Worklog The Sandwiich

Joined
Jul 5, 2018
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Sydney, Australia
Hey guys! I figured I should start a worklog, mainly because I have a feeling it will help keep me motivated despite things going horribly wrong!

And so begins the Sandwiich, named after its similar form factor to a Maxibon ice cream sandwich.
Case_Design_2020-Jul-11_02-11-44AM-000_CustomizedView19652062166.png


Here is the feature list:
  • OMGWTF Trim with MX relocation
  • 3D printed case (printed in 3 parts), with metallic black paint finish
  • 5 inch VGA display
  • NDSL buttons, 3DS sliders, dual tact shoulders, GC+
  • U-Amp with some small rectangular 8Ohm speakers and a headphone jack with sense-pins
  • 4 Panasonic 3400mah 18650s in 2s2p with the classic red board (mine isn't red though, very sad)
  • Simple DC barrel jack charging, both due to space constraints and the store not having USB-C PD in stock at the moment
  • Typical copper plate, heatsink, fan combo for cooling
Drawing.png

Case Design v61.png

Isometric view
Case Design 2.png

Isometric view without case
Case Design Back.png

Back half
Case Design Front.png

Front half

Currently, I've killed one Wii due to forgetting to tape before trimming, and another Wii has died to unknown reasons (correct voltages, resistances, U10 functioning, the chips warm, but no signal out on VGA or composite). So I am waiting for another Wii to arrive some time next week. I am also waiting for the squishy tactile switches and NDSL buttons to arrive so I can figure out how to mount them to the faceplate and walls (for faceplate buttons and shoulder buttons respectively). I'm definitely trying to go full Tetris with fitting everything in this form factor, but hopefully my measuring will pay off!
 
Joined
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This looks pretty sweet!!! For your second Wii board, that you said everything looked good on, are you sure it's the Wii and not the screen? have you confirmed that the screen will display a VGA or composite signal from a known working source?
 
Joined
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Location
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This looks pretty sweet!!! For your second Wii board, that you said everything looked good on, are you sure it's the Wii and not the screen? have you confirmed that the screen will display a VGA or composite signal from a known working source?
Yeah, and used multiple screens to be sure, so the consensus is that it's carked it, possibly the AVE, possibly the GPU.
 
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I am unbelievably exhausted. After about a month of attempts, a working trim has risen from the ashes of two dead Wiis.

Based on my experiences with this one, I think that the second Wii is probably salvageable - I realised I did not set the current limit high enough on my power supply. This itself was not the issue, as it rarely hit the current limit (it should have) except when wiggling some of the wires, suggesting some cold solders.

In the background of the photo, the wall of my case is printing. The faceplate and backplate are already printed.
I am currently waiting on body filler to arrive so I can continue the casework. Sydney is also experiencing a few days of downfall, so painting is off the table for now. Once the case is filled, sanded and painted, I will continue working on wiring USB, VGA, batteries + management, controls + GC+; these will be easier to plan with a completed case. U-AMP is on the way, so hopefully won't have to wait too long for that.

Considering both casework and wiring are currently on the backburner, I will spend some time this week printing all the smaller pieces and brackets for the case, just so everything is ready.

EDIT:
Here is also a photo of the empty shell - needs some work to clean up the aesthetics, but its a nice size. Not the most ergonomic, but nothing awful thanks to the fillets.
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Last edited:
Joined
Jul 5, 2018
Messages
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Location
Sydney, Australia
The Sandwiich is definitely coming together! I have finished the casework - unfortunately, my first print of the faceplate ended up having 2 screw-holes completely strip and 3 screw-posts snap off sooooo I spent 2 days recreating the face, with appropriate adjustments. The finishing involved an enamel primer, then a metallic black, then finally a satin clear coat. I like the finish, but it appears to dent quite easily. I am also unsure how it will hold up to sweaty palms etc.

20200805_234941.jpg


I was definitely overconfident in my modelling and measuring (not enough tolerance for a lot of parts, space-wise) and am finding that a few pieces originally intended to be bracketed in might require hot glue - I have already had to use hot glue for a couple things. However, I am planning on doing my best to avoid it. On my driver board, I relocated the 27 MHz crystal oscillator by about 20mm just to dodge the USB port (visible in the photo below).

I promise the wires will be nicer once I work out how they will be routed ;)

20200805_235049.jpg

Legs.

The closer I get to finishing, the harder it is to get it finished. My U-AMP arrived, so I have everything I need to get it done, but the combination of the previous stuff going wrong and the chance of future stuff going wrong is getting to my head. I think I need to spend a solid day or two just getting stuff done without too much distraction - I still have to wire up the VGA, the audio, the controls, the batteries and all the I/O that goes along with it.
 
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