Worklog Nemo's G-wii worklog

[cy]

Dremel got away from me D:


I seemed to sand away a lot last time around. How do you tell when the board has actually been sanded enough?

You can do what Crash said and that will work just fine. Sometimes I skip measuring resistances and just sand with 100, 500, and 1000 grit paper. I know I've sanded enough when the board feels smooth and good. It doesn't take a TON of sanding on each grit, but it is important that you do enough to make it feel smoother than it was before you started with whichever grit you're on. I've also heard you should sand at a slight angle, so be aware of that.

I start with 100 grit because I do my trims very generously outside of the outlines leaving me with a lot of sanding. I usually hit it with the roughest grit I've got until it fits in the case and then start sanding upwards until I reach 1000. If you find yourself trimming another board, you may consider taking this approach.

Also, take care around the NAND traces in this build, I know you've already had issues with this already, and I made the same mistake myself one time. This build comes kinda close to those traces due to how it sits in the case next to the batteries. I would advise you consistently check the clearance with the batteries in the case and sand just until it fits.

 

[CrazyGadget]

If I were you, I would retrim a bit and cut from that gash to the edge of the board by the 1v15 cap that way it's one long, straight cut. Having gashes like that can potentially create shorts between the layers of the board that cannot be sanded. Definitely give that trim a very thorough sanding all the way around, and like Cyframe said, probably best to start real low to hone the shape in a little more before you run up the grits.

Pro tip: if you ever have components right on the edge of the trim, put a small piece of painters tape / koptan tape over it to prevent from sanding into it while you're sanding the board.

 

[Stitches]

Dremel got away from me D:


I seemed to sand away a lot last time around. How do you tell when the board has actually been sanded enough?

I just eyeball it with a magnifying glass. If I see no flakes, it's good

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

I've completed LDO removal, u10 relocation and MX board cutout. I had some difficulty with the soldering of the gpu wire from the relocated U10. I had to scratch a thin film off of the gpu trace and I'm not sure if that's normal. I'm also a bit lost as far as what the best step to tackle next is (after measuring wii trim resistances) and the overall assembly seems imposing.

Cut Trace for U10 relocation


U10 relocation

GPU wire soldering

GPU wire contact after flux addition and remelting

Main Board

MX Chip


Would you say I am safe to follow the G-boy manual from this point or is there sufficient difference between the G-wii and wii boy to warrant a forum dive for better instructions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Stitches]

I've completed LDO removal, u10 relocation and MX board cutout. I had some difficulty with the soldering of the gpu wire from the relocated U10. I had to scratch a thin film off of the gpu trace and I'm not sure if that's normal. I'm also a bit lost as far as what the best step to tackle next is (after measuring wii trim resistances) and the overall assembly seems imposing.

Cut Trace for U10 relocation
View attachment 25330

U10 relocation
View attachment 25332View attachment 25334
GPU wire soldering
View attachment 25335View attachment 25337
GPU wire contact after flux addition and remelting
View attachment 25336
Main Board
View attachment 25338View attachment 25339
MX Chip
View attachment 25340View attachment 25341

Would you say I am safe to follow the G-boy manual from this point or is there sufficient difference between the G-wii and wii boy to warrant a forum dive for better instructions?

Thanks in advance.

Scratching the solder mask off the vias is normal. Some Wiis have exposed vias, some are covered.

You can keep following the G-Boy manual, all the principle information is still correct for a G-Wii. Just correct for part placement and it'll be fine

 

[CrazyGadget]

To add, it looks like the solder joints for your U10 relocation (both at the component and via) are cold, meaning you are likely not using enough flux. I would highly recommend adding some flux to those joints and then reflowing them.

You will also need to desolder any components on the edge of the board that were cut during the trimming process, which it looks like there are a couple on your trim.

Regarding your trim resistances, follow this guide.

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

Thanks, I will have a go at reflowing them. Do you think the cold solder has something to do with my iron temp? I'm using 370 C roughly.

 

[CrazyGadget]

Very unlikely, if anything, that's a tad high (I usually run 650F / 345C on my iron, I'll bump it up to 700F / 370C for large ground planes), it could be your tip though. What kind of tip are you using?

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

I'm using the T18-C2 hoof for the larger contacts but the conical T18-BL for these small U10 contacts. I've been super careful as far as oxidation on the tip, always cleaning and coating in solder when turning the iron off.

I'll try redoing these guys at a lower temp and see if that improves anything

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

I came across this diagram here, and am wondering if I didn't error by doing the U10 relocation when I am using a PMS-2. Since I've already done the relocation should I leave it as is or am I better off to undo the line and use the U10 emulation in the PMS-2?

 

[CrazyGadget]

Doing the old school U10 relocation is perfectly fine, I still use it for all my portables. It makes no difference which one you use.

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

After cracking on for quite a bit I wired in PMS-2, USB-C PD, the wii and the 5" ZJ050NA-08C screen, and after wiring the screen as instructed by step 3 of this page of the G-boy manual (https://manual.bitbuilt.net/step/wiring-up-the-wii/13/) I powered it on. The fan did come on, but I get an error message reading "NO SYNC" displayed on the screen If I press source on the keypad controller the top right changes to "AV" but there is still a blue screen. Please help! LOL, I have no idea if I blew something or if something is not wired properly or if there is a step I missed.

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

images

 

[Stitches]

Have you wired up the video lines? I don't see any video wires in your pictures

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

Have you wired up the video lines? I don't see any video wires in your pictures

Yes, sorry I realized I forgot to include those. I just added them, but here they are again in case.
I thought maybe my 24 AWG wire was the issue, so I braided two 0.1mm Cu wire together and soldered those to the Wii board, then to the 24 AWG wire. I also tried going from the capacitor/resistor that was used in the manual.

 

[Stitches]

And you've checked that the wires are run to the correct pads on the LCD board according to the slikscreen?

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

And you've checked that the wires are run to the correct pads on the LCD board according to the slikscreen?

I actually don't know what the pins are, I'm just going by the G-boy manual, but the screens look to be different. According to the data sheet, I've wired black to Y-IN and green to C-IN, but whether that is right or not I don't know.

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

I'm supposed to be wiring to VGA on the screen, right? Which pins do I need to go to from the AVE? The screen datasheet lists VGA Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal signal and Vertical signal as well as ground for the VGA. I've read on forum posts this datasheet reversed horizontal and vertical signal input, but I don't have an idea where to pull those off of the wii.

 

[NemoInSlumberland]

https://manual.bitbuilt.net/step/switching-to-vga/15/. Looks like this is the answer

 

[Stitches]

The silkscreen on the underside of the board has the pin designations.

Also, short spotted