@@unpleb8754 Seconded. I don't particularly mind a mini HDMI, but for the sake of uniformity with the rest of the components in my theater system, I much prefer a full sized HDMI option.
@@ChunkySteveo unfortunately we don’t have any authorized distributors at the moment. It’s something we’re considering, but we don’t have any in place.
Console modding is a hobby I really want to get into. I love the attention to detail of explaining your techniques, right down to preserving the rubber feet on the consoles. It's honestly extremely helpful to see examples of it. Thanks for your contributions!
Your health and well being is of the most importance. Im glad your back but i am much happier knowing that you are doing better on a personal level. Looking forward to many more mods to come.
totally agree with the getting a clean signal that will be accepted vs having it upscaled internally. more expensive mods will still be great for a single console but if you got a big library of hardware to work with its just better.
Also less points of failure and a lot less expensive. The only loss I'd say is you lose out on portability as the console alone doesn't give you the upscaling, but it also makes it so you only need to install once
I like the idea of digital video kits which take the approach of “garbage in, garbage out”. It ends up making the whole setup more modular and future-proof. Also cheaper, in the short run
Love the video. It could be worth posting part of the video as a Wii tear down video. I went through this endeavor about 11 years ago when my toddler decided to jam 3 discs into the system. It was definitely tough doing it with a tutorial video over dsl. I wish I would have had this video back then. Thank you for providing clear, simplistic instructions for such an intimidating project!
it should be noted, there are a couple differences if you are not replacing the shell. For instance, the metal shielding around the new HDMI port will need to be fatigued off or cut in order for the hdmi port to lay flush.
Another option to remove the rubber pads would be using those plastic spudger type tools. They're usually in blue or black, various sizes, and are great at prying open things without damaging them.
Thanks for the washer tip. No matter what I did I had a gap between the fan stand off and mobo next to HDMI port. If I tighten the screw all the way my HDMI video would drop out. Adding a few washers solved the problem!
Lord of Solder is back ladies and gents! Strap on! Best multicam videos of retro modding/soldering one can find on this platform. Sound/video all pristine with in depth explanation. Awesome! Glad your health is better and that you are mentally ready to provide us with your soldering/hard mods.
I don't have interest in these digital output mods these days but this is an incredibly well shot and put together video. Huge bonus points for explaining a few extra details that aren't explicitly relevant to the installation too.
So happy you're back, Voultar, and what a beautiful mod to start with. I watch all of your videos religiously even though I haven't modded any of my consoles - I just find it fascinating.
You are 100% right about the garbage in/out approach. Leave it to the simple mods, let something else you can easily access deal with the rest. Perfect example being the RT5x handling of N64 de-blur; what was once mod- exclusive is now achievable with just a good scaler.
I was thinking about doing this to my Wii. Then I saw the amount of agida I would have trying to take the thing apart and decided I don't like the Wii that much lol. And I thought the gamecube had a lot of screws! It was nice to see the prototype of the RT4K. I really can't wait for that to come out. I would really love to see a video about resurrecting a Wii U with a dead Nand via SD card backup. Because aparently we have to worry about that now. I'm glad, and happy you're feeling better, and "strapping on" again!
I work at BestBuy, sometimes in home theater, which is primarily tv sales and sound bars. 4K is the standard. Its been over a month since I've sold anything 1080p and the under 4k section is smaller and smaller every month. ALTHOUGH, these 8k tv's play 4k content just fine. As long as it isn't 1080p you're hoping to get good picture out of, even 1440p looks ok and the more expensive tv's have ai upscale built in, I don'tt think there's much worry unless you're using default outputs that originally came on the wii, n64, etc.
I had the privilege of testing the plug n play versions of their Xbox and Wii HDMI devices. Excellent stuff. Might run a tad hot but had an excellent time
Voultar, the man who taught me the art of sexy soldering. Too much heat, cheap flux and the wrong tip, was leaving me incredibly dissatisfied. Dry joints. Lifted pads. Endless rework. Now...I'm the Raphael of solder.
This mod makes me very happy. I'm a big fan of the Wii and I've wanted HDMI for a while, I missed out on Citris's mod. A lot of people told me "just mod a Wii U" but the Wii U misses a lot like the backwards Gamecube compatability, the built in Gamecube controller support and I don't like the way the Wii U emulated the classic games let alone they missed a lot. Thanks for taking the time to show this nerd how to do this. This will be my next project
I can't be the only one who watches these kinda vids and thinks how the hell consoles get mass produced right? Like the assembly is so intricate and precise, what the heck does the mass production look like?
As someone with a hand tremor that _only_ triggers on trying to do fine detail like this, my Wii mainboard would end up an abstract blob of solder. It's so neat to watch a professional do this kind of thing!
Voultar is the Bob Ross of console modding. Really appreciate all the tips and tricks you've learned over the years. Even though I have yet to do a single mod to my systems, I rewatch quite a bit in anticipation for when I actually do mod my consoles.
I wholeheartadly agree about cheap kits that just mush digital into HDMI compatible digital video without the bells and wistle and upscaling and stuff *inside* the console
Ohhhh! I just got it. Strap on. As in, ESD. 🤯 I've been watching your vids for a few years now and always thought "wtf is this guy's deal the strap-on references..." lol
This is awesome. I’ve just started to get into getting my old systems updated to the digital age but like you said some of the mods are so expensive. I’m about to build the GBS-c AIO upscaler. Love your videos
For me, using a little copper wick over those vias (like when cleaning up BGA pads) to clean off the conformal coating works too. That way you don't have to take a sharp razor to the board and risk damaging a trace.
Definitely a relaxing video to watch. Don't have a wii to mod but I always enjoy your videos. Recently he's older videos of yours to hack my 3DS as well as have the confidence to open up a Wii u that survived fire damage (mainly the wet insulation stuck in the vents) and getting more into fixing things myself. Even replaced a faulty game cart reader on a new 3dsxl (it was cheating I admit.. No soldering necessary!)
I've been waiting for this video. But little did I know I was going to get this Bob Ross Wii modding video. I'm listening to you talk bout the arrow and x screws thinking you're going to tell me it's going to be a happy little accident if I leave one out.
Brilliant video, thanks. I've not done any soldering before but your simple to follow steps and tips has given me some confidence in doing this myself 👍
Man, dropped the same exact time and day the N64 Digital got restocked! Good thing I've been setting money aside for both; still felt rough buying these literally back to back though lol. Can't wait to install this kit!
Great tutorial! I love that you show how to reassemble. I've done some light modding on portable systems, have always wanted to install a HDMI mod on the Wii but price and difficulty had held me back. This specific mod and your video are very encouraging, I'm seriously considering giving it a shot! Thanks a lot.
Brought here by the youtube algorithm. Watching this without any context was,,, a spiritual experience. You've multiplied me by 1 and I'm still the same but a Process has undeniably occurred. Thank you.
i have to say, i have not seen a setup utilizing vias quite like this, i mean usually its a gap in a board with those castellated bits. my first thought was that it was gona suck but you made it look easy enough
Been thinking that for years, adding some RCA connectors to your SMS2 was the best thing, then it was SCART and so on. Today's HDMI, as great as it is, will look like a RCA mod looks to us right now. Someday, someone will say "I can't believe they drilled the shell just for a HDMI port"... I can't picture what could be truly better than a lossless digital signal but people were probably thinking that their VGA mod was the ultimate solution back then, too... (I should have paused later, didn't think you'd go down that path. Still a valid point though. Yours too.)
I remember after the Wii's release installing the WiiKey modchips. Didn't even use any type of magnification thanks to my 20/15 vision. I used to do a bunch of console modding services through Xbox-Scene. I even had a guy from Norway (I live in the US) send me his Xbox 360 to fix. I kind of miss doing that stuff. Funnily enough I never saw the disassembly of a Wii console hard. Sure there were tons of screws but I never considered it hard by any means, just a bit time consuming. That was over back in the late 2000's. Even funnier is that I always used an Xacto-Knife to remove those screw covers. No one ever told me to do that. It just seemed the easiest way to remove them.
It is like you said... while features are nice, some of us are just happy to have a readily available HDMI solution that does not cost an arm and a leg.
Your videos are a great resource for seeing just how in depth a mod can end up being, and I love your demeanor while you narrate them. Plus I get a definite Shoresy vibe when you say "Say hi to your mother for me" 😂
So thankful for the discovery of this kit and the Bob Ross of modding (I'm curious about a mini-wii with this mod)! Gonna dive in the rest of the channel right now!
As someone who is not quite as skilled with soldering, are you going to be offering install service on the AVE-HDMI kit? I would normally give it a shot but the last time I replaced a Wii disc drive it was a nightmare tearing down and putting back together. Either way, awesome video and enjoy watching your thorough breakdown and explanation on everything. Great job!
I gotta say, you are great at showing how to do the work. Only thing I could pick at, and it is really picking. Is to include temp and time. You know the limits from experience, but ... just sayin. Thank you for all your work and parts.
Awesome video, a few things I would add... - I panicked when having no audio. I was about to desolder and resolder the flex cable (again because my first attempt produced no video). I had to dig around the AVE-HDMI kits website to find out to enable the audio through the GCVideo but then... - How to access the GCVideo menu. I had already had some info that you needed a GameCube controller but it took some time to find it. Again, troubleshooting info on the kits website. How does one access the GCVideo menu w/o a GC controller? - New shipments come with the IR port with a button. Took some time to figure out how to get that all connected up. It is actually quite easy. Problem is, I only found out where to connect the leads by looking at the images on the product page. That fault falls on Electron Shepard. With a clear case, which I got the smoke clear, the IR port works. Solid cases would require more filing to allow access to the IR receiver. I'm not sure what the button does but I drilled a small hole to access it with a paper clip. - The ground is different on different consoles, at least the labeling. I have an RVL-CPU-01 and the R186 is not the same. It took a while to find someone's posting and I grounded it to C110. Obviously you can't have every version of Wii board. Is there a ground point that would work for every model? - I ordered an IR remote but it did not work out of the box. My GameCube GCVideo adapter came with a remote that worked out of the box. It didn't work either. Luckily, GCVideo menu has a section on mapping the buttons Otherwise, awesome video, great instructions. My daughter saw a bit of it and liked the bracelets.
Did you still bridge the pins when you installed the IR board? I believe the button puts it in programming mode for whatever IR remote you're using. I can't find much documentation on it. We really need voltar to do an updated video...
@@RN25899 Yes, although in hind-sight, I should have used a small wire to bridge the points, less solder, more wiggle room. Once I soldered the ground and 3 volt, I put Kapton tape over the pins and then ran the IR and button wires over top the now covered pins. Another hind-sight, there is no reason why you couldn't use a double-sided foam tape to mount the IR board to the front of the case and just run wires from the ground and 3.3v pins to wherever you mount the IR board, especially when using a clear replacement shell. For a solid case, I'd try to mount it near the air intake or exhaust. Maybe it could work through the air vents at the front? IDK. Otherwise, ya gota drill. Luckily, I have a small drill press (3'-3.5' feet high, can be placed on a table)Unless my nephew is impressed, I don't think I'll be doing this again. As good as a job Voultar does, I don't think a YT video done by a third-party is the proper way to publish your instructions, unless Voultar is associated with Electron-Shepard. He also didn't cover the IR board, something that looks like only recent shipments get. E-S should also had included the IR remote in the kit. They do sell one separately.
Thanks for the video, it inspired me to grab the kit and try it myself. Soldering to the vias is definitely the hardest part for a novice but following along with lots of flux and pushing around the solder it came out fine. I had 26 gauge stranded wire, I'd suggest others go smaller or solid core; especially if you are adding the IR board, the data pads are tiny and very close to the native Wii display connector pins. Thanks Voultar, and good luck to anyone doing this themselves.
I think for legacy systems it's totally fine to have a solution that outputs 1080p and then have the television/monitor scale that up to 4K or 8K with integer scaling, once monitors with that resolution are more common. It's not like there is a significant amount of image quality to be gained when going directly from internal res to 4K/8K in one step with a post-processing approach. On the other hand, having a hardware modification that can generate ultra high resolution outputs directly would increase the price tremendously, because then you need advanced and very expensive FPGAs with high internal & external bandwidth, aswell as capable PHYs, better PCBs and all that, plus the developer would need to license HDMI 2.1 on top, so I totally agree with your stance on simpler modifications that allow for a digital signal output being the way forward.
Edit: Voultar, where can you buy that electronic screwdriver that you use? I checked the links you provided but I did not notice it anywhere. I have a handheld electronic screwdriver which works amazing for things like dismantling handhelds, video game carts, etc. However it lacks the punch for bigger items. Love your videos. You and Mike Chi are a powerhouse in the retro gaming community, I hope you both are aware of just how much you bring forward for everyone. Great instruction as always. You've helped me get better at general soldering skills with a recent handheld mod, just knowing how to heat up the contact point first was a massive boost to my skills in soldering. Also the instant I saw that prototype RetroTink 4K, my eyes lit up, Mike Chi was talking in his discord about working on one, but I didn't know he was far enough along to have someone help out with debugging, that's fantastic. Day 1 purchase, provided it's under a grand haha.
@@Voultar Appreciate the reply regardless. I'll keep looking for a better one vs what I have then. I did end up purchasing that soldering kit you linked to however. Having a dial/knob to fine tune the temperature is perfect.
When I saw this video I tried to hold back my ecstasy but I busted hard just as I clicked. Won't affect my enjoyment whatsoever but boy what a mess I have to clean up now...
The only thing I wish the AVE-HDMI could do…. Is “fix” the RGB output of the analog port like what the WiiDual could do. The difference is that the AVE-HDMI can be installed on virtually ANY Wii, while the WiiDual can only be installed in certain revisions. Don’t forget to turn off Deflicker either from “Priiloader” hacks, or from the USB Loader GX menus (plus Framebuffer).
I use cardboard and pen to track my screws and the locations. Before removing screws draw the area you are going to remove and place the screws in their respective locations. Repeat with each new layer or area. Or if possible put the screws back in their location before moving on the next step.
Fantastic installation, Voultar! It's been a blast working with you to develop this latest version of our kit.⚡⚡
Any UK resellers - Zedlabs, Retro Console Parts, etc?
Any plans to have a full sized hdmi port available too as an option?
@@unpleb8754 Seconded. I don't particularly mind a mini HDMI, but for the sake of uniformity with the rest of the components in my theater system, I much prefer a full sized HDMI option.
mini-hdmi is stupid and cringe. can you make a version that uses a normal hdmi please
@@ChunkySteveo unfortunately we don’t have any authorized distributors at the moment. It’s something we’re considering, but we don’t have any in place.
You are the Bob Ross of electronics modification, lol (especially when you were cleaning the solder mask off the vias). Very soothing and informative!
Console modding is a hobby I really want to get into. I love the attention to detail of explaining your techniques, right down to preserving the rubber feet on the consoles. It's honestly extremely helpful to see examples of it. Thanks for your contributions!
Go for it!
Same here
Do it! I installed a USB-C port on my "New" 3DS XL, now that was an interesting learning experience.
@@lka1988 well I for one am going to take your advice!
@@lka1988 Is there a text or video tutorial on this mod?
I like how you used the purple wire for the gamecube connection.
Your health and well being is of the most importance. Im glad your back but i am much happier knowing that you are doing better on a personal level. Looking forward to many more mods to come.
Got my AVE-HDMI kit today. Followed your video to a T and got perfect results. Thanks for the great work!
Can’t say specifically why but really digging the hand held mic while you’re speaking outside of the mod installation. Excited to see more from you
totally agree with the getting a clean signal that will be accepted vs having it upscaled internally. more expensive mods will still be great for a single console but if you got a big library of hardware to work with its just better.
Also less points of failure and a lot less expensive. The only loss I'd say is you lose out on portability as the console alone doesn't give you the upscaling, but it also makes it so you only need to install once
I like the idea of digital video kits which take the approach of “garbage in, garbage out”.
It ends up making the whole setup more modular and future-proof. Also cheaper, in the short run
Love the video. It could be worth posting part of the video as a Wii tear down video. I went through this endeavor about 11 years ago when my toddler decided to jam 3 discs into the system. It was definitely tough doing it with a tutorial video over dsl. I wish I would have had this video back then. Thank you for providing clear, simplistic instructions for such an intimidating project!
I just desoldered two NES PPU chips, and never would've been able to do it without Sir Voultar. My NES RGB kits are currently en route.
Just finished installing this kit on a CPU 01 launch model. Thanks for the fantastic tutorial and for giving me confidence in doing the install!
it should be noted, there are a couple differences if you are not replacing the shell. For instance, the metal shielding around the new HDMI port will need to be fatigued off or cut in order for the hdmi port to lay flush.
Another option to remove the rubber pads would be using those plastic spudger type tools. They're usually in blue or black, various sizes, and are great at prying open things without damaging them.
Excellent thorough tutorial as always Voultar! I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but you are like the Bob Ross of console modding
Once or twice. Thanks so much!
As usual, great video. My only observation would be using washers to compensate for the removed shield instead of doing the extra filing.
Great tip!
Thanks for the washer tip.
No matter what I did I had a gap between the fan stand off and mobo next to HDMI port.
If I tighten the screw all the way my HDMI video would drop out.
Adding a few washers solved the problem!
@@Voultar what do you think is a reasonable price to pay someone to do the hdmi mod?
Lord of Solder is back ladies and gents! Strap on!
Best multicam videos of retro modding/soldering one can find on this platform.
Sound/video all pristine with in depth explanation. Awesome!
Glad your health is better and that you are mentally ready to provide us with your soldering/hard mods.
I don't have interest in these digital output mods these days but this is an incredibly well shot and put together video. Huge bonus points for explaining a few extra details that aren't explicitly relevant to the installation too.
So happy you're back, Voultar, and what a beautiful mod to start with. I watch all of your videos religiously even though I haven't modded any of my consoles - I just find it fascinating.
You are 100% right about the garbage in/out approach. Leave it to the simple mods, let something else you can easily access deal with the rest. Perfect example being the RT5x handling of N64 de-blur; what was once mod- exclusive is now achievable with just a good scaler.
My daughter wanted one of those microphones last year for Christmas. Thank you for showing it off in your video.
I was thinking about doing this to my Wii. Then I saw the amount of agida I would have trying to take the thing apart and decided I don't like the Wii that much lol. And I thought the gamecube had a lot of screws! It was nice to see the prototype of the RT4K. I really can't wait for that to come out. I would really love to see a video about resurrecting a Wii U with a dead Nand via SD card backup. Because aparently we have to worry about that now. I'm glad, and happy you're feeling better, and "strapping on" again!
I work at BestBuy, sometimes in home theater, which is primarily tv sales and sound bars. 4K is the standard. Its been over a month since I've sold anything 1080p and the under 4k section is smaller and smaller every month.
ALTHOUGH, these 8k tv's play 4k content just fine. As long as it isn't 1080p you're hoping to get good picture out of, even 1440p looks ok and the more expensive tv's have ai upscale built in, I don'tt think there's much worry unless you're using default outputs that originally came on the wii, n64, etc.
I had the privilege of testing the plug n play versions of their Xbox and Wii HDMI devices. Excellent stuff. Might run a tad hot but had an excellent time
The Bob Ross of soldering, I love it. This is %100 a compliment.
Voultar, the man who taught me the art of sexy soldering. Too much heat, cheap flux and the wrong tip, was leaving me incredibly dissatisfied. Dry joints. Lifted pads. Endless rework. Now...I'm the Raphael of solder.
This mod makes me very happy. I'm a big fan of the Wii and I've wanted HDMI for a while, I missed out on Citris's mod. A lot of people told me "just mod a Wii U" but the Wii U misses a lot like the backwards Gamecube compatability, the built in Gamecube controller support and I don't like the way the Wii U emulated the classic games let alone they missed a lot. Thanks for taking the time to show this nerd how to do this. This will be my next project
same!
I can't be the only one who watches these kinda vids and thinks how the hell consoles get mass produced right?
Like the assembly is so intricate and precise, what the heck does the mass production look like?
As someone with a hand tremor that _only_ triggers on trying to do fine detail like this, my Wii mainboard would end up an abstract blob of solder. It's so neat to watch a professional do this kind of thing!
Voultar is the Bob Ross of console modding. Really appreciate all the tips and tricks you've learned over the years.
Even though I have yet to do a single mod to my systems, I rewatch quite a bit in anticipation for when I actually do mod my consoles.
This was my exact thought ! The Bob Ross of console modding
I wholeheartadly agree about cheap kits that just mush digital into HDMI compatible digital video without the bells and wistle and upscaling and stuff *inside* the console
There's some serious Bob Ross vibes on the soldering parts. Love this mod.
Ohhhh! I just got it. Strap on. As in, ESD. 🤯 I've been watching your vids for a few years now and always thought "wtf is this guy's deal the strap-on references..." lol
14:17 you sure it didn't come from DK Oldies 😏😂😂😂
i blindly paid for a PS2 modding service on ebay back in the day. The soldering and wire management is actually like 8/10 not bad.
Just ordered one, very detailed and clearly explained video. Well done dude, can't wait to do this to my old Wii!
can you tell how difficult it was?
This is awesome. I’ve just started to get into getting my old systems updated to the digital age but like you said some of the mods are so expensive. I’m about to build the GBS-c AIO upscaler. Love your videos
For me, using a little copper wick over those vias (like when cleaning up BGA pads) to clean off the conformal coating works too. That way you don't have to take a sharp razor to the board and risk damaging a trace.
Definitely a relaxing video to watch. Don't have a wii to mod but I always enjoy your videos.
Recently he's older videos of yours to hack my 3DS as well as have the confidence to open up a Wii u that survived fire damage (mainly the wet insulation stuck in the vents) and getting more into fixing things myself.
Even replaced a faulty game cart reader on a new 3dsxl (it was cheating I admit.. No soldering necessary!)
The Bob Ross of soldering.
Oh yesssss, more Voultar mod installation goodness!!! These have become such a therapeutic pleasure to watch.
Voultar I am so glad to see you have your health back and you are feeling good! Was worried about you for a bit.
I've been waiting for this video.
But little did I know I was going to get this Bob Ross Wii modding video. I'm listening to you talk bout the arrow and x screws thinking you're going to tell me it's going to be a happy little accident if I leave one out.
Just ordered two! Congrats to everyone involved. This will be my first true console mod so this video will get a few views from me!
Brilliant video, thanks. I've not done any soldering before but your simple to follow steps and tips has given me some confidence in doing this myself 👍
Glad it helped
Man, dropped the same exact time and day the N64 Digital got restocked! Good thing I've been setting money aside for both; still felt rough buying these literally back to back though lol. Can't wait to install this kit!
Great tutorial! I love that you show how to reassemble. I've done some light modding on portable systems, have always wanted to install a HDMI mod on the Wii but price and difficulty had held me back. This specific mod and your video are very encouraging, I'm seriously considering giving it a shot! Thanks a lot.
Gotta love your intros. This being a prime example of Judge Voultar dropping straight facts.
Brought here by the youtube algorithm. Watching this without any context was,,, a spiritual experience. You've multiplied me by 1 and I'm still the same but a Process has undeniably occurred. Thank you.
i like the new, less bombastic, more zen voultar.
Almost bearable at 2x speed.
so glad that this came up on my feed, i have been looking for a good HDMI mod for my 2 wii's. once i get some funds im going to get 1. Great video
i have to say, i have not seen a setup utilizing vias quite like this, i mean usually its a gap in a board with those castellated bits. my first thought was that it was gona suck but you made it look easy enough
Just bought 3 of these! Can't wait to give these a go. I have zero experience with the Wii other than soft modding.
Been thinking that for years, adding some RCA connectors to your SMS2 was the best thing, then it was SCART and so on.
Today's HDMI, as great as it is, will look like a RCA mod looks to us right now.
Someday, someone will say "I can't believe they drilled the shell just for a HDMI port"...
I can't picture what could be truly better than a lossless digital signal but people were probably thinking that their VGA mod was the ultimate solution back then, too...
(I should have paused later, didn't think you'd go down that path. Still a valid point though. Yours too.)
Haven't seen you in awhile Bob Ross of tech repairs and mods
That's a lot of precision work.
Very jealous you have the Tink 4K.
Sound's coming through well on the new microphone.
Excellent video as always. I'm glad you're doing better and I hope you're back for good.
How nice and professional guy you are, great content!
Glad you think so!
VOULTAR!!!! You're back! I missed you bud!
the Bob Ross of console modders. Watching this felt so therapeutic and reassuring
Voultar says it's good, just bought one. We love ya brother. You are the reason I started modding.
Now I feel ready to do it myself. Thanks!
Awesome tutorial! Great job well done Voultar! Not too fast and not too dumbed down for the average repairer. 👍😉
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who misses screws during reassembly 😆
finally a mod for the wii!
Thanks for all you do, and I'm glad your health has improved.
The hdmi modding process starts at 27:09
Thx
You sir are the Bob Ross of console modding.
I remember after the Wii's release installing the WiiKey modchips. Didn't even use any type of magnification thanks to my 20/15 vision. I used to do a bunch of console modding services through Xbox-Scene. I even had a guy from Norway (I live in the US) send me his Xbox 360 to fix. I kind of miss doing that stuff.
Funnily enough I never saw the disassembly of a Wii console hard. Sure there were tons of screws but I never considered it hard by any means, just a bit time consuming. That was over back in the late 2000's. Even funnier is that I always used an Xacto-Knife to remove those screw covers. No one ever told me to do that. It just seemed the easiest way to remove them.
Welcome back bro, last year was rough here to. Very informative, though I would like to use the IR receiver anyways.
It is like you said... while features are nice, some of us are just happy to have a readily available HDMI solution that does not cost an arm and a leg.
Dude, you are legend! Glad to see your videos coming in.
Your videos are a great resource for seeing just how in depth a mod can end up being, and I love your demeanor while you narrate them.
Plus I get a definite Shoresy vibe when you say "Say hi to your mother for me" 😂
So thankful for the discovery of this kit and the Bob Ross of modding (I'm curious about a mini-wii with this mod)! Gonna dive in the rest of the channel right now!
Good to hear that you are doing better. I appreciate your videos.
As someone who is not quite as skilled with soldering, are you going to be offering install service on the AVE-HDMI kit? I would normally give it a shot but the last time I replaced a Wii disc drive it was a nightmare tearing down and putting back together. Either way, awesome video and enjoy watching your thorough breakdown and explanation on everything. Great job!
I would love to. But I'm afraid that I'm not sure I can make the time available for this. Thank you so much for your support.
@@Voultar i need some one to install this mod for me to due to my disability.
I'm glad you back and on your feet (or chair). You are essential to the modding community!
I gotta say, you are great at showing how to do the work. Only thing I could pick at, and it is really picking. Is to include temp and time. You know the limits from experience, but ... just sayin. Thank you for all your work and parts.
Note on the side: a via with negative solder mask expansion is not a tented via
Thanks for posting voultar! Excited to watch this!!!
Awesome video, a few things I would add...
- I panicked when having no audio. I was about to desolder and resolder the flex cable (again because my first attempt produced no video). I had to dig around the AVE-HDMI kits website to find out to enable the audio through the GCVideo but then...
- How to access the GCVideo menu. I had already had some info that you needed a GameCube controller but it took some time to find it. Again, troubleshooting info on the kits website. How does one access the GCVideo menu w/o a GC controller?
- New shipments come with the IR port with a button. Took some time to figure out how to get that all connected up. It is actually quite easy. Problem is, I only found out where to connect the leads by looking at the images on the product page. That fault falls on Electron Shepard. With a clear case, which I got the smoke clear, the IR port works. Solid cases would require more filing to allow access to the IR receiver. I'm not sure what the button does but I drilled a small hole to access it with a paper clip.
- The ground is different on different consoles, at least the labeling. I have an RVL-CPU-01 and the R186 is not the same. It took a while to find someone's posting and I grounded it to C110. Obviously you can't have every version of Wii board. Is there a ground point that would work for every model?
- I ordered an IR remote but it did not work out of the box. My GameCube GCVideo adapter came with a remote that worked out of the box. It didn't work either. Luckily, GCVideo menu has a section on mapping the buttons
Otherwise, awesome video, great instructions. My daughter saw a bit of it and liked the bracelets.
Did you still bridge the pins when you installed the IR board? I believe the button puts it in programming mode for whatever IR remote you're using. I can't find much documentation on it. We really need voltar to do an updated video...
@@RN25899 Yes, although in hind-sight, I should have used a small wire to bridge the points, less solder, more wiggle room. Once I soldered the ground and 3 volt, I put Kapton tape over the pins and then ran the IR and button wires over top the now covered pins. Another hind-sight, there is no reason why you couldn't use a double-sided foam tape to mount the IR board to the front of the case and just run wires from the ground and 3.3v pins to wherever you mount the IR board, especially when using a clear replacement shell. For a solid case, I'd try to mount it near the air intake or exhaust. Maybe it could work through the air vents at the front? IDK. Otherwise, ya gota drill. Luckily, I have a small drill press (3'-3.5' feet high, can be placed on a table)Unless my nephew is impressed, I don't think I'll be doing this again. As good as a job Voultar does, I don't think a YT video done by a third-party is the proper way to publish your instructions, unless Voultar is associated with Electron-Shepard. He also didn't cover the IR board, something that looks like only recent shipments get. E-S should also had included the IR remote in the kit. They do sell one separately.
4 min in, ordered it. Never got around to adding my wii to my wiiu. This looks better and easier ;-D
Great stuff. I love the mic! Wish you had the girls gone wild hat to complete the look.
one of the best tutorials I've ever seen, great work
..i watched this for almost an hour without realizing it. you made this look interesting even tho i didn't have the mod lol
I'm about halfway through and I started thinking man this is really like Bob Ross with PCB 's and soldering irons. Awesome video Voultar 🤣💙💯
This video it's perfect. Even for me that I'm learning english, I understood EVERYTHING, when I could I'm going to buy this kit, because I love my Wii
Love watching your work and very much appreciate the helpful tips you give.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video, it inspired me to grab the kit and try it myself. Soldering to the vias is definitely the hardest part for a novice but following along with lots of flux and pushing around the solder it came out fine. I had 26 gauge stranded wire, I'd suggest others go smaller or solid core; especially if you are adding the IR board, the data pads are tiny and very close to the native Wii display connector pins. Thanks Voultar, and good luck to anyone doing this themselves.
I think for legacy systems it's totally fine to have a solution that outputs 1080p and then have the television/monitor scale that up to 4K or 8K with integer scaling, once monitors with that resolution are more common. It's not like there is a significant amount of image quality to be gained when going directly from internal res to 4K/8K in one step with a post-processing approach.
On the other hand, having a hardware modification that can generate ultra high resolution outputs directly would increase the price tremendously, because then you need advanced and very expensive FPGAs with high internal & external bandwidth, aswell as capable PHYs, better PCBs and all that, plus the developer would need to license HDMI 2.1 on top, so I totally agree with your stance on simpler modifications that allow for a digital signal output being the way forward.
fully liberated LETS GO!!
I'm glad the sunglasses are back. 🔥
We love you.
Just ordered mine.
Edit: Voultar, where can you buy that electronic screwdriver that you use? I checked the links you provided but I did not notice it anywhere. I have a handheld electronic screwdriver which works amazing for things like dismantling handhelds, video game carts, etc. However it lacks the punch for bigger items.
Love your videos. You and Mike Chi are a powerhouse in the retro gaming community, I hope you both are aware of just how much you bring forward for everyone.
Great instruction as always. You've helped me get better at general soldering skills with a recent handheld mod, just knowing how to heat up the contact point first was a massive boost to my skills in soldering.
Also the instant I saw that prototype RetroTink 4K, my eyes lit up, Mike Chi was talking in his discord about working on one, but I didn't know he was far enough along to have someone help out with debugging, that's fantastic. Day 1 purchase, provided it's under a grand haha.
Unfortunately, they stopped making this model about 10 years ago.
@@Voultar Appreciate the reply regardless. I'll keep looking for a better one vs what I have then. I did end up purchasing that soldering kit you linked to however. Having a dial/knob to fine tune the temperature is perfect.
Perfect video. Thanks for your hard work on these tutorials!
When I saw this video I tried to hold back my ecstasy but I busted hard just as I clicked. Won't affect my enjoyment whatsoever but boy what a mess I have to clean up now...
The only thing I wish the AVE-HDMI could do…. Is “fix” the RGB output of the analog port like what the WiiDual could do.
The difference is that the AVE-HDMI can be installed on virtually ANY Wii, while the WiiDual can only be installed in certain revisions.
Don’t forget to turn off Deflicker either from “Priiloader” hacks, or from the USB Loader GX menus (plus Framebuffer).
I use cardboard and pen to track my screws and the locations. Before removing screws draw the area you are going to remove and place the screws in their respective locations. Repeat with each new layer or area. Or if possible put the screws back in their location before moving on the next step.