Question Planning on building a Wii portable but have never touched a soldering iron and have no idea how to even start approaching this.

[zlz1]

Basically I want to build a Wii portable that I can use to play my GC/Wii games more conveniently, but the problem is I have never done hardware modifications to any console before and I am really intimidated by all the designing, pcb ordering, soldering, motherboard trimming, case making, assembling, etc I have to do in order to do this. Softmodding isn't really a problem for me, but there is just SO MUCH that I have to do with the hardware some of which I struggle to understand (like chip relocation) and I really don't want to screw it up, the last thing I want to do is to destroy a perfectly functional Wii motherboard.

I've created a sort of a proof-of-concept design as a reference for how it would look. (my main inspiration is the PiiWii pocket)

Here's a list of things I'd want my portable to have:

• ~6 inch widescreen display
• 4-5 hour battery life
• IR lights for Wiimotes
• Reasonably durable (this is a portable, it's going to get tossed around)
• Good speakers if possible
• Headphone jack
• Some kind of battery indicator
• Internal memory that it can boot games from
• Rumble

Any advice for how I should start approaching this? Hopefully I'll be able to figure everything out and create a finished product without wasting too much money, but I don't know what I'm doing so I kind of need help. I'm planning to get this thing done in summer 2024 as right now I have school which I need to focus on. Maybe I can enter it in the summer 2024 building competition, who knows.

 

[Retro95]

The magnitude of this project is huge for someone just starting out.

Id recommend dialing it back a bit. I love the enthusiasm but I've seen a ton of people start off full speed ahead, then burn out from frustration.

Let's start at the beginning. Do you have tools? You can check out CrazyGadgets recommended arsenal here

As far as soldering skills. Building a Wii portable requires some pretty advanced solder skills. You'll be soldering 32awg magnet wire onto pads that are about 1mm in width.

Personally if you've never touched a soldering iron before. Id recommend getting a much more beginner friendly project like the pigrrl from Adafruit. Or get a solder practicing project off of a stem website or Amazon. Something that you can learn to solder small wires and SMD components.

Then once you have your tools, and some successful soldering under your belt. Id recommend starting off with a portable that's very mapped out and more beginner friendly like the gboy rev3, louii, or ashida.

We do want to see you make a cool portable though. So don't get discouraged and remember to start a work log where you can have an organized post to ask all your questions and get feedback. Rather than post each individual question in the questions forum section.

 

[GingerOfOz]

If you're new to soldering and working with hardware, then any portable Wii project is going to be pretty daunting. I don't think that means you can't start by designing your own though.

Nothing in your list of planned features is unreasonable, those are all things that are implemented through the 4-Layer tech suite, or by simple add-ons that are well documented. Designing a case and getting everything to fit/be secure does take some time and probably a few revisions, but if it's something you want to take on then you should definitely go for it.

My recommendation on where to start would be practicing your soldering. That tends to be the biggest hurdle for people who are new to hardware modding. Pick up some practice kits and a Pinecil, and make sure you're comfortable with it before working on any expensive boards

 

[Shank]

the last thing I want to do is to destroy a perfectly functional Wii motherboard

If you want to learn, you can't be afraid to make mistakes. Its always good to be cautious and try to keep it to a minimum, but you will no doubt break a few things along the way. What you want to do is very possible with what's out there, but it will take a lot of work and a lot of learning. Start by learning fundamentals like basic circuits (see my electronics 101 playlist). Take some dead electronics and use them to practice soldering on. Then look into how other people approached their projects and learn from them.

 

[zlz1]

Thanks for all the replies! You all seem to be recommending that I dial back a bit and learn the fundemantals first, so I will look into buying a soldering iron and learning the fundemantals first before I actually commit to this project.

I was actually already planning on practicing the trim first on a dead Wii motherboard before I do the final trim, but it would definitely be better for me to really focus on practicing soldering, so I will do just that. Again, thanks a lot for the replies

Do you guys have any recommendations for cheap but good soldering practice kits? Some of the kits are a bit expensive for me, €20-40 isn't the kind of money I can just casually shell out on something minor so I want to make sure I get something worth it.