Wii Mini Hardware Hacked to add Component Video and SD Card

[DeadlyFoez]

Hey everyone. DeadlyFoez here with another Wii Hack.

Just a few nights ago I did a live stream where I added component video to the Wii Mini, a feature that people have been begging me to prove that can be brought back. In the process of this I also restored SD functionality to the Wii Mini, another  hack that was also previously pioneered by myself.

 

This is not the cleanest hack as this was solely a POC.

 

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The process of this hack was performed over 4 live stream videos that totaled about 4 1/2 hours in length, but we also did some other hackery in the process as well. The videos are listed below.

 

 

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Hey guys, That you for checking out my content and please check out my other Wii Hacking videos on my youtube channel <video link removed by staff>

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Edited May 28, 2020 by SansVarnic
Links removed and Photos placed in Spoilers for easy page loading

[blu4]

I didn't even know a Wii Mini existed lol

[PlayStation 2]

1 hour ago, blu4 said:

I didn't even know a Wii Mini existed lol

It has, well, a history for sure. It started as a Canadian-exclusive model which stripped out damn near everything but just playing Wii games. It removed the aforementioned Component video and SD card support, but it also, more notably removed any way to use Wi-Fi on it and continued to strip out GameCube support, which the later normal-looking Wii models did.

 

What I'm not understanding is why OP wanted to do this. More power to him, but I guess I don't understand why you'd mod that into the Wii Mini when regular Wiis are a dime a dozen.

[DeadlyFoez]

24 minutes ago, handymanshandle said:

It has, well, a history for sure. It started as a Canadian-exclusive model which stripped out damn near everything but just playing Wii games. It removed the aforementioned Component video and SD card support, but it also, more notably removed any way to use Wi-Fi on it and continued to strip out GameCube support, which the later normal-looking Wii models did.

 

What I'm not understanding is why OP wanted to do this. More power to him, but I guess I don't understand why you'd mod that into the Wii Mini when regular Wiis are a dime a dozen.

I have been adding functionality back to Wii's ever since they first started removing them with the Family Edition wii's. I have also added back Wifi, and gamecube ports as well to a mini.
Some people prefer the look and top loading design of the Mini. I just did all this for the fun of it and to show that these features can in fact be brought back.

[DeadlyFoez]

12 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Looks good but why the glue everywhere? The wires won't go loose if you solder them properly

Some of the things that I had to solder to was 0.5 mm pitch pins. Those are tiny, and I still needed to flip the thing all around without worrying that I might rip off some traces or break something else.

[KenTees]

2 hours ago, handymanshandle said:

It has, well, a history for sure. It started as a Canadian-exclusive model which stripped out damn near everything but just playing Wii games. It removed the aforementioned Component video and SD card support, but it also, more notably removed any way to use Wi-Fi on it and continued to strip out GameCube support, which the later normal-looking Wii models did.

 

What I'm not understanding is why OP wanted to do this. More power to him, but I guess I don't understand why you'd mod that into the Wii Mini when regular Wiis are a dime a dozen.

A previously Canadian-exclusive Wii console? Never heard of it in my entire life. I'm a disgrace to my nationality.

 

Maybe it's for the better though, younger me enjoyed being able to surf the internet with a Wii remote... Also, wouldn't the regular Wii be more "compact" because it stood vertically?

[DeadlyFoez]

8 hours ago, KenTees said:

A previously Canadian-exclusive Wii console? Never heard of it in my entire life. I'm a disgrace to my nationality.

 

Maybe it's for the better though, younger me enjoyed being able to surf the internet with a Wii remote... Also, wouldn't the regular Wii be more "compact" because it stood vertically?

Yeah, it is barely smaller than a regular wii.

[centurion_08]

Hackiest hackeroonies.

[PlayStation 2]

21 hours ago, KenTees said:

A previously Canadian-exclusive Wii console? Never heard of it in my entire life. I'm a disgrace to my nationality.

 

Maybe it's for the better though, younger me enjoyed being able to surf the internet with a Wii remote... Also, wouldn't the regular Wii be more "compact" because it stood vertically?

Yeah, it's very odd, but it eventually got released to, the United States at the very least, but I think it made it to Japan at some point. They aren't particularly common nor are they really worth trying to get unless you get one for free, in which it makes for a decent looking console.

[GoodBytes]

Hot glue? Really?

If you have no faith in your soldering, then maybe you should work on that. Putting hot glue that actually does nothing. Actually, it makes things worse if the glue is too hot. Many moders deliver unreliable products to their customers because of hot glue.

 

Get yourself a half decent soldering iron and practice a bit your soldering, and you won't need hot glue, all your wires will hold very well even if you pull at the wires directly. Be professional.

 

The only places I expect glue to be used, are at BestBuy's where the minimum wage staff attempt to fix things themselves instead of replacing the broken part to maximize store profits (customer pays as if the part would be replaced, but really using cheap glue to attempt to fix it), and at Walmart, with their, now defunct, gaming PCs called: Overpowered PC.

 

Sorry for my criticisms, but I am just severally disappointed. I should be congratulating you for your hard work, but I can't, not with such poor presentation and workmanship. Please fix.

[DeadlyFoez]

On 5/29/2020 at 12:04 AM, GoodBytes said:

Hot glue? Really?

If you have no faith in your soldering, then maybe you should work on that. Putting hot glue that actually does nothing. Actually, it makes things worse if the glue is too hot. Many moders deliver unreliable products to their customers because of hot glue.

 

Get yourself a half decent soldering iron and practice a bit your soldering, and you won't need hot glue, all your wires will hold very well even if you pull at the wires directly. Be professional.

 

The only places I expect glue to be used, are at BestBuy's where the minimum wage staff attempt to fix things themselves instead of replacing the broken part to maximize store profits (customer pays as if the part would be replaced, but really using cheap glue to attempt to fix it), and at Walmart, with their, now defunct, gaming PCs called: Overpowered PC.

 

Sorry for my criticisms, but I am just severally disappointed. I should be congratulating you for your hard work, but I can't, not with such poor presentation and workmanship. Please fix.

Listen buddy. I have been soldering for over 2 decades. I do BGA reballing while live streaming. I can solder circles around EVERYONE there at LMG and this forum. I know what the heck I am doing.

 

This was strictly for POC. Because some of the pins that I had to solder to are .5mm pitch, and I was soldering on a single strand of copper wire, and because I knew I was going to be tossing this board around like a stinking rag doll, YES I WILL PUT THAT MUCH HOT GLUE ON IT!
Your ignorance is unbelievable. I have a Aoyue Int 2702A+ Hot Air Rework Station, an Aoyue INT 853A Infared Preheater, tools that I bought and used over a year ago and use on almost a daily basis. I have been doing Wii modifications and low level flash memory repairs for over a decade, and not only was I the person that developed the way to do low level data repairs on the Wii, I am the only person in the world that is doing them at all. You do one bing search on 'DeadlyFoez Wii' and you will be eating your words. Hackaday has published multiple articles on my work with hacking the Wii.

 

You talk to me like I have absolutely no clue of what I am doing. As one of the more well known Wii hackers that there are out there, I am going to kindly ask you to not be such an ignorant and rude embarrassment to your new forum members in the future. Maybe if you watched any bit of my video then you would see exactly why we got to where we are with that.

 

Seriously... that was flipping rude.

[GoodBytes]

2 hours ago, DeadlyFoez said:

Listen buddy. I have been soldering for over 2 decades. I do BGA reballing while live streaming. I can solder circles around EVERYONE there at LMG and this forum. I know what the heck I am doing.

 

This was strictly for POC. Because some of the pins that I had to solder to are .5mm pitch, and I was soldering on a single strand of copper wire, and because I knew I was going to be tossing this board around like a stinking rag doll, YES I WILL PUT THAT MUCH HOT GLUE ON IT!
Your ignorance is unbelievable. I have a Aoyue Int 2702A+ Hot Air Rework Station, an Aoyue INT 853A Infared Preheater, tools that I bought and used over a year ago and use on almost a daily basis. I have been doing Wii modifications and low level flash memory repairs for over a decade, and not only was I the person that developed the way to do low level data repairs on the Wii, I am the only person in the world that is doing them at all. You do one bing search on 'DeadlyFoez Wii' and you will be eating your words. Hackaday has published multiple articles on my work with hacking the Wii.

 

You talk to me like I have absolutely no clue of what I am doing. As one of the more well known Wii hackers that there are out there, I am going to kindly ask you to not be such an ignorant and rude embarrassment to your new forum members in the future. Maybe if you watched any bit of my video then you would see exactly why we got to where we are with that.

 

Seriously... that was flipping rude.

I greatly apologies. I could not see your videos. I thaught the board would not be tossed to places and put back into the enclosure.

My reply was just, at the time, from my perspective, a huge disappointment on my part, seeing such skill and talent in figuring this out, but for what it look like shoddy work or complete lack of trust in ones work. As I re-read my reply, I do agree it was too harshly said. It was not my attention to sound like this. I apologies for my comments and I take it all back.