Question Pre trim Wii-No AV Output

[LUMP PUMP]

A short preface before the actual question, I started building a G-BOY Rev 3 in the summer of 2020, but dropped the project cause I messed up the trim pretty badly. I decided to pick the project back up now that I have more free time/disposable income, and bought a "for parts" Wii off ebay (a gamble, I know). The Wii I bought seems to power up alright, but doesn't output to the tv. I know that it's possible to trim a Wii then install all the necessary software for running it as a portable, but I wanted to ask if there are any methods to deal with this before I possibly start working on a completely defunct Wii. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Y2K]

What I would do is check for signal integrity from the composite output leg of the AVE all the way to the AV port. I would use the compendium &/or the trim guide to help you to trace out the composite video signal, and then use a multimeter to test along the way to make sure there isn't any breaks in the chain. If there is, then that might be why you're not getting any video out. If you aren't seeing that, another good thing to try is to solder a RCA cable or something directly to the composite video via coming off the AVE (this can be figured out with the trim guide), and hook that up to a composite display.

It's also possible that the Wii is soft bricked from a botched softmod, which might not be recoverable unfortunately. I would do these basic checks first before jumping to that conclusion.

 

[LUMP PUMP]

The botched softmod option doesn't seem likely, since the seller described it as "hasn't been plugged in in years" on the ebay listing. If I can, I'll wire the wii up to the screen that came with my G-Boy kit and see if I can hack it with that setup.

 

[ToxicBananaFish]

This may be a stupid thing to point out, but if the Wii hasn't been hacked, make sure the WIFI and Bluetooth modules are both plugged in correctly. I've found that to be an issue with old Wiis myself. Also, are you certain that there's no video output at all? Usually, if a system is bricked or one of the modules is disconnected like I mentioned, it'll output a blank screen, but still a detectable signal. If there really is no signal, then there are likely other problems at play. Still, no reason not to try to fix it. Good luck

 

[LUMP PUMP]

I took Y2K's advice and tried tracing continuity on the composite line, and didn't find any breaks. Then, I tried wiring composite video directly to the screen on my G-Boy (I've followed all of the instructions on the G-Boy guide that don't require a trimmed wii, so the screen is powered by the batteries meant for the G-Boy). I didn't get any results from this, and I'm pretty positive that my screen is working correctly, since it flashes when I power up the G-Boy. Then, I tried taking ToxicBananaFish's advice of checking the attachment of the wifi and bluetooth chips. Apparently I misplaced the bluetooth chip while taking it apart (I plan to have bluetooth in the final portable so idk what I would have done with it) so I just tried powering it up with only the wifi chip (no dice). I also forgot to mention that once I power the wii on, I can't power it off with the power button, only by unplugging it, which would suggest to me that this wii is cooked, but I'm not an expert. Also, a couple details about the wii, it's a black wii with GC ports, model RVL-001, serial # LU83535651 (if anyone was interested in that).

 

[ToxicBananaFish]

I took Y2K's advice and tried tracing continuity on the composite line, and didn't find any breaks. Then, I tried wiring composite video directly to the screen on my G-Boy (I've followed all of the instructions on the G-Boy guide that don't require a trimmed wii, so the screen is powered by the batteries meant for the G-Boy). I didn't get any results from this, and I'm pretty positive that my screen is working correctly, since it flashes when I power up the G-Boy. Then, I tried taking ToxicBananaFish's advice of checking the attachment of the wifi and bluetooth chips. Apparently I misplaced the bluetooth chip while taking it apart (I plan to have bluetooth in the final portable so idk what I would have done with it) so I just tried powering it up with only the wifi chip (no dice). I also forgot to mention that once I power the wii on, I can't power it off with the power button, only by unplugging it, which would suggest to me that this wii is cooked, but I'm not an expert. Also, a couple details about the wii, it's a black wii with GC ports, model RVL-001, serial # LU83535651 (if anyone was interested in that).

If you misplaced the Bluetooth chip, then that would definitely cause the problem you're having. Unless you just can't find your module, I wouldn't give up on the Wii just yet. Good luck!

 

[LUMP PUMP]

Are bluetooth chips transferrable? I have a working wii that I planned on turning into a G-Boy, but it ended up being a 6 layer board (I'm not very good at shopping for used wiis online). If it would be possible to transplant the bluetooth chip from my working wii to this one I'll try that.

 

[ToxicBananaFish]

Are bluetooth chips transferrable? I have a working wii that I planned on turning into a G-Boy, but it ended up being a 6 layer board (I'm not very good at shopping for used wiis online). If it would be possible to transplant the bluetooth chip from my working wii to this one I'll try that.

Yes. Any working bluetooth module will work with any Working Wii Motherboard. Also, unrelated note, when shopping for a Wii for a project, if it's any color other than white, and/or if it doesn't have GameCube controller ports, it's guaranteed to be 4-layered. A white Wii with GameCube controller ports can be 4-layered, but most that I've seen are 6-layered.

(someone please correct me if my information is off, by the way)

 

[LUMP PUMP]

I tried turning the wii on with the bluetooth and wifi chips in, and didn't get any results. (I also tried wiring the composite lines to my G-Boy screen and didn't get any signal there either). Should I just pitch this board and try again with a different wii? Also, it just occurred to me that I never specified that there is no signal coming from the screen, rather than just a signal thats a black screen.

 

[ToxicBananaFish]

I tried turning the wii on with the bluetooth and wifi chips in, and didn't get any results. (I also tried wiring the composite lines to my G-Boy screen and didn't get any signal there either). Should I just pitch this board and try again with a different wii? Also, it just occurred to me that I never specified that there is no signal coming from the screen, rather than just a signal thats a black screen.

In this case, yeah, I'd probably recommend trying with another Wii. The issue is probably fixable in some way, but it's very difficult to know what's wrong, and it very well may not be worth the effort.

 

[LUMP PUMP]

Ok back to the Ebay "broken/for parts" category

Edit: If anyone wants this motherboard (its a 4 layer as I mentioned previously, but has no bluetooth chip) hmu.