Warning

This tutorial is only for advanced users and has a serious risk of bricking the console. Make sure you read it completely before executing any step and that you understand every step and its implications. With de_Fuse everything should be unbrickable if you know how.

You should at least have a backup of SLC and SLCCMPT, as we can’t rebuild them at the moment. (can be done in minute_minute, so there is no excuse). We had two cases where the SLC corrupted for an unknown reason, so a backup is essential.

What is this for?

This tutorial goes into rebuilding the MLC from scratch on a clean media. This can become useful, if

• the MLC (eMMC) chip died or corrupted the filesystem
• the SCFM (SLC cache for MLC) became inconsistent
• you want to upgrade the capacity of the internal storage.
• you want to set up a redNAND without SCFM

If you have a bad eMMC chip, but the recovery still works (which is most likely), then there are also ways to fix it without a complete reformat.
If the LED is blinking blue, you have a SLC problem and not a MLC problem, so this tutorial won't help with that.

It will format your MLC, so all data on the internal Wii U memory will be lost.

Update

13.03.2024 - The wafel_setup_mlc.ipx now uses a built in IOSU function to create system folders, that should make sure the permissions are right, which caused problems with game updates in the past. It will also recreate the update folder (so system updates won't be blocked by that)

Prerequisites

• Have either ISFShax installed: https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-set-up-isfshax.642258/#post-10280366
  OR de_Fuse 0.7.1 (or later): https://github.com/shinyquagsire23/wii_u_modchip/releases
  Defuse requires some soldering, so ISFShax is probably right for you (if you can still launch the installer).
• A 5.5.x firmware is expected and the only configuration tested. It might work on older firmwares or might be adoptable to those, but it will require special care.

Backing up save games

Do a backup of what you want to preserve, like savegames and Miis.
For Backing up Save games, it is recommended to use SaveMii. That requires that you have Tiramisu or Aroma running.
You can also move your savgames (or whole games) to USB, which should still be readable. When recreating the users after the rebuild, you just have to be carefull to create the users in the right order, to make the ID’s match. A backup by other means (Like savemii) is still recommended.
If you are using this tutorial to fix a failing eMMC you might not be able to use the other Backup options. In that case use the Dump MLC option in the Recovery. You can extract your data from there using wfs-extract.

Storage Options

The Wii U has two ways of connecting internal memory, each with its own drawbacks:

• SDIO – On retail consoles the internal memory is a eMMC chip connected through an internal SDIO bus to the Latte chip. This SDIO bus can also use SD cards (hence the name SD IO). Access to media connected on the SDIO is cached through a file on the SLC, presumably to reduce writes on the MLC. This cache is called SCFM and it is the reason why you always need to backup / restore SLC and MLC together and doesn’t allow easy swapping of multiple SDs.
  IOSU also only supports 3 sizes of media on this bus: <=8GB, 32GB and 64GB. The size will be limited to the biggest it fits, the rest is unusable. This bus is limited to 26MB/s (4bit@52Mhz). For replacing the eMMC with an micro SD you can use MLC2SD or a similar Interposer. Soldering and micro SD adapter using wires, works too.
  It is recommended to use a 64GB Sandisk Max Endurance card (But similar card should also be fine), since the Wii U is known for writing much.
  
  
• SATA – The Disc drive is connected through SATA, the connectors are different but the electrical signals are still the same. Some Kiosk consoles used this Interface to connect to a HDD. The type of the SATA device can be configured in the SEEPROM, so we can configure our retail consoles to also use a SATA HDD / SSD.
  NOTE: @QuarkTheAwesome is building an SATA adapter for that purpose, available soon™.
  
  The advantage of using this interface is, that the size isn’t limited (well WFS is limited to 2TB) and it doesn’t use SCFM, which makes some things easier and improves performance in some circumstances. The obvious disadvantage is that you can’t use your disc drive anymore. Without the Disc Drive vWii System Menu doesn't work. vWii Injectes / Wii VC from the eShop can still be used, but only when installed to USB. Also you still might need to disable the MLC on the SDIO bus, or else the wii u might still use the SDIO one if the SATA device takes too long to init.
  
  
• redNAND – redirects the read / writes to one or more of the internal storage devices to paritions on the SD card. You can create an arbitrary size MLC partition on the SD card and set it up using this tutorial. SCFM can be easily disabled for the redNAND. The 64GB limit does not exist for redNAND if the SCFM is disabled. For redNAND we have a dedicated Tutorial here: https://gbatemp.net/threads/fixing-...-soldering-using-rednand-with-isfshax.642268/

Does that mean we can’t get more than 64GB on the SDIO bus? No, BUT it requires ISFShax / defuse to boot the console every time. @GaryOderNichts created a patch to remove the limits and always use the maximum size of the SDIO media and it also disables SCFM, because SCFM doesn’t work with more than 64GB and disabling SCFM improves performance and reduces wear on the SLC, at the cost of increasing wear of the MLC media. I packaged this patch in wafel_unlimit_mlc.

Rebuilding the MLC

Now that you decided what media you want to use as MLC, we can start with the actual process:

1. Download all the mlc system titles for your region from NUS. This can be done conveniently with MLCRestorerDownloader by @Xpl0itU. Copy the otp.bin from the SD to the folder with the MLCRestorer Downloader so it can get the common key from there.
   
   You will get the output/MLC/{region} directory, which then contains a directory for each title. In total there should be 52 titles totaling ~1.1GiB.
   
   If your console has an old firmware it might also be necessary to get the latest SLC titles.
   
   
2. On the root of your SD card (the one that will go in the front slot, not the MLC replacement) create a folder wafel_install. Then copy all 52 titles to the wafel_install folder, so it now contains the 52 subfolders, one for each title. If you want to reinstall / update SLC titles, you would also put them there.
   
   
3. Attach your MLC media of choice. (If you are using SATA got to Backup and Restore, then at Set SATA Device in SEEPROM select GEN2-HDD (Kiosk CAT-I with HDD)).
   For installing MLC2SD look here: https://gbatemp.net/threads/using-n...emmc-fix-160-0103-system-memory-error.636361/ at the Soldering section.
   
   
4. If you install to eMMC / MLC2SD, got to Backup and Restore and select Erase MLC and Delete scfm.img. If the Erase MLC fails, you can ignore that if it wasn't formatted as MLC before (from a failed install or so).
   
   
5. Put the wafel_setup_mlc.ipx on the SD card in /wiiu/ios_plugins. If you want more than 64GB on SDIO you also need to put the wafel_unlimit_mlc.ipx there. If you install with wafel_unlimit_mlc.ipx, it will be permanently required and therefore also permanently requires ISFShax or defuse.
   
   
6. [Optional, only when using defuse] Open the serial monitor on the PC (Putty / minicom) for defuse to see the setup progress. There will be no display output in the Wii U itself. I attached the whole serial log of a successfull install as a reference.
   
   
7. Select Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc) in minute to start the setup of your fresh MLC.During the setup you won't see anything on the screen. You have to go by the power led.
   The power LED will flash blue, while it is installing the titles.
   if something goes wrong the LED will turn orange, but it will continue as long as it is blinking.
   The LED will become static once it finished. You can now power off the console.
   If the led is blinking red, something fatal happend. Ask for help.
   During the setup a short log gets written to the SD: wafel_setup_mlc.log.
   In the end it will enable the initial setup on the next boot.
   
   
8. Remove the wafel_setup_mlc.ipx from /wiiu/ios_plugins on the SD.
   
   
9. Boot the console. Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc)
   
   
10. If everything worked, the initial setup should launch.

ISFShax only: Finalizing

If you are using the wafel_unlimit_mlc.ipx you need to keep ISFShax installed. If you haven't done already complete the "Booting without SD" step form the ISFShax tutorial but also add the wafel_unlimit_mlc.ipx renamed to 9unlimit.ipx to the /storage_slc/sys/hax/ios_plugins directory.
If you are not using the wafel_unlimit_mlc.ipx you can either uninstall ISFShax or keep it as a brick protection. If you keep it complete the "Booting without SD" step form the ISFShax tutorial.
The Wii U should now boot automatically if you don't have an SD in.
You probably also want to enable the autobooting now.

See Also

https://gbatemp.net/threads/wii-u-internal-storage-upgrades-are-possible.635629/

Pictures

512 GB SD card:

@QuarkTheAwesome 120 GB SSD:

Thanks

• @GaryOderNichts for IOSU patches and code I took from the recovery
• @shinyquagsire23 for defuse, minute and stroopwafel
• @QuarkTheAwesome for IOSU format patch and SATA Adapter
• @V10lator for implementing Quota support and some improvements
• @Xpl0itU for MLCRestorerDownloader
• @Lazr1026 for testing and some fixes

 

[SDIO]

I think you need at least the wafel_core and fw.img from 0.7

 

[Ysecond]

I downloaded de fuse 0.7 again, rewritten boot1.img, and downloaded wafel _ Destroy_ Mlc.ipx again. But the problem hasn't changed, it still sticks on

U▒U▒U▒U▒U▒U▒U▒U[Pico] Switching to data mode...

fe 00 02 07 21 00 00 43 46 25 10 00 28 4d 45 4d
32 4d 45 4d 30 50 52 53 48 5d 5d 00 01 5d 5d 00
02 84 00 00 00

Please refer to the pictures. Do these files appear to be correct?

 

[SDIO]

I find it strange that the serial output stops there. Normally you should see the minute menu on the serial and then you can select patch and boot ios. Maybe try without the wafel_destroy_mlc.ipx

 

[Ysecond]

Without the wafel_destroy_mlc.ipx ，the situation has not changed either.

Post automatically merged: Jul 21, 2023

I don't know if this information is helpful.
This is a functioning console, fixing by nand-aid. The SD card I am using can run normally with De fuse 0.51 ，The TF card with nand-aid is ADATA 32GB，

 

[shinyquagsire23]

I downloaded de fuse 0.7 again, rewritten boot1.img, and downloaded wafel _ Destroy_ Mlc.ipx again. But the problem hasn't changed, it still sticks on

U▒U▒U▒U▒U▒U▒U▒U[Pico] Switching to data mode...

fe 00 02 07 21 00 00 43 46 25 10 00 28 4d 45 4d
32 4d 45 4d 30 50 52 53 48 5d 5d 00 01 5d 5d 00
02 84 00 00 00

Please refer to the pictures. Do these files appear to be correct?

apparently the boot1.img I released in v0.7 was bugged and would stall when reading the SD card, it should be resolved in v0.7.1 now.

 

[SDIO]

that makes sense. I didn't update the boot1, when I moved to stroopwafel. That's why it was working for me.

 

[Ysecond]

apparently the boot1.img I released in v0.7 was bugged and would stall when reading the SD card, it should be resolved in v0.7.1 now.

Haha! Unbelievable, you are excellent！

Post automatically merged: Jul 22, 2023

Just feedback on the situation, I don't know if this information has any reference value, If you think I made too much noise, I'm sorry.
The new one console, this console is vol 30 motherboard, hynix mlc, I don't know its firmware version, because it never worked properly.
the serial output stops here:

unlimit mlc done
stroopwafel kern_main done

 

[JadeStrike]

I think it would make sense, if you contribute it to the defuse repo as it is very helpful fr everyone installing defuse.


I think you could also order the PCBs directly from China or find someone who can ship you a NAND-AID. Maybe @Lazr1026 has some?

@fringle what problem does your wii u even have? maybe it can be solved without defuse, so you don't have to solder as much.

I'll be honest, I don't have a github account and no idea how to go about adding anything to a repo at all- I'm just good at taking information and visualizing it. You could add it yourself if you'd like.

 

[SDIO]

The new one console, this console is vol 30 motherboard, hynix mlc, I don't know its firmware version, because it never worked properly.
the serial output stops here:

unlimit mlc done
stroopwafel kern_main done

Maybe the IOSU on the SLC is to old. If you have a SLC dump, which you should have, you can extract it and look at the app.xml to see which version the iosu has.

If you just want to make it work fast, I would siggest downloading the latest iosu with jnus and put the fw.img from it as ios_orig.img on the sd. Then you can use the second option in minute `Patch and boot ios_orig.img`.
I wouid then suggest you download also the SLC titles and put them also in the wafel_install, so the titles on the slc will be updated to during the mlc rebuild

 

[Sierraffinity]

Hi all, wanting to use this to fully rebuild a system's MLC, but have one important question: is the RPi Pico removable after this process, or does the new MLC depend on the modchip being permanently installed?

 

[Ysecond]

Hi all, wanting to use this to fully rebuild a system's MLC, but have one important question: is the RPi Pico removable after this process, or does the new MLC depend on the modchip being permanently installed?

This depends on the capacity of the SD card you are using,
64GB or smaller, allow removal of pico.
More than 64GB, you need to keep pico all the time.
By the way: I have two 32GB SD, but they couldn't successfully setup the title. maybe it's my SD problem, just for your reference.

 

[SDIO]

More precisely it depends on if you use the wafel_unlimt_mlc plugin, because if you install with it, you need it to boot.
Without it, you can still use a bigger SD, but you would only have 64gb usable.

Also note: with isfshax could remove the defuse requirement in the future. But that still needs testing how stable it really is and needs some more work. So it is not supported right now, and I wouldn't hold my breath for it.

 

[Fabioperez]

Hi thanks for the tutorial i am trying to revive a wii u with blinking blue light.
I have the RB pi pico already connected, I also installed a 32GB SD module, made the cut in CLK and took that point on the far side of the EMMC.
The other points are taken from the resistors next to where there is a kind of test point.
I initialize de_fuse and the minute menu appears on a monitor, in this tutorial it is indicated that you have to enter stroopwafel mode. But I don't see that option or it refers to the first item in the minute menu, the one that says patch and boot ios. I will attach images of the menu that appears on the putty monitor, the menu does not appear. I will also attach images of what I have on the SD card. thank you
Note, in the image of the installation of the SD module, the cap and the bridge of the two GND are missing, which are already in the final installation

 

[V10lator]

the one that says patch and boot ios

Yes, that's it.

//EDIT: Am I allowed to use your picture of the soldered micro SD adapter for https://gbatemp.net/threads/using-nand-aid-to-replace-a-hardware-damaged-mlc-160-0103-error.636361/ ?

//EDIT²: And you're missing the capacitor at the microSD slot. It might work without but in case you have one it might be a good idea to add it (esp. if we want to use a picture of it for the linked tutorial).

//EDIT³: Also hard to tell but it looks as the second ground PIN on the adapter isn't connected. Just use a short cable (enemerald wire works, too, it's just a short distance after all) to bridge it to the other ground PIN.

 

[Fabioperez]

Si eso es.

me sale error en la imagen adjunta

Post automatically merged: Jul 26, 2023

Yes, that's it.

//EDIT: Am I allowed to use your picture of the soldered micro SD adapter for https://gbatemp.net/threads/using-nand-aid-to-replace-a-hardware-damaged-mlc-160-0103-error.636361/ ?

//EDIT²: And you're missing the capacitor at the microSD slot. It might work without but in case you have one it might be a good idea to add it (esp. if we want to use a picture of it for the linked tutorial).

//EDIT³: Also hard to tell but it looks as the second ground PIN on the adapter isn't connected. Just use a short cable (enemerald wire works, too, it's just a short distance after all) to bridge it to the other ground PIN.

They are already corrected, I will disassemble the console to take an image, so that you can add it to the tutorial, I would be very proud to see an image of my authorship in the tutorial so that it can be of use to more people.

 

[Ysecond]

me sale error en la imagen adjunta

I don't want to intentionally mislead you, but what SDIO said above, I think you can also try. I think it also applies to your console
SDIO:
"If you just want to make it work fast, I would siggest downloading the latest iosu with jnus and put the fw.img from it as ios_orig.img on the sd. Then you can use the second option in minute `Patch and boot ios_orig.img`.
I wouid then suggest you download also the SLC titles and put them also in the wafel_install, so the titles on the slc will be updated to during the mlc rebuild"

If I am wrong, please correct me or delete the reply.

EDIT:
First, backup SLC&SEEPROM before all operations.

 

[V10lator]

@Fabioperez You case seem to be a bit more complicated (I completely overlooked your statement about the blinking blue light). We (other devs and me) need some time but will try to help you ASAP.

Please don't do anything until you get a reply from someone with knowledge (Gary, Lazr, ShinyQuagsire, Quarky, SDIO or me).

Well, a few things you could do: Reconnect the original MLC and extract your SLC backup (we need the app.xml file from there). Also yea, as @Ysecond said download and extract latest IOSU so you have a fw.img at hand. Most likely we'll need this. But again: Don't do anything witht hat fw.img yet but wait for reply, please.

 

[Fabioperez]

I don't want to intentionally mislead you, but what SDIO said above, I think you can also try. I think it also applies to your console
SDIO:
"If you just want to make it work fast, I would siggest downloading the latest iosu with jnus and put the fw.img from it as ios_orig.img on the sd. Then you can use the second option in minute `Patch and boot ios_orig.img`.
I wouid then suggest you download also the SLC titles and put them also in the wafel_install, so the titles on the slc will be updated to during the mlc rebuild"

If I am wrong, please correct me or delete the reply.

EDIT:
First, backup SLC&SEEPROM before all operations.

thank you,
How do you do that download?
"downloading the latest iosu with jnus"
I'm not sure what it is Jnus is it a software for windows or how do I download the latest iosu or what I have to do is change the name of the fw that I already have to ios_orig.img
on the other hand I already have MLC and SLC in the wafel_install folder I also have backup of SLC&SEEPROM

Post automatically merged: Jul 26, 2023

@Fabioperez You case seem to be a bit more complicated (I completely overlooked your statement about the blinking blue light). We (other devs and me) need some time but will try to help you ASAP.

Please don't do anything until you get a reply from someone with knowledge (Gary, Lazr, ShinyQuagsire, Quarky, SDIO or me).

Well, a few things you could do: Reconnect the original MLC and extract your SLC backup (we need the app.xml file from there). Also yea, as @Ysecond said download and extract latest IOSU so you have a fw.img at hand. Most likely we'll need this. But again: Don't do anything witht hat fw.img yet but wait for reply, please.

Thank you so I'll wait more to continue on the other hand as I download iosu it tells me it's with jnus, which is jnus where I can get it from, and in advance apologies for so much ignorance, how can I extract the app.xml file, since I have SLC.raw and SLCCMPT, I had already made that backup

 

[Ysecond]

the name of the fw that I already have to ios_orig.img

Following in the footsteps of v10lator, Gary, Lazr, ShinyQuagsire, Quarky, SDIO, they are giants of these operations. Forget what I said.

 

[Fabioperez]

Following in the footsteps of v10lator, Gary, Lazr, ShinyQuagsire, Quarky, SDIO, they are giants of these operations. Forget what I said.

Thanks, all the advice that took me can indicate how I download iosu, which is jnus, I see that it is an app for wii u I don't have access to any functional wii u there is another way to get iosu to get to the fw if you know something I'll stay tuned thanks