Worklog (IT'S FINISHED) The Mumble Driim (Making my very first portable)

[Mumble]

How did you fix the power issue, where the wii would shut of automatically?

It was a small short. One of the wires wasn't attached to a pin correctly.

 

[BocuD]

Oh, nice that you fixed it.
I have to say, it turned out better then the thing that im currently building... can you make a video of the build, and the internals? Im really curious.
Oh, and did you use a 6 or 4 layer board, and what is the battery life (since you didnt use custom regulators, did you)

 

[Mumble]

Oh, nice that you fixed it.
I have to say, it turned out better then the thing that im currently building... can you make a video of the build, and the internals? Im really curious.
Oh, and did you use a 6 or 4 layer board, and what is the battery life (since you didnt use custom regulators, did you)

I don't plan on filming a video for this one. Maybe my next portable.

Its a 6 layer board.

Haven't done a battery test yet (and my cells are currently dead), but I'm taking a guess its around 2 hours according to my math.

 

[BocuD]

Oh, nice. That means i should get the same for my portable (it is 6 layer and has the same battery configuration) as you. 2 hours is more than i initially thought.

 

[Fiskers1208]

I don't plan on filming a video for this one. Maybe my next portable.

Its a 6 layer board.

Haven't done a battery test yet (and my cells are currently dead), but I'm taking a guess its around 2 hours according to my math.

can you please make a video about the unit.
 
no speakers?

 

[Stitches]

It's finished.
Here's some pictures:

All I have to do is attatch some Wii controllers, after that, it's finished!

That's pretty decent for your first portable. Do you think you'll have a go at improving it in the future?

 

[Mumble]

That's pretty decent for your first portable. Do you think you'll have a go at improving it in the future?

No. Straight up no. I rushed this one as fast as I could, so I know how it works, so I can make another one and take more time
Edit: Thanks for the compliment too

 

[Mumble]

can you please make a video about the unit.
 
no speakers?

No speakers. Headphone jack is good enough

 

[Mumble]

One more thing I feel like I should point out. The TP4056 chargers exploded in attempt to charge my batteries. So instead what I did was ditch a built in charger, and I bought a battery wall charger. Little bit dumb, not really the best of the best, but I'm fine with it. Next one will most likely have a charger.

 

[cheese]

One more thing I feel like I should point out. The TP4056 chargers exploded in attempt to charge my batteries.

Good to know! We will make sure to let people know they don't work so well in the future!

 

[Mumble]

Good to know! We will make sure to let people know they don't work so well in the future!

They'll work for individual cells, so you'll have to use four chargers to charge four batteries, but using one to charge all four will lead into an explosion.

 

[Mumble]

So I have made up my mind I'm just going to hot glue a classic pro controller to the bottom of the case, and find some way to Velcro a wii remote to the side (That away I can take it off if I want). I'm kind of guess-timating but I think it should be "somewhat" comfortable to use.

I guess with that out of the way, I want to point out some things that I have learned from this project. Anyone who plans on building a portable, keep these things in mind.
- The final result took me 2 days to make, but a month to learn from mistakes. (I ended up going through three Wiis!)
- I need to stick with a case design. I had no idea what I was going for tbh. I started off with a horizontal plan, then somehow it went to vertical.
- Be careful soldering. I have gone through eight, yes EIGHT, Gamecube controllers (including a GC+ controller). I need to just melt pins together, and as soon as I see a melted connection, take the iron off. Otherwise big problems with an overdose of solder.
- DO. NOT. GET. HIGH. ON. CAFFEINE. WHILE. WORKING. Your hands will be shaking like crazy!

Other than that, I'm quite happy with this. It was worth all the work! Thank you everyone who helped me out, and who gave me good advice!

 

[Carb0]

One more thing I feel like I should point out. The TP4056 chargers exploded in attempt to charge my batteries. So instead what I did was ditch a built in charger, and I bought a battery wall charger. Little bit dumb, not really the best of the best, but I'm fine with it. Next one will most likely have a charger.

They'll work for individual cells, so you'll have to use four chargers to charge four batteries, but using one to charge all four will lead into an explosion.

What did you expect? The datasheet clearly states that the TP4056 is designed to charge a single cell:
https://dlnmh9ip6v2uc.cloudfront.net/datasheets/Prototyping/TP4056.pdf

Lithium ion batteries can be very dangerous if not handled with care. You can call yourself lucky that this time only the charging circuits exploded. I'd recommend that you post your current battery setup and let more experienced users check it. Otherwise, you may put yourself and others at risk.

Make sure to include the following:
- Diagram of your wiring
- Which batteries you are using
- Which battery charger you are using
- Which battery protection circuit you are using
- How much current your system draws

And yes, I know that you posted a few of these things in this thread already, but it's better if those who review your setup don't have to search for the information first.

Also, you may want to read up on the basics of lithium ion batteries. Adafruit has a good article on this topic:
https://learn.adafruit.com/li-ion-and-lipoly-batteries/overview

 

[Mumble]

What did you expect? The datasheet clearly states that the TP4056 is designed to charge a single cell:
https://dlnmh9ip6v2uc.cloudfront.net/datasheets/Prototyping/TP4056.pdf

Lithium ion batteries can be very dangerous if not handled with care. You can call yourself lucky that this time only the charging circuits exploded. I'd recommend that you post your current battery setup and let more experienced users check it. Otherwise, you may put yourself and others at risk.

Make sure to include the following:
- Diagram of your wiring
- Which batteries you are using
- Which battery charger you are using
- Which battery protection circuit you are using
- How much current your system draws

And yes, I know that you posted a few of these things in this thread already, but it's better if those who review your setup don't have to search for the information first.

Also, you may want to read up on the basics of lithium ion batteries. Adafruit has a good article on this topic:
https://learn.adafruit.com/li-ion-and-lipoly-batteries/overview

I definitely should have done more research on these, that was a big mistake on my end.
I actually ended up ditching a built in charger, and I just bought a wall charger:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/112103853541?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I bought a x4 18650 pack, and they should make a Wii run for about 2 hours.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121611468285?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I simply used a battery holder that goes on the back, and then outputs 14.8v with all four cells.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/112173281090?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I just hooked up the batteries to the main pins of the power input on the Wii, and it worked out really well.

DEFINITELY Don't use the TP4056 chargers if you plan on charging all four at once.

 

[Stitches]

That battery holder doesn't look like it has a protection circuit inbuilt.

 

[Mumble]

That battery holder doesn't look like it has a protection circuit inbuilt.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I tried it and it worked. I'll give updates when I get my chargers so I can test them again.

 

[Stitches]

Oh it'd definitely work without one, but if the voltage per cell drops too low, the cells can die forever.

 

[Mumble]

Oh it'd definitely work without one, but if the voltage per cell drops too low, the cells can die forever.

I see...

 

[pipbug]

Yeahhh might want to look into that.

 

[Mumble]

What exactly would the chances of this happening be...?
Also I shouldn't fear an explosion from the cells if I don't have one correct?