Hey Everyone!
As some of you may be aware my team and I have been working on some small designs that were originally intended to solve some problems that we were dealing with on our own. After some discussions with folks on Discord who are running into some similar problems, we have decided to modify our designs slightly and offer them out to the public on our store!
The Electron Shepherd Store
AVE-HDMI - built using GCVideo
A constant struggle with "mini" consoles and even portables is the ability to achieve a high quality and easy to implement HDMI output that include signal quality losses that are typically attributed with analog video conversions. For example, the Wii utilizes an IC known as the AVE-RVL which converts the Wii GPU's digital video output to an analog VGA or Component video that is typically either used as is, converted to an HDMI signal, or converted to a 24-bit TTL LCD bitstream. That conversion from VGA/Component to a digital signal introduces losses in the signal quality.
The AVE-HDMI seeks to address these signal quality issues. This design accepts the digital video output from the Wii's GPU and uses
ikorb's GCVideo to output a high quality, configurable HDMI output to any HDMI compatible display! This design can either be used directly as is or it can be configured with the use of a universal remote or a GameCube controller.
If configuration is done with a universal remote, then the remote will need to be paired using an off-board pair button (see our 'IR Receiver' product). If you instead want to use a GameCube remote for configuration, then you can press L+R+X+Y and the configuration menu will open.
This design can be used in parallel with an Electron Shepherd AVE-Relocation to receive an HDMI output as well as a VGA and Component output with ease. You can also pair this product with any other solution that uses the direct video output from the Wii's GPU and still achieve HDMI output.
Take a look at this video for more information!
Analog2HDMI - VGA or Component Converters
The Wii2HDMI modules are available all over the web, but they are known to produce HDMI video that has a lot of interference and discoloration due to their cheap construction. The Electron Shepherd team has developed a smaller, higher quality module that utilizes the latest technology available to ensure your design achieves maximum performance.
The Analog2HDMI module is a tiny 25.2mm x 34.2mm in size and can accept a VGA or Component input stream as well as dual channel analog audio and it will output a clean HDMI output. The Wii2HDMI modules have a lot of issues with wavy video noise and general discoloration which the Analog2HDMI modules have been able to completely eradicate!
Take a look at the video below for more information:
AVE-Relocation
This project is based off of the amazing work that YveltalGriffin has done with his AVEflex found here:
https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/fs-aveflex-wii-ave-relocation-fpc.3884/
This tiny 30mm x 19.5mm flex board is primarily designed to be used in small OMEGA trims, but it can really be used in any trim to help reduce space! This product comes in three different configurations depending on your needs. If you are comfortable with your soldering skills then you buy the bare PCB and relocate the AVE-RVL IC from your Wii to this board. Alternatively, if you'd concerned that you may damage your AVE-RVL IC, then you can buy the bare PCB along with a brand new AVE-RVL IC so that you can assemble this PCB without the risk of damaging your on-board IC. Lastly, if you would rather not worry about the assembly/relocation process around this board, then you can buy a fully assembled version of this PCB with a brand new AVE-RVL along with all of the auxiliary components!
Here's a quick video showing this board coupled with the Analog2HDMI module described above!
Note that the AVE-RVL IC on the flex board in this video is
not the same IC that was removed from the Wii in this video. This only serves to prove that these fully assembled modules are interchangeable across any applicable Wii!
microSD-to-USB Converter
If you're tired of embedding small USB storage devices in your projects, then this is exactly what you need. This product utilizes a high quality USB2.0 storage controller device to allow for an easy and small conversions from microSD to USB2.0.
This product is smaller than the typical Kingston microSD adapters that are available online and can be installed flush against a PCB.
This product has been verified as working with Nintendo Wii's.
Size (w/o microSD): 12mm x 17.9mm x 2mm
Size (w/ microSD): 12mm x 25.3mm x 2mm
Here's a video showing these in action!
VGA Splitter
This board simplifies the task of toggling between two displays from a single RGBHS (VGA) source. Simply apply or remove a voltage from the
SEL pin to toggle between one output and the other. This is a perfect solution for portable consoles that have an internal LCD driver board that takes a VGA input and an Analog2HDMI board for HDMI out of the portable. With this, you can automatically remove the VGA signal from the LCD screen when an HDMI cable is connected or you can simply toggle between the two with an external switch/button.
Take a look at the video below for an example of this functionality in action!
GameCube Controller Connector w/ Breakout PCBs
If you want to design GameCube controllers into your next project, then these are a must have.
These connectors do not come assembled onto the breakout board to allow for an easy installation onto your own custom PCB if needed. You will need to solder these yourself.
The breakout board also has a location for an 0603 resistor to be added from the GameCube data line to the 3.3V supply rail. This is not needed in most applications, but if your application needs that then you can assemble it easily.
View attachment 16067
3D Models
I've attached some of the 3D models that are available for these designs. Please also look at our website for additional files if they are needed:
https://www.electron-shepherd.com/downloads
Take a look! We have have something that'll be useful for you. I'm on Discord a lot @skent#6393, so feel free to ping me if you have any questions!
-Shane
