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.
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.
