Question The G4 GameCube project

[Sad Snifit]

Again, if someone feels I need to change my PCBs, please, please tell me

 

[Stitches]

Finally, it was time to the Wii DVD drive PCB. The final boss, where I could put to the test everything I learnt so far, and some more. Unlike BadAss Consoles, I opted for a design where the PCB would sit directly on the GameCube PCB, as I did not feel confortable desoldering the GameCube DVD drive port. Is this a good idea? If so, what PCB thickness would one recommend for that?

Here is what this monster looks like; tracing was quite difficult this time, and some traces ended up quite long. If this is a breaking thing, PLEASE let me know, as once it's installed I'm not sure I'll be able to get it off!

View attachment 25257 View attachment 25258
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And here it is! I've already learnt so much for this project, that even if it doesn't work out, I'll still be happy with all my new skills

A half decent hot air station will be able to remove the Megadrive clone board if mistakes are made. Just don't fully solder in the ground anchors.

Also you might need to put a few ground planes around the disc drive board

 

[Sad Snifit]

Thank you for your feedback!

A half decent hot air station will be able to remove the Megadrive clone board if mistakes are made.

I don't have one, but I'll keep that in mind!

Just don't fully solder in the ground anchors.

Not until it works, or at all?

Also you might need to put a few ground planes around the disc drive board

What would they be used for?

 

[Stitches]

Sorry, don't solder in the anchors until you've tested it and ensured it works properly first. Ground planes are partly for providing shielding for data lines, but also for ESD purposes. The anchors and external shielding plugs for ports are normally connected to ground to ensure that any potential ESD has a safe place to go, else sensitive components can be damaged.

 

[Sad Snifit]

When you say ground planes, do you mean ground pads? Because I already have a ground plane, although I could make it bigger. Is that what you mean? (Again, very new to this, sorry if this is a dumb question )

 

[Stitches]

Oh, so you do. I didn't pay much attention to the sketch, I guess the render for some reason doesn't show the ground plane. Your ground plane looks good. Could use another via or two to better connect the two layers, but otherwise I see no issues

 

[Sad Snifit]

I made the ground plane as big as I could (before it was only "big enough" for the ground pads). Hope this is better!

I'll try and use vias to shorten the longest traces and submit it back to you

 

[Sad Snifit]

Used more vias and managed to rework some of the longest traces

 

[Stitches]

Looks good, but why's it only on the bottom side?

 

[Sad Snifit]

I just followed the tutorial I've been watching. I guess I could use both the front and back as ground planes, and connect them with a via then?

 

[Sad Snifit]

I figured I could do a little bit more to make the Wii Drive board installation a bit cleaner and use this port to drive the power with a matching ribbon / cable. Can someone help me identify the kind of connector this is, as well as the name of the ribbon I would need?

 

[Stitches]

I just followed the tutorial I've been watching. I guess I could use both the front and back as ground planes, and connect them with a via then?

Yeah you just chuck a heap of vias around to connect the planes up.

I figured I could do a little bit more to make the Wii Drive board installation a bit cleaner and use this port to drive the power with a matching ribbon / cable. Can someone help me identify the kind of connector this is, as well as the name of the ribbon I would need?

View attachment 25269 View attachment 25270 View attachment 25271

It's a JST connector of some kind, but I don't know its designation.
You could measure the pitch and compare it to this https://www.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/common-jst-connector-types/

 

[Sad Snifit]

I'll try and find my donor Wii, and see if I can source the matching connector and cable from there. Now if only I could remember where I stashed it..

 

[Sad Snifit]

Found it. Here is what the cable looks like up close. Unfortunately, it's very short, so I won't be able to reuse it. Also, I don't feel confident enough to desolder the connector, so either I find the exact match on the net + cable, or I don't use the connector on the DVD drive.

 

[Sad Snifit]

Yeah you just chuck a heap of vias around to connect the planes up.

It's a JST connector of some kind, but I don't know its designation.
You could measure the pitch and compare it to this https://www.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/common-jst-connector-types/

You are absolutely right, these are JST SH / SR.

I found these on Digikey, should be what I need!

https://www.digikey.fr/fr/products/detail/jst-sales-america-inc/SM12B-SRSS-TB-LF-SN/926718

https://www.digikey.fr/fr/products/detail/jst-sales-america-inc/A12SR12SR30K102A/9922229

 

[Sad Snifit]

Great news! PCBs have arrived, they look great, they fit great, and they work great (for the most part)

Memory cards still works the PCB, AV out now does work with the PBC, but the Wii Drive doesn't

When I start the console with the Wii Drive connected, the console freezes almost instantly. The picture stays on the screen, and the DVD Drive will either make a continuous motor sound, or a short motor sound.

When I don't connect the Wii Drive, the console boots normally and then displays an error message (expected, as there is no drive attached).

When I connect the GameCube Drive, the console boots fine and games are recognized (expected).

I have checked multiple times, I'm pretty sure there are no shorts with my soldering. The DVD Drive gets it's 12V and 5V, as per the wiki documentation.

I'm a total noob in electronics, so any help would be really appreciated here, as I don't believe I can go any further on my own

 

[Stitches]

Have you tried multiple Wii drives?

 

[Sad Snifit]

Not yet, but I had bought another Wii just in case. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[Sad Snifit]

Hu so I remembered how the wiki said to use keep the wire length to a minimum. So I used a shorter flat flex cable (6" vs 8" yesterday) and, lo and behold, the console managed to boot!

Although, the animations were very slow, like quarter speed and quarter framerate. That was very weird and quite creepy actually. I don't believe I can go shorter than this (for one, I don't have a shorter cable, and also I wouldn't be able to fit everything otherwise).

Here's to hoping another drive will fare better.

 

[Sad Snifit]

Here is what the console looks like now, btw.

Also, here is my baby