screw holes. The drill bit for my dremel is perfect for those holes.

But you know what sucks? My dremel stopped working in the middle of screw post harvesting. It would mak lots of noise, but the tip wouldn't actually spin. I took it apart and discovered that the coupling between the motor and the drill had worn out and snapped in several places. A new part is on its way, but it won't get here until Wednesday. I'll probably try to borrow a dremel from my school in the meantime.

At least that's the only thing that broke, right? Boy, do I wish.

My soldering iron has been having issues. About a week ago, it refused to turn off, so I've just been unplugging it manually. The variable heat thing on it also no longer works, it's permanently stuck on "very very hot", which isn't really that bad. But then the tip started becoming a rainbow, as in it would turn red and orange and green and blue and then fade into a grey. Later today, it turned black and was very difficult to use.

AND THEN IT SHOT A LIGHTNING BOLT
nope nope nope nope nope nope nope

Like I was soldering to my Dpad buttons, and then this little bit of light came shooting out the part where the tip goes into the iron, right into the board that I was soldering on. It made a little popping noise. At that point I decided that we were done with that iron, so now I have to wait until Tuesday to pick up another one from school.

My tools hate me.

CAD doesn't hate me though. I redid the back part of my case because I needed to change the base dimensions of it, as well as add handles/battery holders in the back. I tried to just edit what I had, but it quickly became clear that it would be a lot quicker to just start over. All I need to do now is just add spots to help secure my charging port and something to add more stability to my USB holder.

Paints are arriving tomorrow. It'll be a blast.

I...Don't have any questions. That's a new one. Must mean I'm almost done! (Or forgetting something...)

Thanks guys!
plz no more lightning bolt thank

 

[cheese]

Ayy lmao, your iron probably had an issue with the temperature sense pin or something, so it overheated itself to the point of breaking

That looks pretty cool so far though, the button holder looks like it'll work pretty well!

 

[GingerOfOz]

More progress today. I ordered a new soldering station that comes with lots of cool things to make my life easier.

The paints arrived so I tested the purple out on the old case. I did two super thin layers, but they didn't do much. Then I did a thicker layer and got results. The paint really helped to smooth the rivets in the case, and parts of it are super smooth now! I'm sure that with more layers I could get it even smoother, but I'll save the paint for the real deal. I'm going to put on a layer of clear paint tomorrow morning to try to keep the paint more scratch resistant.

I'll also be sure to go a bit thinner on the paint, because you can see how the very left side got somewhat bubbly, and sandpaper only helped a little bit.

I also did that dual-tact thingy. My trigger fits over them with the perfect amount of room so that when both buttons are clicked it hovers a micrometer over the ground. I'll probably make the hole just a shade shallower when I print the other one, because I don't have that bit of perfboard on the other little clickies.

My GC+ is pretty much ready to roll. Tomorrow I plan to wiiwiire a proto-build together with components more like they will be in my case. This will allow me to double check that everything still works, as well as make sure I didn't fry my poor GC+ in my attempts to revive it. I do plan to clean up that wiring though.

R.I.P. Controller.

You were trash and won't be missed. But I do like your screw-posts.

I'm also planning on adding a low-battery indicator, because I feel like it would be super annoying to have my portable die without warning. I picked up a bunch of tiny LEDs from RadioShack when they went under. Here's the one I plan to use with a penny for reference.

Tommorow I have my engineering classes, so I'll hopefully be able to make lots of progress!

Also, I never really got a confirmation - Was my screen flickering/fan slowing/ Wii not booting while doing "charge and play" caused by not enough current? And if so, how can I fix that?

Thanks!

 

[Stitches]

Also, I never really got a confirmation - Was my screen flickering/fan slowing/ Wii not booting while doing "charge and play" caused by not enough current? And if so, how can I fix that?

Thanks!

You mentioned before that you altered the "charge and play" diagram to use an SPDT switch and just one barrel connector. Can you post a better close up of that? Preferably with some labelling/diagrams.

 

[DeoNaught]

More progress today. I ordered a new soldering station that comes with lots of cool things to make my life easier.

The paints arrived so I tested the purple out on the old case. I did two super thin layers, but they didn't do much. Then I did a thicker layer and got results. The paint really helped to smooth the rivets in the case, and parts of it are super smooth now! I'm sure that with more layers I could get it even smoother, but I'll save the paint for the real deal. I'm going to put on a layer of clear paint tomorrow morning to try to keep the paint more scratch resistant.

View attachment 2947

I'll also be sure to go a bit thinner on the paint, because you can see how the very left side got somewhat bubbly, and sandpaper only helped a little bit.

I also did that dual-tact thingy. My trigger fits over them with the perfect amount of room so that when both buttons are clicked it hovers a micrometer over the ground. I'll probably make the hole just a shade shallower when I print the other one, because I don't have that bit of perfboard on the other little clickies.

View attachment 2948

My GC+ is pretty much ready to roll. Tomorrow I plan to wiiwiire a proto-build together with components more like they will be in my case. This will allow me to double check that everything still works, as well as make sure I didn't fry my poor GC+ in my attempts to revive it. I do plan to clean up that wiring though.

View attachment 2949

R.I.P. Controller.

View attachment 2950

You were trash and won't be missed. But I do like your screw-posts.

I'm also planning on adding a low-battery indicator, because I feel like it would be super annoying to have my portable die without warning. I picked up a bunch of tiny LEDs from RadioShack when they went under. Here's the one I plan to use with a penny for reference.

View attachment 2951

Tommorow I have my engineering classes, so I'll hopefully be able to make lots of progress!

Also, I never really got a confirmation - Was my screen flickering/fan slowing/ Wii not booting while doing "charge and play" caused by not enough current? And if so, how can I fix that?

Thanks!

So you didn't use sand paper on your case?

 

[GingerOfOz]

So you didn't use sand paper on your case?

Not yet. With more layers It would probably be necessary.

Edit: Someone slap me.

USE THE SANDPAPER BOYS

 

[Gman]

I'm curious on the orientation you printed the case?

 

[GingerOfOz]

If you mean what face was the bottom of the print, then the front with the bezel and face was the bottom. I'm using a printer that uses structural material that you then put into an acid bath, so I'm able to print it out as one solid piece.

 

[Gman]

If you mean what face was the bottom of the print, then the front with the bezel and face was the bottom. I'm using a printer that uses structural material that you then put into an acid bath, so I'm able to print it out as one solid piece.

wow that's really awesome. Which printer is this done on?