Worklog The LIGHTNiiNG - BLOCKED

[supertazon]

Thank you for keeping us updated! I think you are attempting a real first in the history of Wii portablizing, super exciting!

In bocca al lupo!

 

[dababy]

I am so excited to see how this turns out!! Do u plan on possibly selling these boards if they work well?

 

[RedEnergy]

I am so excited to see how this turns out!! Do u plan on possibly selling these boards if they work well?

Well it would be a different project that would provide a different moddig experience for anyone that wants to give a try. So why not? Obviously
it will take some more time before the project is complete and the wii portable works well.

 

[RedEnergy]

Here are some pictures of my first attempts of trying to reball the GPU.
First I cleaned all the pads

First try: I've messed upquite a lot of solder balls, and many of them came off

Second try: this time it went a little better but still some solder balls came off, and some of them didn't melt properly.

Third thry: this is my last attempt for today and it turned out pretty good. The problem here are the dimensions of the solder balls. They came out like this because I didn't spread the solder paste very well. But instead I understood which technique works better.

 

[thedrew]

You're almost there with that 3rd attempt!

 

[dababy]

Lookin sexy

 

[AngelMarc]

neet

 

[MJMT]

It would be great if someone could design a processor mount for that chip. Then anyone could do it.

 

[Viilmo]

It would be great if someone could design a processor mount for that chip. Then anyone could do it.
View attachment 22759

I actually thought of that too but if @RedEnergy uses lipo it might be too thick with the heatsink since he wants to make his portable as thin as possible.

 

[Mister M]

Tracking your project. would like to see the tools you are using, do you have pictures of the tools to show us?

 

[RedEnergy]

Tracking your project. would like to see the tools you are using, do you have pictures of the tools to show us?

I'll try to upload some images tomorrow, but don't expect to see anything in particular, especially as I'm trying not to spend too much on the project. When I do these kind of stuff I try to use the most common materials I have available.

 

[Mister M]

I'll try to upload some images tomorrow, but don't expect to see anything in particular, especially as I'm trying not to spend too much on the project. When I do these kind of stuff I try to use the most common materials I have available.

Don't worry friend, I understand you perfectly, I think like you, I don't have the courage to spend a lot on a hobby, I also think about using or developing low-cost tools. I'm looking forward to seeing your project completed, I'm also working on something similar on PS2, we can exchange ideas and information for the benefit of both.

 

[Mister M]

Here are some pictures of my first attempts of trying to reball the GPU.
First I cleaned all the pads
View attachment 22709
First try: I've messed upquite a lot of solder balls, and many of them came off
View attachment 22710View attachment 22711
Second try: this time it went a little better but still some solder balls came off, and some of them didn't melt properly.
View attachment 22712
Third thry: this is my last attempt for today and it turned out pretty good. The problem here are the dimensions of the solder balls. They came out like this because I didn't spread the solder paste very well. But instead I understood which technique works better.
View attachment 22714View attachment 22713

I don't know if these components are working, but you run the risk of damaging them, you can create a PCB to train the reballing of the spheres. In this link I share my idea for this.

https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/an-attempt-to-recreate-the-ps2-pcb.4786/post-52590

 

[RedEnergy]

I don't know if these components are working, but you run the risk of damaging them, you can create a PCB to train the reballing of the spheres. In this link I share my idea for this.

https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/an-attempt-to-recreate-the-ps2-pcb.4786/post-52590

I'm already using a PCB to train reballing. Plus I'm using the components from a dead Wii, so I can practice as muck as I want. In these days I'm trying to change my technique in order to get a perfect reballing at the first try, so after that I can start dealing with the working components and be sure I don't break anything.

 

[RedEnergy]

So here are some of the tools I’m using for la my project

As I mentioned yesterday it’s nothing particular.
-stencils
-solder paste
-tweezers
-solder wick
and other common tools like the soldering iron and a hot air gun. Recently i got myself some lead free tin balls, because I couldn’t get them to be all the same dimension by using the solder paste.

 

[Mister M]

Are you using any heat source to heat the PCB? For a reballing, two heat sources are needed, one on the bottom of the pcb and the other on top of the pcb, so you will need to heat up the chips less and avoid damaging them.

 

[RedEnergy]

Are you using any heat source to heat the PCB? For a reballing, two heat sources are needed, one on the bottom of the pcb and the other on top of the pcb, so you will need to heat up the chips less and avoid damaging them.

I’m using a heated basa to warm it up from underneath in addition to the hot air gun. Yesterday I managed to successfully remove the working RAM, GPU, and CPU; so it won’t be much longer before i start reballing them.

 

[xsping]

I’m using a heated basa to warm it up from underneath in addition to the hot air gun. Yesterday I managed to successfully remove the working RAM, GPU, and CPU; so it won’t be much longer before i start reballing them.

i can not wait to see the result

 

[Max.h24]

Any update? Getting close to 3 months since last post of yours, wondering where this is at?

 

[RedEnergy]

Any update? Getting close to 3 months since last post of yours, wondering where this is at?

Hi everyone,
sorry for the long period of inactivity, but I had some problems during this period, plus the work did not allow me to have much free time. However, I leave you some updates:
-in order to be able to rework the main components I had to give up, and I had to use a special support and stencils suitable for the components of the Wii
-I have tried several times to solder components such as CPU or GPU on my PCB, and it seems that I managed to find the right way to do it.

I will try to come back as soon as possible and post more frequently by also adding images to show you my progress. Sorry again for the inactivity, but don't worry, the project will go on until the end.