Worklog Wii Mini Documentation

[DekuNut]

Hello everyone!

Today, I will attempt to start a Wii Mini documentation thread, since a lot of people are using Wii Minis with omega trims, but I noticed that we lack proper board scans!
I have both the Hollywood 1 and 2 revisions of the Wii Mini, and by my initial "tests" (e.g. looking at the pcbs), there don't seem to be any routing differences between the 2 revisions.

Spoiler: Hollywood 1 Pictures

Hollywood 1 Case:
View attachment Hollywood1 Case.jpg

Hollywood 1 Mainboard Front:
View attachment HW1Front.jpg

Hollywood 1 Mainboard Back:
View attachment HW1Back.jpg

Spoiler: Hollywood 2 Pictures

Hollywood 2 Case:
View attachment Hollywood2 Case.jpg

Hollywood 2 Mainboard Front:
View attachment HW2Front.jpg

Hollywood 2 Mainboard Back:
View attachment HW2Back.jpg

As you can see, the differences between the mainboards are few.
For some reason the testpads on the backside of the HW2 mainboard are tinned, while they are untinned on the HW1 mainboard.
The soldermask is a slightly different colour.
The enig finish looks more like a copper finish of some sort on the HW2 boards.

As for the matter with the serial number correlating to the revision, my findings are similar to thedrews in his UltraLite thread.

While my beginning string is different than thedrews(prolly cos my Wiis are pal/german) the start of the serial number is consistent with his findings. So I guess it is safe-ish to say that if your serial starts with a 20, then it propably is a hollywood 2.

I will be sanding and scanning the Hollywood 1 Mainboard during the next couple of days, so feel free to leave some tips if you have experience in this area!

 

[DekuNut]

All components have been removed and the front layer is sanded enough to expose all the copper tracks now.

Will sand the back layer tomorrow and then do the first scan of the back and front layers.

 

[YveltalGriffin]

Good stuff! What DPI will you be scanning at? I find 2400DPI TIFF ideal for boards of this density.

 

[DekuNut]

Huh, didnt even really think about that tbh, my scanner only goes up to 600dpi, so I might have to borrow my uncles scanner or see if we have one at work or at uni.

 

[YveltalGriffin]

Oof, document scanners aren't ideal for this. Definitely try to find a photo scanner if you can! Self-service office places are a good place to look.

If you can't find one locally, Epson brand scanners (4800+ DPI) can be had on eBay for ~$50. Redherring32 and Lazr got on the Epson train and can attest to how great they are.

 

[DekuNut]

My uncle said I could borrow his scanner, its a canon lide 400 with 4800*4800dpi so its 4800dpi im assuming.

Honestly I cant really tell the difference between that and 600dpi, allthough the only things I have ever scanned on the canon are yugioh cards so I'll take your word for it.

 

[Lazr]

For some reason the testpads on the backside of the HW2 mainboard are tinned, while they are untinned on the HW1 mainboard.

The testpoints on my HW2 mini are untinned. I guess it just depends on how early/late they were manufactured? It's like how the later Wii U boards (40/50) have the testpoints tinned.

 

[DekuNut]

Good to know! But why would they tin them in the first place? Wouldnt that increase manufacturing costs and complicate testing since you cant really probe the tinned pads with pogo pins etc. anymore?

 

[Lazr]

That's a good question. I'd assume it would be due to manufacturing changes or different fab houses. I just noticed that your HW1 board is revision RVO-CPU-01, meanwhile your HW2 is revision RV0-CPU-10. The copper-looking finish on the RVO-10 is quite similar to how the finish on WUP-40/WUP-50 are, so maybe Nintendo started to use a different fab house on RVO-10.

 

[thedrew]

Nice! Not much had changed from the regular 4 layer Wii (just a couple things relocated really) but this info would be really good to have documented ever since discovering the lower power draw from the die shrink in Hollywood 2! Thanks for putting the time into this!

Just to throw this info in here if anybody is interested. The Wii Mini uses a Wii U bluetooth module which has a different connector than the regular Wii bluetooth module. A regular Wii bluetooth module can be relocated just like the Wii trimming guide and still work just fine on the Mini.

 

[DekuNut]

Back copper layer has been sanded, will do the first scan either tomorrow or some time next week. I will also have to get some more sandpaper as my 4 year old reserves of 240 grit didn't appreciate being in service that long.

 

[DekuNut]

Back and front layer have now been scanned at 1200dpi(which I find to be looking alright, every trace is very recognizable) and I have begun rudimentary alignments and touch ups in gimp.

 

[RegDogg]

OOO I can't believe I never saw this before! Can't wait for more information on this!

 

[DekuNut]

Started work on tracking the ave traces, also found out the testpads circled in red are usb connections.

 

[YveltalGriffin]

I'm working on a Hollywood-2 OMEGA for Kawaii and made these quick diagrams for USB + GC controllers. Sharing them here for posterity!

 

[DekuNut]

All layers have been sanded and scanned, just have to mark the voltages and traces now. Any suggestions on where and how I should upload it?

 

[Stitches]

You can upload it here as a zip if it isn't 300 gigs. If it's just a bit too large, you can message crash or cheese for help