Hello! I'm currently looking for a simple and affordable first Wii portable, my budget is $200 and I know literally nothing about desiging portables.
My first Wii Portable
- Thread starter mynameislogan
- Start date
I think you can do a g-boy for this price.If you don't have any expérience in soldering, you can tey to do the Xii-boy.I think it's easier because there aren't a lot of wires.
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Xenii
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Hi, Xii-Boy Pocket costs around 250 CHF so pretty much in your budget. However, you must know how to solder. You have a lot of PCBs to assemble, and they might be tricky if you don’t have a some soldering knowledge.
You could also wait for some maybe upcoming Xii-Boy Ultra kits. They will be super easy to assemble, but also pricy due to the 4LT stuff.
You could also wait for some maybe upcoming Xii-Boy Ultra kits. They will be super easy to assemble, but also pricy due to the 4LT stuff.
I have some basic experience in soldering so I won't mind that but I'm trying to get all the parts before April 3rd (as a birthday present to myself )
Xenii
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Cool! I suggest you checking my worklog / thread to see the boards you have to assemble. XB2 is pretty cheap, so it could be perfect for your needs! Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need further informations 
XB2’s presentation thread here: https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/the-xii-boy-pocket-v2.6638/
XB2’s presentation thread here: https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/the-xii-boy-pocket-v2.6638/
Alright! I'm checking the thread and files but what's the difference between FDM and JLC
FDM is if you're printing the case at home with a consumer filament 3D printer. The JLC files are tweaked for if you're paying for JLCPCB's SLS nylon or MSLA resin printing
Ohh. Does JLC work with PCBway or no?
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Yes it’ll work fine. PCBWay just tends to be a bit more pricey. The print quality will largely be the same between the two companies
Got it. I just don't know how to use JLCPCB and also how to get it 3D printed there too
Whats a good type of print (3D technology) for my budget?
Done with the case but I'm stuck on the PCBs 
I don't know if I put everything in here right. Please let me know if there's any mistakes!
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Please try to limit the amount of posts you make in a row. It just clutters the thread. You can edit a post to add additional information if you feel the need.
FDM is the cheapest in most cases if you own a printer or have one you can use. My public library has a Bambu X1I'm able to use for a couple bucks for example.
On JLCPCB I believe the basic black or white resin is the cheapest option. Depending on the Wii Portable build, it can be about $7.50-$45.
As for the PCBs, I don't have time to look through all of those now. But it looks like the flex pcb is selected as a solid pcb instead. Make sure to change that. Also you will want a 3d printed shell for your XiiSBar.
And you will need to figure out a solution for your RVL-PMS as well. I'd highly recommend just waiting until the XiiBoy 3 is released. If you want to pursue this build, make sure you do the proper research and have the right tools. The controller PCB has a QFN IC that needs to be installed, for example. These boards are not preassembled.
FDM is the cheapest in most cases if you own a printer or have one you can use. My public library has a Bambu X1I'm able to use for a couple bucks for example.
On JLCPCB I believe the basic black or white resin is the cheapest option. Depending on the Wii Portable build, it can be about $7.50-$45.
As for the PCBs, I don't have time to look through all of those now. But it looks like the flex pcb is selected as a solid pcb instead. Make sure to change that. Also you will want a 3d printed shell for your XiiSBar.
And you will need to figure out a solution for your RVL-PMS as well. I'd highly recommend just waiting until the XiiBoy 3 is released. If you want to pursue this build, make sure you do the proper research and have the right tools. The controller PCB has a QFN IC that needs to be installed, for example. These boards are not preassembled.
Hey Logan, welcome to the hobby!
As amazing as the Xii-Boy is, I'd strongly recommend starting with an Ashida as your first project.
Are you comfortable with assembling surface-mount components onto bare PCBs?
Also, in your screenshot you have the Xii-Boy flex PCB listed as a rigid PCB rather than a flex PCB.
I would slow down a little and do some reading first. Good luck!!
As amazing as the Xii-Boy is, I'd strongly recommend starting with an Ashida as your first project.
Are you comfortable with assembling surface-mount components onto bare PCBs?
Also, in your screenshot you have the Xii-Boy flex PCB listed as a rigid PCB rather than a flex PCB.
I would slow down a little and do some reading first. Good luck!!
I would wait for the Xii-Boy Ultra but I'm trying to have this built for my birthday.
I checked the part list for the Ashida and the total is around $245 and $200 is my budget and I don't know any portables around that price range but other than that I would love to build an Ashida
JamesPi
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Yeah, definitely read through everything before ordering parts. As for the case, I could 3D print it for you, seeing as we're both in Florida. Not sure how to deliver it though, as mail can be risky with the heat and I'm not sure if meeting in person is a good idea.
Also *please* make sure you have all the required skill before proceeding ordering everything. Don't rush to order the parts. If reading the documentation means you'd be waiting until after your birthday, that would be much better than jumping in head first.
EDIT: with the Ashida, I can almost confirm you will go over that if you choose that route. I thought I'd be spending 230, but ended up spending ~280 in the end.
Also *please* make sure you have all the required skill before proceeding ordering everything. Don't rush to order the parts. If reading the documentation means you'd be waiting until after your birthday, that would be much better than jumping in head first.
EDIT: with the Ashida, I can almost confirm you will go over that if you choose that route. I thought I'd be spending 230, but ended up spending ~280 in the end.
Xenii
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Hey!
- XiiSBar PCB isn’t needed except if you’re also making a XiiSBar.
- XII-Flex must be selected in Flex, in a 0.11 or 0.12mm thickness. You also need to apply a 0.2mm Polyimide Stiffener. 0.11 is more fragile, but it’s what @Luigid took and he has zero issues with it. I also took 0.11 for my XB3.
- Controller PCB must be in ENIG covered. HASL might work, but you might have to press way too hard on it to be detected, and it will probably not work after a few months due to HASL oxidation (ENIG is gold, so cannot oxide)
- Main PCB must be selected in “Controller Impedance: YES” with the corresponding profile.
Everything is detailed in the GitHub if you need to recap that.
Speaking of the build itself, like @loopj and @Bryceshaw06 said, Xii-Boy 2 is pretty complicated to assemble. You need a lot of tools and a programmer that could make the build more expensive and complicated if you don’t have the tools or if you don’t known how to assemble PCBs. For a XB2, hot air station is a must.
Ashida doesn’t require those tools, you basically just need a solder iron, solder, flux and wires. It might be a bit pricier though, but like I said, If you don’t have the tools for a XB2, it will get much pricier too.
Xii-Boy 3 is getting close to the finish line, and I would recommend it, because it will be extremely easy to make, and clearly the easiest if kits are sold.
But, it is also much pricier, only the 4LayerTech stuff for Xii-Boy 3 costs more than the Xii-Boy 2 itself.
Finally, I’d say that pretty much every build you could make exceeds your $200 budget.
I made a complete Excel sheet of the exact price of the Xii-Boy 2 that I could share. But it doesn’t count the tools as we said.
My fair recommendation is to wait. Making a portable with a low budget and a small gap of time isn’t a good idea. If you find a solution to make your portable cheap, it will mostly be unpleasant to use. You shouldn’t choose a portable for its price, but rather on its features and its design, and then wait to have the budget.
I hope this will help you somehow.
Have a nice day!
Yeah the main difference is the screen tolerances. I made some updates about it recently but I haven’t uploaded the new files yet. If you order your case in Nylon or Resin, JLC version is needed. Otherwise, just use FDM.
There are some mistakes. Here is a list:
- XiiSBar PCB isn’t needed except if you’re also making a XiiSBar.
- XII-Flex must be selected in Flex, in a 0.11 or 0.12mm thickness. You also need to apply a 0.2mm Polyimide Stiffener. 0.11 is more fragile, but it’s what @Luigid took and he has zero issues with it. I also took 0.11 for my XB3.
- Controller PCB must be in ENIG covered. HASL might work, but you might have to press way too hard on it to be detected, and it will probably not work after a few months due to HASL oxidation (ENIG is gold, so cannot oxide)
- Main PCB must be selected in “Controller Impedance: YES” with the corresponding profile.
Everything is detailed in the GitHub if you need to recap that.
Speaking of the build itself, like @loopj and @Bryceshaw06 said, Xii-Boy 2 is pretty complicated to assemble. You need a lot of tools and a programmer that could make the build more expensive and complicated if you don’t have the tools or if you don’t known how to assemble PCBs. For a XB2, hot air station is a must.
Ashida doesn’t require those tools, you basically just need a solder iron, solder, flux and wires. It might be a bit pricier though, but like I said, If you don’t have the tools for a XB2, it will get much pricier too.
Xii-Boy 3 is getting close to the finish line, and I would recommend it, because it will be extremely easy to make, and clearly the easiest if kits are sold.
But, it is also much pricier, only the 4LayerTech stuff for Xii-Boy 3 costs more than the Xii-Boy 2 itself.
Finally, I’d say that pretty much every build you could make exceeds your $200 budget.
I made a complete Excel sheet of the exact price of the Xii-Boy 2 that I could share. But it doesn’t count the tools as we said.
My fair recommendation is to wait. Making a portable with a low budget and a small gap of time isn’t a good idea. If you find a solution to make your portable cheap, it will mostly be unpleasant to use. You shouldn’t choose a portable for its price, but rather on its features and its design, and then wait to have the budget.
I hope this will help you somehow.
Have a nice day!
UPDATE:
I decided to put more money into my budget to build an Ashida after all. I'm going to be reading the build guide and turn this into a thread which just shows me building it rather than only asking for tips on how to do it.
I decided to put more money into my budget to build an Ashida after all. I'm going to be reading the build guide and turn this into a thread which just shows me building it rather than only asking for tips on how to do it.