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Wii portable questions and sort of worklog?

Hoppymeal

Hoppymeal

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recently ive have had a lot of interest in building a Wii portable. the problem is i need to learn alot about everything before i can. by the end of this i want to be able to make a full wii portable without having to ask a billion questions and to also have a wii portable i can use and play games on. i really want to learn and this is really my last resort.

i will post alot of my questions in a minute
 
Hoppymeal

Hoppymeal

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okay here are a few of my questions, what is a good free or cheap 3d modeling program I could use to learn how to 3d model and make a case. how could I learn to design custom pcbs for my wii portable. what are some good quality tools I need to build a wii portable. how do i learn where to wire stuff without needing a guide ( i would love to know how to do that). i would love to learn how to wire buttons in and the screen. i would also like to get the link to the eyoyo screen that gingerofoz used for his waker of wiind portable. also good materials to 3ds print my case in. also good fans and other parts i may not know about. i would also like to learn the inner workings of a wii and a wii portable.

also you can tell me other stuff i didnt mention bc i probably dont know it.
 
Heuic

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Read all of this and be able to understand it before you ask your next questions. Also for 3d modeling people use fusion 360 but I'm not experienced in that area. And for PCB design I use EasyEDA which everyone will hate me for, but the recommended one is KiCad, and then use google to find out how to do this.
 
JMCD

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Hi,

** Disclaimer **
I am definitely no expert!
But here's my honest opinion, I'm sure those more versed than me can elaborate better.
**End Disclaimer**

Modelling software kind of comes down to personal preference but I love fusion360. I tried a few before settling on that.

Don't skimp on your soldering equipment, buy the best digital controlled station you can afford, it will save hours of frustration.

Flux is your friend (but clean it off afterwards, even the "no clean" stuff)

Lead free solder is (for me) the stuff of the devil and should be avoided!

Desoldering wick and pumps are life savers.

Solder fumes are bad for you, and extraction or proper ventilation is important.

Isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush/cottonbuds/cocktail sticks for cleaning.

A hot air rework station is a luxury but makes removal of delicate smd parts a lot easier, can also use it to reflow custom boards.

Get a decent multimeter and set of test leads, probes, clips etc. Learn how to use it correctly.

Magnification helps even the youngest of eyes, someone once told me "if it looks good at 10-20 times magnification it will look amazing to the naked eye, but more importantly it will be sound work", and those are very true words!

As for PCB design, to truly master that you must have a solid foundation in electronics.

Whilst it's possible to just follow a schematic and place components in the software, if you don't understand why you are doing it, or how/why it works then things can get difficult fast.

I suggest getting the basics down, depending on how much time you have to dedicate to this you could take a class, or get some good books, there's lots of good beginner theory and practical content on the net, google is your friend (other search engines are available).

Instinctively knowing where to wire things on a board with no schematic, sort of comes down to reverse engineering. This takes some solid skills and a strong background in electronics, it's one thing to be able to read a schematic, it's another to conjure the schematic from the board you're staring at and probing with a meter/scope.

Please do not let my ramblings dissuade you, they are not intended to. A thirst for knowledge is a valuable asset, time and patience are your allies. The age old saying is true, you get out what you put in.

The best way to learn is to do it, make mistakes, learn from the mistakes and grow your knowledge.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, we are all still learning and "there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers".

Welcome, I wish you the very best of luck for your adventures!
 
Last edited:
Stitches

Stitches

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Hoppymeal said:
okay here are a few of my questions, what is a good free or cheap 3d modeling program I could use to learn how to 3d model and make a case. how could I learn to design custom pcbs for my wii portable. what are some good quality tools I need to build a wii portable. how do i learn where to wire stuff without needing a guide ( i would love to know how to do that). i would love to learn how to wire buttons in and the screen. i would also like to get the link to the eyoyo screen that gingerofoz used for his waker of wiind portable. also good materials to 3ds print my case in. also good fans and other parts i may not know about. i would also like to learn the inner workings of a wii and a wii portable.

also you can tell me other stuff i didnt mention bc i probably dont know it.
Click to expand...
Fusion360 is the best free program available. There's a shitton of official resources for it, and more youtube tutorials than you can shake a stick at. AutoDesk even have a step by step series on learning how the various tools work and how to adhere to a proper workflow for ideal results. It can seem overwhelming at first, but if you take it slow, even just one 30 minute lesson a day, you'll get there before you know it.

PCB design is a bit trickier, but as has been said above your best best is KiCAD. There are just as many tutorials for KiCAD as there are for Fusion 360, many of which focusing on first time projects. Again, taking it slow and steady is the way.

For tools, CrazyGadget made a list of common tools and consumables that holds up well, and the old Cool Parts thread and Ginger's Tool Thread are mostly applicable also.

For knowing where to wire what without a guide, that's mostly just an experience/familiarity thing. Once you learn the basic principles of electronics (Electronics 101 being a great starting point) you'll start to recognise layouts and part placement and be able to logically determine what goes where based on past experience. In some cases it's also just as simple as reading the silkscreen writing on PCBs and matching input pad designators to known outputs. For example: A screen driver board having R G B H V printed under the pins of the VGA input connector. VGA is a video format and the Wii has an AV out port, so you'd consult the Wii Trimming Guide to see if any of the AV pins match. You'd find that the Wii does in fact have RGB output pins, and H-Sync and V-Sync output pins, which you'd then (carefully) match up to achieve video output (so long as the VGA patch was installed). The 4layertech PCBs have really good documentation which takes a lot of the guess work out of things, and you can always make a worklog and ask targeted questions if you're unsure.

Sadly the Eyoyo screens no longer support YPbPr component video. They took that capability out of the new ones and old stock doesn't exist anymore. VGA is currently the best video format available to us, although there's nothing wrong with good old composite video either. The small screens that we use hide the fuzz decently.

For case materials, basic PLA is usually sufficient if your cooling solution is up to snuff. Otherwise, PETG is almost as easy to print and has better temperature resistance. Resin prints tend to look really good, but are prone to warping and often suffer cracked/shattered screwposts if you aren't careful. SLS or MJF Nylon also looks really nice for cases and feels nice to hold, it can warp a bit but it's much more durable and tends to be easier to correct.
 
Hoppymeal

Hoppymeal

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ok so I'm using tinkercad to design the case. are there any videos you guys recommend to learn how to make a case and like screwmounts and all the other stuff
 
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