Worklog Wii Micro First Wii project

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Hello, I have been interested in Wii modding for quite a while and I've been practicing soldering for a few months and I finally worked up the courage to try a Wii project. As the title states, I'm gonna do a Wii Micro to help dip my toes into Wii modding. Also this is my first project and I have no experience if I'm doing anything dumb or really wrong please tell me because odds are I won't notice until it's too late. Anyways all I have done so far today is softmod and trim my Wii. I know it isn't perfect but hopefully, this isn't too terrible for my first attempt at trimming.

 

[Reploid91]

Looks great so far sand those edges as good as possible and good luck

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

So I am using rvl psu for power management and I atempted to populate a pcb for the first time. It went well except when I used my multimeter to check for correct volages, they were all off by a lot so I reset all the chips and pieces on a new PCB. This time they were better but still a lot off. The volages are for me 1v-11.16v, 1.15v-10.66v, 3.3v-6.88v, and 5v-6.71v. Im sure I screwed up somewhere so here is a pic of the board. Does anything stick out to you that might be causing these high voltages? If it helps I'm using CrazyGadgets revised BOM.

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Ok so update. I managed to rewire all of the voltages excluding the ones that need to come from reg's. Also, I managed to hook up GC controller ports today as well. Overall a good day.

 

[TwoLace]

Looks good so far man, nice work

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Alright, so I got a bit done since the last update. After screwing up on the rvl psu I decided to switch over to pth08080 regs which was a good call on my part. I managed to get more or less correct voltages using them. I also wired up bluetooth which wasn't as much hassle as I originally thought. So I wired everything to the board plugged in wii2hidmi, USB, fan, and power plug. After plugging it in I waited and... no video. I expected as much for my first attempt but it was still disappointing. Though there is good news. The fan I plugged in did work so I know the board isn't dead. I likely just screwed up somewhere on the rewiring voltages on the back. But anyways here is the new pic of the motherboard and yes I know it's a mess of wires it's not gonna stay like that for the finished product.

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Lighting fast post because I can't take a 30-minute break from this project. So I checked the voltages when they're plugged in and they seem to be a bit off so that might be the culprit of no video. The voltages are:
1v - 0.82v
1.15v - 1.02v
3.3v - 3.10v
5v - 4.96
For reference, my initial voltages weren't perfect before wiring the Wii but they were very close. This is more than a little bit off the initial voltages. Does this appear normal or could this be the reason something is wrong with my video?

 

[Stitches]

Them voltages a little low, especially for a 6 layer

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

I'm confused, to say the least. So since my last update, I still haven't managed to get any video to display and it's become quite a roadblock because well... you need video to play video games. I have redone the custom regs and even went out and bought an RVL-PSU from CrazyGadget (thanks btw) and it still hasn't fixed anything. I do have fan spin though. Also, I am using a wii2hdmi. I've also tried rubbing it down with alcohol, resoldering the voltage rewiring on the back, checking continuity between u10 and, I have verified the voltages which seem to be correct. Just in case these are off here they are
3.3v - 3.19v
1.15v - 1.05v
1v - 0.92v
5v - 4.92v
1.8v - 1.75v
If you can spare any tips, things I should check or things I should fix that would be greatly appreciated. Here are some pics of the board so if anything looks off could you tell me.

 

[Stitches]

Have you tested just regular composite video on a display? It's possible that the HDMI display you're using doesn't like the feed

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Have you tested just regular composite video on a display? It's possible that the HDMI display you're using doesn't like the feed

I'm ashamed I didn't try that already. Welp good news it's alive.

 

[CrazyGadget]

Glad to hear it's alive! A few quick pointers from what I'm seeing, even if it's working right now:

• You're definitely going to want to add another ground wire going between the PSU and the Wii. You can get away with one wire for a 4 layer board, but 6 layers consume twice as much power, so you're definitely going to want 2-3 ground lines on there (inb4 someone yells at me for ground loops)
• It looks like there's still half an IC from trimming on the back of the PCB (near the CPU vias). That could potentially be causing some weird shorts, potentially even why your voltages seem a bit low.
• Make sure you're soldering iron is a good temperature, you're using an appropriate tip for the joint (larger tips for larger planes, etc.), and plenty of flux! Some of those joints look a bit rocky to me
• Give that board a scrub with some IPA! I see a lot of flux residue and other stuff that's just not good for business.
• I would advise against using hot glue all over the place, it's going to melt once the Wii is on for an extended period of time. Koptan tape will treat you a lot better in the long run.

I'm happy to hear the project has taken a turn for the better, and I can't wait to see how it comes out!

 

[Stitches]

I'm ashamed I didn't try that already. Welp good news it's alive.

If you have any other HDMI displays you can use to test, it might be the adapter. It could also be that the Wii is outputting interlaced video over component and that adapter has no line doubler, but IIRC BBLoader auto forces 480p now so I'm not sure.

Also I'm not sure if it's just the photo being grainy, but it looks like you might have a short or two between your memory card pins

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

Minor update so I cleaned the project up a bit and begone testing. Bluetooth worked without issue which shocked me. Gamecube controllers worked after a bit of tweaking and everything else appears to be working. Also thanks a bunch for all the tips Stitches and Crazygadget. Fingers crossed this will be the last update before the final product.

 

[Dynamic_Hayden]

So I actually got it done. I think I jinxed myself by saying I got Bluetooth to work without a problem earlier because after it not working and some fiddling I think the Bluetooth chip itself might be dead. Though, I do believe I can emulate Wii remotes with rvloader so no biggie. This was a really fun project and I loved it a lot. My next project will likely be an actual portable more specifically an Ashida. Anyways here is the final product.