Discussion Where do I begin? (NOW FLIP'S FIRST WORKLOG)

[tealflip]

It's time....

Soon once the IRS finally gets their stuff together and lets me get some of my moolah back, I'm gonna SLOWLY but surely get started working on a portable. But here's the question:

WHICH ONE?

So, I need help deciding which one. I have every single tool I need *minus some wire and Kapton tape but that I can borrow from the shop I'm interning at* and two Wii's I can sacrifice. Thank you Mom and Dad for being smokers, killing your Wii's disc drive, and letting me keep it for this project. *dont smoke kids*
I have a few options in mind. One of which is an ASHIDA. I like the idea of having a Gamecube controller that holds the Wii inside of it.
Next, a G-Wii. Mainly due to it's forgiveness to beginners. A G-Boy would also be a great idea.
Something else I'd be interested in doing is this DMG-Boy by Curtismods. It has a unique dock design I am a major fan of. *you can find it here*
Although, these are just some ideas. I am fully down for any ideas. As Shank Mods has wisely said before, "When you start getting comfortable, you stop getting better".
Please feel free to let me know your suggestions!

-Flip

 

[WolfSquatch]

I'd say an Ashida is probably the most forgiving build. All three of them are pretty standard builds with plenty of work logs to browse through with lots of people completing them.

 

[RegDogg]

Definitely the Ashida! It has amazing in-depth guides and since it has pre designed custom PCB's it is the most beginner friendly!

 

[CrazyGadget]

If this is your first time soldering, I would highly recommend picking up a couple cheap soldering kits from Amazon to learn on, before diving into Wii projects. Once you hone your skills on the kits, I would very much recommend starting with a less-complex system; I like to recommend the Noldendo Miicro to beginners due to its lower cost / lower complexity than a full-on portable. That way, you can absolutely get your feet wet in Wii portablizing with minimal risk if something goes wrong! Once you have a good, working micro, then I would absolutely recommend an Ashida like others have mentioned above. It's *very* well documented, both through the helpful diagrams on 4LayerTech's website and the plethora of worklogs here on the forums!

 

[tealflip]

I like to recommend the Noldendo Miicro to beginners due to its lower cost / lower complexity than a full-on portable.

How much documentation is on it? This does seem like a fun project I could dive into.
Also, I do have experience soldering thankfully, just not super well dipped into Microsoldering. I probably will try a kit or two just to get used to it again as it's been a minute.
PLAN OF ATTACK:
Noldendo Miicro *I might try to change a couple things to avoid barrel plugs and that back switch, not the biggest fan of it*
Ashida.
TBD.

Thank you guys!! I'm still always down to suggestions.

 

[CrazyGadget]

Be sure to check out the Noldendo Miicro Guide! It's pretty fleshed out.

 

[tealflip]

PLAN OF ATTACK:
Noldendo Miicro *I might try to change a couple things to avoid barrel plugs and that back switch, not the biggest fan of it*
Ashida.
TBD.

Yikes! Slight issue has come up with the Noldendo Miicro...
I only have four layer Wii's. The Noldendo, despite the hatred, can only fit a SIX layer Wii. Either, I'm gonna have to hunt and pay possibly 80+ bucks for another Wii, or I sidetrack and redesign the shell to fit a four layer Wii. So, where do we go from here?

 

[CrazyGadget]

Woah, $80?? If you live in the US, you can very easily get a Wii (4 layer or 6 layer) with a busted disc drive for $20 shipped off eBay. Just search Wii, select Buy It Now, For Parts / Not Working, price Low to High (click that you want to see possibly irrelevant results), then look for one that just has a broken disc drive but otherwise works fine. Check the serial number to determine whether it's a 4 layer or a 6 layer. If you're having trouble, this link should bring you to a search with those parameters.

Be sure to avoid anything that's listed as "untested" or has power / video / audio issues. Those can end up being a lot more problematic than is worth the time / money.

 

[tealflip]

Woah, $80?? If you live in the US, you can very easily get a Wii (4 layer or 6 layer) with a busted disc drive for $20 shipped off eBay. Just search Wii, select Buy It Now, For Parts / Not Working, price Low to High (click that you want to see possibly irrelevant results), then look for one that just has a broken disc drive but otherwise works fine. Check the serial number to determine whether it's a 4 layer or a 6 layer. If you're having trouble, this link should bring you to a search with those parameters.

Be sure to avoid anything that's listed as "untested" or has power / video / audio issues. Those can end up being a lot more problematic than is worth the time / money.

Dumb question, how do I tell which layer revision if I cannot see the motherboard? Not gonna take a risk on it.

 

[CrazyGadget]

Anything that's LU7 or LU12+ is guaranteed to be a 4 layer, anything else is going to be a 6 layer (with some variance in LU6s IIRC). You'll probably find mostly LU10, LU3 and LU5 for 6 layers.

 

[tealflip]

Anything that's LU7 or LU12+ is guaranteed to be a 4 layer, anything else is going to be a 6 layer (with some variance in LU6s IIRC). You'll probably find mostly LU10, LU3 and LU5 for 6 layers.

Well, now we have hit my weekly moral dilemma...
I checked my main Wii console, the one I've been primarily using since it has boot2 compatibility. It is a six layer.... It's not the biggest necessity for me, but it's just a good thing for me as I cannot trust myself with any software. Given I am gonna have a slightly limited budget, here's the real question:
To cut or to cutn't. I can always rely on my other Wii I used to use most, plus my Wii U. I'll let you guys decide.

THE CHOICE IS IN YOUR HANDS!
edit: don't feel like you have to make me do the safe option of not. I am fully willing to experiment here. Hell, I'll design my own case for a 4 layer since I have LIMITED but noticeable cad skills.

 

[CrazyGadget]

Never mess with your main console, bro! Never!
Drop the $20 for another 6 layer.

 

[tealflip]

Never mess with your main console, bro! Never!
Drop the $20 for another 6 layer.

Sounds good. I just found one for about $18, messaging the seller now to look into if he knows what's wrong. The MOMENT the IRS sends that letter in the mail, this project is on. Already have some magnet wire on the way "38 AWG" and likely gonna start messaging people I know regarding 3D prints. *my printer won't be in for a while sadly*
Thank you again CrazyGadget!! You're awesome!

 

[tealflip]

Never mess with your main console, bro! Never!
Drop the $20 for another 6 layer.

The plot thickens LIKE HELL!
So, it appears it's been attempted in the past to do this project with a 4 layer Wii..... (as seen here) My question is, does anyone have a case redesign model that fits the 4 layer Wii? Or am I gonna be forced to make the edits myself, which would likely call for recreating the case and then getting measurements, and then double checking it when I already don't have my 3D printer in service yet, 3D printing services are way too expensive for prototyping.... apologies for the rant. TL;DR: Anyone know if a case was made that can fit the 4 layer Wii?

 

[CrazyGadget]

There are no (at least released) remixes of the NoldendoMiicro that work with a 4 layer Wii. If you really want to use the 4 layer, you *could* do a NAND relocation to get the trim line where it needs to be, but thay's really beyond the scope of a beginner project.

 

[tealflip]

There are no (at least released) remixes of the NoldendoMiicro that work with a 4 layer Wii. If you really want to use the 4 layer, you *could* do a NAND relocation to get the trim line where it needs to be, but thay's really beyond the scope of a beginner project.

Yeah, I wouldn't trust myself with a NAND relocation. Is there any documented dimensions of a cut Wii or am I gonna need to half ass it myself?

 

[Lemoncake]

Yeah, I wouldn't trust myself with a NAND relocation. Is there any documented dimensions of a cut Wii or am I gonna need to half ass it myself?

I'm pretty sure that jefflongo's Wii Micro varient used a 4 layer board. it's a different size case, but might be more of what you're looking for.

 

[tealflip]

I'm pretty sure that jefflongo's Wii Micro varient used a 4 layer board. it's a different size case, but might be more of what you're looking for.

Not a bad idea, but the case nor BOM is open source, so I'd have to do some tomfoolery to get it. If I can just get my hands on measurements of the Wii MOBO with it trimmed, I could design my own case.

 

[tealflip]

If I can just get my hands on measurements of the Wii MOBO with it trimmed, I could design my own case.

Advice: just keep looking. Thankfully, @DeadTreeCarcasses posted a cad of his OMGWTF trim (found here) Unfortunately, it doesn't have any measurements for the IO. I sent a help message in Discord if anybody wants to help me through chat to give instantaneous feedback. We have SOME progress! Thanks to this trim model, I have made standoff mounts. Shell is a rough estimate:

I don't know why they're different colors, but I could also care less. Slowly but surely now...
*I still need help with case design*

 

[tealflip]

Update 1: Wii is taken apart. From the INITIAL looks of it, I might be able to cheese this a little.
Also, thank you to quite literally EVERYONE who's helping on this thread and in discord (Y2K and CrazyGadget, god bless BOTH OF YOU)
We will make this happen. if I design a good enough case, I also plan on open sourcing it, since I know atleast somebody else will make a Noldendo with a 4 layer.