Worklog Xii-Boy Ultra (V3)

[Xenii]

Hi all !
Welcome to the first episode of the Xii-Boy Ultra's worklog !

I'm very proud of the Xii-Boy Pocket's result. However, there are still some things I need to upgrade.
If you liked the Xii-Boy Pocket, you'll love the Xii-Boy Ultra

I will do my best to update this worklog as much as possible. I hope you'll enjoy it !

Let's start !

What are the goals of this new Xii-Boy Ultra ?
The main goal is to make the cleanest and easiest portable Wii to build.

I'll ask you a simple question: What makes a portable clean or not ?
- The wires: There is nothing uglier than a spaghetti portable.

My solution ? Get rid of every wires inside the Xii-Boy.
To give an idea, the Xii-Boy Original has approximately 70 wires and the Xii-Boy Pocket around 15.
This is great, but not enough.

The Xii-Boy Ultra will normally have no wires.

This huge challenge will make the Xii-Boy Ultra very clean and, above all, very easy to assemble / disassemble.


One of the biggest flaw of the Xii-Boy Original / Pocket is the old RVL-PMS.
This board is amazing, however, it has two major flaws.
The first one is that the PMS has a problem with charging. If you don't put your portable in the transport mode, it will discharge your
batteries so low that you won't be able to recharge them.

The second one is the battery level indicator. Showing red when we're under 20% is great, but not enough precise.


To correct that, I'll use all the 4LayerTech PCBs.
Considering the RVL-PMS 2 is much better optimized, I'll get a bit better battery life.
I'll also be able to see the temperature and the battery level at any moment. Much better !
It will also allow to automatically set the fan speed. This is also a flaw of the old Xii-Boys.
The fan constantly plugged on 5V is great, it cools the Wii flawlessly, however, it makes a lot of noise.

The best 4LayerTech board is probably the RVL-DD.
This board gives the best video quality possible. Unlike VGA, I'll be able to use the Wii menu and, above all, all the games.

My favorite part about 4LayerTech boards, is that I can solder them on another PCB. That means I'll be able to design a big Main PCB.
This new Main PCB will also give me the opportunity to remove the 2 triggers PCBs the Xii-Boy Pocket has. It will also replace a lot of wires,
especially the ones between the RVL-PMS and the Main PCB.

I also want to remove the voltage wires between the PMS and the Wii motherboard. My 22 AWG wires are very hard to bend. Putting the Wii in place when it is plugged to the PMS is very tricky and very scary. Instead, I'll use the Power Strip or a bit remixed version.


I also want to innovate. The Xii-Boy Pocket's triggers are great and give a very good feeling.
However, I really want to get rid of the old THMF07 Dual Tact Button.
Instead, I'll use analog triggers. I'm currently testing the @Wesk 's analog trigger system prototype using Nintendo Switch Joysticks.
This system is great because it is the only one which fits in the small, compact and thin Xii-Boy case. Also, the Switch joysticks are very precise.

I currently have good results. I'll keep you updated here


Also, I didn't put buttons to change the screen settings. That means you cannot change the luminosity of the Xii-Boy Pocket's screen.
I might change that for the Xii-Boy Ultra.

Also, I'll entirely remodel the case. The Xii-Boy Pocket's case is made from the original Xii-Boy case.
That means the case isn't very optimized. From the outside, it changes nothing. But if I want to make any changes, this is tricky, and take a lot of time.
For the Xii-Boy Pocket, I did publish the case files on GitHub. That's great, but I only shared the STL files.
For the Xii-Boy Ultra, I'll share the STL and the f360 file. That means making an edit on the case will be very easy.

One of the main goal of this new Xii-Boy Ultra is to make the new easiest portable Wii to build.
I also want to make a complete documentation about it. I'll speak about everything you need to know to start your first portable.
From how to solder to where to put the final screw, including the software part. I'll probably make a Git Book.


To sum up, here are all the changes / upgrades the Xii-Boy Ultra will have:
- Wire Free build for a better and easier assembly / disassembly process.
- All the 4LayerTech boards for a better portable.
- RVL-DD for the best compatibility and video quality.
- New Analog Trigger system.
- Maybe luminosity control buttons.
- New case.
- Better documented.

That's it !
This was a very small episode. I just wanted to share all the ideas and upgrade I want to implement !
If you have any ideas to upgrade the Xii-Boy, or any questions, do not hesitate to tell / ask me
I hope you're hyped by this new Xii-Boy !

Have a wonderful day and see you next time !

 

[Bryceshaw06]

So excited for this, Xenii! The idea of a wire-free portable Wii that’s clean and simple to assemble is amazing, and will be perfect to allow more people to make their own portables!

 

[Xenii]

Hi there !
Welcome to the episode #2 of the Xii-Boy Ultra Worklog !
This will be a very quick episode, I just wanted to share my latest work.

A few days after the first episode, I've modeled and made a few tests about the future analog trigger system.
My latest prototype is pretty neat, and I really like the feeling.
There are just some software parts to work on.

When the trigger isn't pressed, it is equal to a neutral position of the stick. That means, in that position, the stick is at the midpoint of the Y axis.
So in this state, the trigger shows ~138 in the Button Tester which is pretty logical considering the stick is at the half of the axis. I've heard that @Aurelio is working on a calibration feature for the analog triggers which could solve my problem.

To sum up, the hardware part of the analog trigger system is done.
And, I would like to have some feedback about it.

I'm wondering about the tolerances, the appearance or above all, the feeling of my system.
So, if you have a 3D printer (SLA or FDM), the time, a Switch joystick to destroy and most importantly the desire to do it, could you please print the joined STLs and give me some feedbacks ? I would be very grateful

This test print is compatible with this button: Current Button
It isn't a huge deal if you don't have it. The most important part is clearly the analog system.

The final button will be this one: Final Button
Thanks to @YveltalGriffin for the recommendation !

How to assemble the prototype ?

First, you have to print the 3 parts there are in the joined ZIP. If you have the button I've used, you can print the "fixation.stl" file. Otherwise, just print the "case.stl" and the "trigger.stl" files.

I personally print mine with my FDM 3D printed in 0.12 mm layer thickness.

Then, you'll need a Joycon's Stick. If you have one with a broken cable, or other, it would be perfect. Preferably take one with a working mechanism.

! You won't be able to reuse the stick after that !

First step, you'll need to remove the stick itself form the rest of the mechanism. To do that, you can use pliers and rotate the stick at 90°. You should be able to remove the stick. Sometime, the stick breaks inside the mechanism, this could happen. It isn't a huge deal, you'll normally be able to fix that later.

Here is an example of a correctly removed stick VS a broken one:

Then, you'll need to disassemble the stick. Simply remove the back metal cover. On the flex PCB, remove the button. It is just an adhesive band with a little metal part. You can use a little blade.

If the stick broke, you can remove the white mechanical parts. With two pliers, you'll normally be able to remove the black part that broke.

Then, you can reassemble the stick. You'll now have to install the trigger. There are two options: First, you put it at 90° and rotate it. Or you can just put it from the top by pressing on it. You should hear a "click".

Once you have your modified stick, you can screw it in the case. You can use random screws that fit. I personally used M1.7x4 (The same as the XiiSBar or the Xii-Boy Pocket)

If you decided to test it, you can give me feedback under this post, or on Discord.

Thanks a lot to every person who will print the prototype and give me feedback. This helps a lot. I'm very grateful !


After modeling some print test, I did start the new case ! I really want to share the F3D file to make any modification a lot easier than STL.
That means the file has to be as clean as possible.

The Xii-Boy Ultra size will be the same as the Xii-Boy Pocket. It will normally keep the 145 x 86 mm form factor.

I've also changed a bit the button placement.
Here is the old one compared with the new one: (old VS new)

That's it !

Thanks a lot to every person who helped me, I'm very grateful
Huge thanks to every person who will print and give me feedback about my Analog Trigger System.

Have a wonderful day and see you next time !

 

[Xenii]

Hi there !
It's been a while, but I think it's time to update this worklog.
So, welcome to the episode #3 !

First, I wanted to thank the person who did print the trigger prototype and give me some feedbacks.
They were pretty positive I might need to adjust a bit the tolerances, which seem to cause problems on some printers.

I also made a great advancement on the case.
Like I also said, I'm remodeling the case entirely. I'm proud to say that the top part is done !
It is slightly different, but generally the same (for the moment).

As you can see, the start button is now centered. Thanks to the people who answered the poll about this in the BitBuilt Discord server
I also decided to use the same speakers as the Xii-Boy Pocket. They are very good in my opinion

I also upgraded my PC so using KiCad and Fusion is now way faster

A few days after, I received some OEM DS Lite buttons:

I just wanted to say a huge thanks to Modding Marius and @supertazon who were super nice and decided to give them to me !
I will finally use OEM button and membrane on this build. I've quickly checked the feeling on a Xii-Boy Pocket case, and it is so much better !
Huge thanks to you guys

I also contacted @Aurelio to know if a trigger wizard integration could be possible on RVLoader. He was super nice and decided to first see if my system could work with RVLoader. He took a lot of time to make some custom version of the GC+ 2.0 firmware, and then give it to me to install and test. After a few ones, I'm glad to say that this system is 100% working. The feeling is amazing and it is super precise. If I'm not mistaken, it will be available in an upcoming version of RVLoader.
I also wanted to say a huge thanks to @Aurelio for the time he took to help me. I'm super grateful

I also remodeled the bottom case. There are a few more changes there, but the biggest one is probably the analog triggers, which take a lot of room.

As you can see, the triggers are a bit bigger. Also, the Z buttons are now centered. This is due to the fact that the stick are
way bigger than the previous THMF07 button. This is also the layout the WiiBoy Color uses. I think it will be better, the current layout
makes the Z buttons almost inaccessible.

The case is almost done. The only thing which remains is nothing else that: the custom PCB...

The first one I had to do was the Controller PCB.
I first thought how I could get rid of all the wires. I also decided to remake some better membranes pad.
The 4 squares on the Xii-Boy Pocket are great, and work great, but it could be better. When you press on a button, it is generally not enough.
You have to press just a little bit more to detect it. With the advices of @YveltalGriffin, here is the new one:

I also worked on the schematic of the board:

And, above all, the routing
After a few days, and a lot of help and advices from @YveltalGriffin, it was done !

This new Controller PCB uses a new stick layout. The same as the WiiBoy Color. This lets me the room to fit a GC+ 2.
The routing is now cleaner. The audio traces are now surrounded entirely by ground, which should minimize parasites.
The rumble motor traces have been isolated as much as possible of the rest of the traces, to avoid any issues.

For the wire free part, this board will be connected to another one through a 16 pins connector.
On the bottom, we have also 3 connectors. The left and right one are for the speakers, and the middle one is for rumble.
Speaking of rumble, @YveltalGriffin advised me to use a LRA rumble motor, which feels much better.
These connectors are PicoLock, I didn't know them, and they are perfect, super thin
There are also two connectors for the sticks which should be hall effect stick by the way


So yup, I think that's all for this episode !
I didn't have a lot of time to make a huge progress, but I'm pretty glad of the work I've made.
Special thanks to:
- @YveltalGriffin for the time he took to help and advise me about PCB design
- @Aurelio for the time taken to make the analog trigger system possible on Xii-Boy Ultra
- @supertazon and Modding Marius for the OEM buttons
- @SimplyStevii for their general help
- And everyone who helped me or answered the few polls I've posted on the Discord server

Thanks everyone, have a nice day, and see you next time !

 

[Xenii]

Hey everyone!
Welcome to the episode #4 of the Xii-Boy Ultra's worklog!
I first wanted to wish you a happy new year! All the best

It's been a while I didn't update this worklog. So, I hope you'll like it!

First of all, I decided to change the side buttons layout. The Xii-Boy Pocket uses this layout, which is great, but could be really
annoying if you press the power button by mistake. After a poll on the BitBuilt Discord server, I will place the Power and Sync button on the top of the Xii-Boy Ultra.

Here is the current layout compared to the new one (only mockup for the moment )
The orange button will be the volume. Using the RVL-AMP from 4LayerTech, we'll be able to select which way we want to control the volume (Side buttons or buttons combination)
Red buttons will be for brightness control. I'll speak more about it later. Finally, the blue buttons will be Power and Sync.

After that, it was time to work on a new PCB! The Xii-DD!

This PCB will sit on the screen. It replaces the old VGA driver board. As you can see, the RVL-DD will be soldered on it.

Here is the board finished. Designing this board was complicated because I had to entirely restart it multiple times.
This board contains two connectors. J2 will connect this board to the Controller PCB.
The other one (J1) will connect the whole top part to the bottom part of the Xii-Boy Ultra. No wires!

It also has a very tight fitment between the bother boards and components of the build. This board will probably be 1.2mm thick to avoid any colliding issues.
The board has been routed to avoid any issues. It uses the 3W rule to avoid the electromagnetic field for expanding to other signals, which could cause issues.


Next step was the Xii-Strip!
I first wanted to use the @loopj's Power Strip which is a very great board. However, solder it might be tricky. So, I decided to create my own version!
This version is more optimized for LMAO and OMGWTF trim by using some bigger voltage input spots. The connector is also placed differently for being optimized for the Xii-Boy Ultra.

I also 3D printed the board to test the fitment, and after two attempts, it was perfect!

Then, it was time for probably the best board of the build: The Xii-Flex Ultra!
I first started to design the FFC male footprint. And, well, it might be a bit bigger (I think)

The Xii-Boy Pocket's Xii-Flex uses a 17P connector. This new version now uses a 50P connector
The routing of the board was really tricky, because I had to route it as clean as possible. I took a few weeks to design it.
Here is the final result!

So, what does this new board includes to be that big?
Well, it handles everything the original Xii-Flex had. But here is a little list:
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- i2C
- USB
- SPI
- U10
- GPIO (Volume, Brightness and HS)
- GCC
- Digital Audio
- Digital Video

All of this, in one flex, without any wires.

I also spoke with @Aurelio. I was wondering if we could add brightness control buttons to avoid a button combination (because I hate that)
We decided to use two GPIOs for it. An upcoming version of RVLoader will allow you to use the button, but it isn't implemented for the moment.

Like on the Xii-Boy Pocket, the Xii-Flex Ultra will be connected to the Main PCB. Then, some of its data will go on the Xii-DD through the 40P connector shown before.
Considering both of the Xii-Flex Ultra and the Xii-DD must have the same pinout, I had to remake the routing every time something changed. It was a huge mess, but it's finally over

I'm super happy to announce that there is only one PCB which remains: The Main PCB!
It will probably take a lot of time to design. It will be a huge 4 layer board. I'll show it in the next episode!

After that, I had an idea of which colors could the Xii-Boy Ultra have. I think making something like an Orange Fantastic N64 color could look amazing.
I made a little render in Fusion.

The case would be manufactures by PCBWay. It would cost around $55 without delivery.
What do you think? Does it worth it?

I'll also order some parts very soon.
For the sticks, I decided to use Hall Effect sticks. I always had issues with normal sticks, and I want to definitely, and forever, get rid of them!
The Xii-Boy Ultra will use 4 sticks, 2 for the main sticks, and 2 for the triggers.

I think that's it for this episode.
Before concluding, I wanted to say a huge thanks to @YveltalGriffin for the time he took for checking the routing of my boards. I'm very grateful
Also, special thanks to:
- @supertazon, @Bryceshaw06 and @SimplyStevii for their general help and advices
- @Aurelio for the time taken to select which vias we could use to implement brightness control on the Xii-Flex Ultra
- @CrazyGadget for his advices about cases
- @thedrew for his advices and recommendation about Hall effect sticks
- and everyone who helped me!

Thanks a lot, have a wonderful day and see you next time!