Worklog The s-WII-ch (my first Wii portable)

[Lemoncake]

6-layer boards should not be used for portables, they draw twice the power and generate twice the heat of their 4-layer counterparts. Given that a Wii with a broken disc drive is $20 shipped on eBay, it's not a big investment to pick one up for the project. That being said, you cannot use the PMS2 / Lite on a 6-layer board, at least for a whole portable. I've heard rumors of certain revisions of PMSs having buck regs rated high enough for the draw of a 6-layer board, but given the overall power limitation of the BQ output, it would not be possible to use the PMS in a full-on portable.

Yeah, I’ve heard about the downsides of 6 layer boards for portables, but I also heard they are the only ones that work with the Wii Micro trim (which I need for video out, USB, and the sensor bar port). If I were to get a 4 layer board, could I make a similar trim that would retain the same functionality? Also, what do you mean by the PMS not working for a full on portable?

 

[CrazyGadget]

If I were to get a 4 layer board, could I make a similar trim that would retain the same functionality?

You can modify the Noldendo trim lines to work with a 4-layer board, but you'll have to do some research on how to do so. The reason it's been said that it "can't be done" is because the end result would not fit in the original Noldendo case. That being said, if you're designing your own case, that shouldn't be an issue.

Also, what do you mean by the PMS not working for a full on portable

What I mean is, while a PMS might be able to power a 6-layer Wii drawing 10W (an estimation since I don't have any notes of my own here), the added power draw of the other bits and bobs inside of a portable (screen, audio amp, GC+, USB, etc.) would likely push the power consumption past the PMS's 15W total power limit (per the BQ chip).

 

[Lemoncake]

Gotcha. How do I confirm my PMS still works in the first place? I’m scared I might have damaged something on it while soldering for my last trim. Are there certain resistances and such that I can look for?

 

[CrazyGadget]

A good start is to make sure there aren't any shorts between the voltage outputs / B+ and GND. From there, hook up the bare minimum: one battery (preferably using a cell holder) and a button between BTN and GND. From there, turn it on with the button, and check all your voltage outputs with a DMM. If everything looks good, hook it up to a Wii and try a power test.

 

[Lemoncake]

Okay, so I might be switching gears on this project for now. If 6 layer boards are not ideal for portables, but I still have one to use for a project and want to get a little more comfortable with modding before jumping into a full on portable, why not try and build a Wii Micro? As long as I can use the 4 layer tech boards for that project (since there won't be as many components drawing power, hence the RVL-PMS should work fine), it would be a much simpler overall project that still gives me practice trimming, relocating, and 3D designing. I want to take the concept of Nold's Wii Micro, and create a shell for it that mimics the design of the Nintendo and Super Nintendo Classic Editions (an identical shell but at a much smaller scale). It would utilize the GameCube controller ports, the PMS PD to give me USB C power and internal storage, both the Bluetooth and MX chip relocations to restore all original functionality, and an internal sensor bar so that Wii Remotes can be used as well. Are there any complications to this idea that I don't realize? Is this even a good idea to try and do instead of a portable? This doesn't mean the s-Wii-ch is dead by the way, it's just being pushed to the side for a little while.

 

[Stitches]

Okay, so I might be switching gears on this project for now. If 6 layer boards are not ideal for portables, but I still have one to use for a project and want to get a little more comfortable with modding before jumping into a full on portable, why not try and build a Wii Micro? As long as I can use the 4 layer tech boards for that project (since there won't be as many components drawing power, hence the RVL-PMS should work fine), it would be a much simpler overall project that still gives me practice trimming, relocating, and 3D designing. I want to take the concept of Nold's Wii Micro, and create a shell for it that mimics the design of the Nintendo and Super Nintendo Classic Editions (an identical shell but at a much smaller scale). It would utilize the GameCube controller ports, the PMS PD to give me USB C power and internal storage, both the Bluetooth and MX chip relocations to restore all original functionality, and an internal sensor bar so that Wii Remotes can be used as well. Are there any complications to this idea that I don't realize? Is this even a good idea to try and do instead of a portable? This doesn't mean the s-Wii-ch is dead by the way, it's just being pushed to the side for a little while.

The PMS might work, some do and some don't. The one I have didn't want to boot a 6 layer, but perhaps you'll be more fortunate. If it doesn't work out, the PSU Plus will save your butt

 

[icy_system]

Okay, so I might be switching gears on this project for now. If 6 layer boards are not ideal for portables, but I still have one to use for a project and want to get a little more comfortable with modding before jumping into a full on portable, why not try and build a Wii Micro? As long as I can use the 4 layer tech boards for that project (since there won't be as many components drawing power, hence the RVL-PMS should work fine), it would be a much simpler overall project that still gives me practice trimming, relocating, and 3D designing. I want to take the concept of Nold's Wii Micro, and create a shell for it that mimics the design of the Nintendo and Super Nintendo Classic Editions (an identical shell but at a much smaller scale). It would utilize the GameCube controller ports, the PMS PD to give me USB C power and internal storage, both the Bluetooth and MX chip relocations to restore all original functionality, and an internal sensor bar so that Wii Remotes can be used as well. Are there any complications to this idea that I don't realize? Is this even a good idea to try and do instead of a portable? This doesn't mean the s-Wii-ch is dead by the way, it's just being pushed to the side for a little while.

That's a cool plan! I would probably just use the normal USB ports instrad of the PD board, though, because it will be plugged in to the wall so you have to unplug it however it is set up with a power supply and bring it to your computer then put it back with the senor bar and video out, so it might be easier just to use USB so you can move the drive.

 

[Lemoncake]

That's a cool plan! I would probably just use the normal USB ports instrad of the PD board, though, because it will be plugged in to the wall so you have to unplug it however it is set up with a power supply and bring it to your computer then put it back with the senor bar and video out, so it might be easier just to use USB so you can move the drive.

That's a good point. I didn't think about the complications the PMS PD would include.

The PMS might work, some do and some don't. The one I have didn't want to boot a 6 layer, but perhaps you'll be more fortunate. If it doesn't work out, the PSU Plus will save your butt

Gotcha. I'd just traded my used Wii motherboards to BasicBass for a modded revision 1 PMS. He told me that it is perfectly suited for a Wii Micro project, so I'm all set. And to icy-system's point, not using the PD board will mean that I can save BOTH boards for my portable (when the time comes) so everything is lining up perfectly.

 

[Stitches]

That's a good point. I didn't think about the complications the PMS PD would include.

Gotcha. I'd just traded my used Wii motherboards to BasicBass for a modded revision 1 PMS. He told me that it is perfectly suited for a Wii Micro project, so I'm all set. And to icy-system's point, not using the PD board will mean that I can save BOTH boards for my portable (when the time comes) so everything is lining up perfectly.

Ah, I assumed it was a PMS-2

 

[CrazyGadget]

Is that a solder blob there?
View attachment 26568

Reading back in your thread, did you ever investigate this?

The left sides of those caps are connected to 1v8, and the right to GND. It looks like that solder ball is going completely across the top cap. That is most likely your issue.

 

[Lemoncake]

Reading back in your thread, did you ever investigate this?

The left sides of those caps are connected to 1v8, and the right to GND. It looks like that solder ball is going completely across the top cap. That is most likely your issue.

Unfortunately, I removed it right after Stitches pointed it out, so the short must’ve been caused by something else. Thanks for checking, though!

 

[CrazyGadget]

Those joints still look pretty shotty imo; not obviously shorting, but you should add some flux and reflow. Once that's done, can you take shots of the full board again? Good to have the latest.