Hardware So I've added USB-C to my gamepad in Feb., now it was the consoles turn.

[EnterpriseFreak]

VERY IMPORTANT EDIT!!!!: If you plan to keep the native power jack AND use it at some point, I highly recommend you add a diode to the +12v wire before it connects to the motherboard of the console to prevent current fed in from the power jack from flowing into the USB-C decoy, possible creating a hazard!


So, earlier this year in February I added USB-C charging to my Wii U gamepad and it's still working just fine. Some weeks ago the third Wii U power brick I had died on me (in the same fashion as the other ones did before it, the cable just did tear up...) and I decided that I had enough and would not get a new brick this time, rather I wanted to try if it would be possible to replicate what I did to the Gamepad on the base console. Spoiler: Yes, it works. Long story short: I've spent some time looking at what voltages USB-PD could provide (and it just so happens that the 15v a Wii U needs are possible) and got a PD-Trigger / Decoy board or whatever it's called to force a (compatible) USB-C charger to output 15v. I went ahead and soldered some wires connected to the trigger board to the power supply solder points of the console's motherboard and it worked just fine, I then did cut the chassis and all the stuff and finally ended up with a re-assembled, fully functioning Wii U that can run off a decent power USB-C brick (In my case one that supports 65W which is more than enough for it). Sadly I didn't think of taking pictures of the work I did inside the console so I can only show off the mod from the outside this time.

What do you think of this mod?

 

[ber71]

Looks great.
A new nintendo console was born: the wii u-sb.

 

[jeannotte]

I've added USB-C charging to my Wii U gamepad and it's still working just fine.

A new nintendo console was born: the wii u-sb.

i would say one ==> wii u -sbC

 

[Lostbhoy]

Pretty cool but what are the advantages of having the console powered that way?

The gamepad is awesome tho as the old usb was crap anyway and hard to get now. Nice work man, love proper hack jobs lol

 

[EnterpriseFreak]

Pretty cool but what are the advantages of having the console powered that way?

The gamepad is awesome tho as the old usb was crap anyway and hard to get now. Nice work man, love proper hack jobs lol

Well there's obviously the advantage of not having to bother with the Wii U's way to big, way to fragile original power brick plus USB-C AC adapters and cables are (obviously) a lot easier to get than a Wii U brick in 2022. If you mod other consoles (like I intend to do soon) to use USB-C for power delivery you also only have to keep track of a single cable for all of them.

 

[Marc_LFD]

Wow, that's really cool.

Have you thought about replacing the screen of the GamePad with a better one, if that's possible?

The white plastic Nintendo used for the Basic Edition looks really cheap and that's one of the reasons I never liked the white Wii and Wii U meanwhile the white GCN, PS1 Slim, PS2 Slim, PS3 Launch/Slim, PS4, PS5, Xbox One S, etc all look quite nice.

Nintendo produced 13 million units of the Wii U so there are some that reckon it'll become hard to find and expensive, I guess that's a possibility if there'll be demand for the Wii U. However, considering the Wii does nearly everything the Wii U does, there isn't much reason to go for the "Wii Pro" (other than HDMI convenience instead of a component cable).

Most games that were exclusive on Wii U have been ported to PS4/PC/Switch, minus a few. Star Fox Zero really deserves to be given a second chance because many, including myself didn't like the game due to the gimmicky controls.

Post automatically merged: Dec 24, 2022

The gamepad is awesome tho as the old usb was crap anyway and hard to get now. Nice work man, love proper hack jobs lol

Wasn't it Mini USB? That's the same USB port on the DualShock 3.

Got plenty of those cables around.

 

[EnterpriseFreak]

Wow, that's really cool.

Have you thought about replacing the screen of the GamePad with a better one, if that's possible?

The white plastic Nintendo used for the Basic Edition looks really cheap and that's one of the reasons I never liked the white Wii and Wii U meanwhile the white GCN, PS1 Slim, PS2 Slim, PS3 Launch/Slim, PS4, PS5, Xbox One S, etc all look quite nice.

Nintendo produced 13 million units of the Wii U so there are some that reckon it'll become hard to find and expensive, I guess that's a possibility if there'll be demand for the Wii U. However, considering the Wii does nearly everything the Wii U does, there isn't much reason to go for the "Wii Pro" (other than HDMI convenience instead of a component cable).

Most games that were exclusive on Wii U have been ported to PS4/PC/Switch, minus a few. Star Fox Zero really deserves to be given a second chance because many, including myself didn't like the game due to the gimmicky controls.

It is possible to replace the gamepad screen but really there's not much to upgrade there (expect for maybe an oled screen if such a thing exists for it anyway) - putting in a higher res screen would be pretty much useless since all the GP does is decoding a 480p video stream the console broadcasts and handle some inputs.

Post automatically merged: Dec 24, 2022

Wasn't it Mini USB? That's the same USB port on the DualShock 3.

Got plenty of those cables around.

"Sadly" not, some propertary charge port that kinda looks like the one used on the 3DS but bigger.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So, earlier this year in feburary I've added USB-C charging to my Wii U gamepad and it's still working just fine. Some weeks ago the third Wii U power brick I had died on me (in the same fashion as the other ones did before it, the cable just did tear up...) and I decided that I had enough and would not get a new brick this time, rather I wanted to try if it would be possible to replicate what I did to the Gamepad on the base console. Spoiler: Yes, it works. Long story short: I've spent some time looking at what voltages USB-PD could provide (and it just so happens that the 15v a Wii U needs are posible) and got a PD-Trigger / Decoy board or whatever it's called to force a (compatible) USB-C charger to output 15v. I went ahead and soldered some wires connected to the trigger board to the power supply solder points of the console's motherboard and it worked just fine, I then did cut the chasis and all the stuff and finally ended up with a re-assembled, fully functioning Wii U that can run off a decently power USB-C brick (In my case one that supports 65W which is more than enough for it). Sadly I didn't think of making pictures of the work I did inside the console so I can only show off the mod from the outside this time.

What do you think of this mod?


View attachment 344154View attachment 344153View attachment 344152

The hole in the case is a (literal) hack job
Protip for next time, if you drill 3 small holes next to eachother and then file the gaps between the holes flat, you get a clean looking hole that fits a USB-C port perfectly.
Alternatively, you desolder (or cut off) the original power connector, and 3D print (or use an online 3D printing service) a piece to fill in the gap, which has an opening for the USB-C port, another way to get a very clean looking mod.
It's on the back so it won't really be seen, but I know it would still bother me.

 

[MikeyTaylorGaming]

If it works then it's always great!

Though... Maybe a little more time could have been taken cutting out the slot on the WiiU for the USB-C port. Looks like you've used Grandma's Gums to try cutting it out

Great work though, and I suppose it means the console is a little more portable since all you need is the power brick from a fast charging phone!

 

[Marc_LFD]

Great work though, and I suppose it means the console is a little more portable since all you need is the power brick from a fast charging phone!

People complained Xbox 360/One had a power brick, but the Wii U was kind of worse with two.

 

[MikaDubbz]

If it makes you happy, fantastic. To me it seems like a pretty needless mod in all honesty. The power brick gets hidden away behind the entertainment center, so I'm not personaly seeing the eyesore out in the open that would push me so hard to decide I need to deal with it in such a way haha.

 

[EnterpriseFreak]

If it makes you happy, fantastic. To me it seems like a pretty needless mod in all honesty. The power brick gets hidden away behind the entertainment center, so I'm not personaly seeing the eyesore out in the open that would push me so hard to decide I need to deal with it in such a way haha.

It's not the power brick itself that annoys me, it's the fact that I had three of them die on me until now. On all three the cable that goes from the outlet into the part that converts the voltage down to the level required by the console just did tear up at somepoint for no reason. Sure, if you got a working power brick that does not break on you randomly it's a pretty much needless mod as you said yourself, I just really didn't want to get a fourth brick just for it to break again with my luck.

 

[Marc_LFD]

AliExpress sells USB charging cables for use with the Wii U GamePad, and according to Reddit they're reliable.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003728713035.html

This is honestly a better option than using the power brick.

Customer photo:

 

[MikeyTaylorGaming]

AliExpress sells USB charging cables for use with the Wii U GamePad, and according to Reddit they're reliable.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003728713035.html

This is honestly a better option than using the power brick.

Customer photo:

The mod is for the console power brick though! The Gamepad Power Brick is rated different and has a different connector to the WiiU itself

 

[Marc_LFD]

The mod is for the console power brick though! The Gamepad Power Brick is rated different and has a different connector to the WiiU itself

I read that.

Nintendo feels like they made a very ancient console with a touchscreen controller. And a couple years later, we got the definitive Wii U.. The Switch.

 

[pkmngamer8]

Awesome! May I know what kind of usb-c board did you use for the console (and also for the gamepad)? The exact image is very much appreciated.


I am also planning to do this also: my initial plan was to make an external adapter

 

[EnterpriseFreak]

Awesome! May I know what kind of usb-c board did you use for the console (and also for the gamepad)? The exact image is very much appreciated.


I am also planning to do this also: my initial plan was to make an external adapter
View attachment 344192

For the console itself I used this board (configured to output 15v by resoldering some pads): https://www.ebay.de/itm/234820449217 You don't have to use exactly this one you just have to make sure you board supports triggering 15v supply.

For the gamepad I simply used a USB-C breakout board since USB-PD will default to 5v (which is what the gamepad needs) if there's no communication between the charger and device happening. I used this one: https://www.ebay.de/itm/254192815195

 

[MikaDubbz]

It's not the power brick itself that annoys me, it's the fact that I had three of them die on me until now. On all three the cable that goes from the outlet into the part that converts the voltage down to the level required by the console just did tear up at somepoint for no reason. Sure, if you got a working power brick that does not break on you randomly it's a pretty much needless mod as you said yourself, I just really didn't want to get a fourth brick just for it to break again with my luck.

Dang how did 3 of them manage to die on you? I'd have to wonder if the Wii U itself might be somehow defective in some way. I mean my Wii U has been plugged in nearly nonstop since 2013, and I'm still running strong on that first power brick.

 

[EnterpriseFreak]

Dang how did 3 of them manage to die on you? I'd have to wonder if the Wii U itself might be somehow defective in some way. I mean my Wii U has been plugged in nearly nonstop since 2013, and I'm still running strong on that first power brick.

That's a very good question to be honest. I don't think it's my console itself since it's not the tech inside the brick dying, it's the actual cable that goes into / comes out of the brick. Nintendo used a very soft kind of rubber as insulation for the cable (when compared to the brick of a Gamecube, Wii and even the Switch charger) and my best guess is that it's too soft for it's own good resulting in it breaking down easily under the right conditions (humidity, changes to room temperature, who knows?).

Post automatically merged: Dec 24, 2022

It's basically the areas I marked on the attached image here that always did break (2x in the sense that it did not supply the console with power anymore and 1x in the sense that the console still did receive power but it's not that great of an idea to use some power brick with life wires exposed on it) after some time.

Post automatically merged: Dec 24, 2022

Awesome! May I know what kind of usb-c board did you use for the console (and also for the gamepad)? The exact image is very much appreciated.


I am also planning to do this also: my initial plan was to make an external adapter
View attachment 344192

By the way, is this a 3D print? If so do you mind sharing the files so others can print one aswell? Not everyone will feel comfortable opening up the console, soldering some wires to some pads and cutting the case. Having basically the standard issue Wii U plug with an USB-C port on one end will open this up as a potential replacement / alternative to a lot more people with very limited soldering experience.

 

[pkmngamer8]

That's a very good question to be honest. I don't think it's my console itself since it's not the tech inside the brick dying, it's the actual cable that goes into / comes out of the brick. Nintendo used a very soft kind of rubber as insulation for the cable (when compared to the brick of a Gamecube, Wii and even the Switch charger) and my best guess is that it's too soft for it's own good resulting in it breaking down easily under the right conditions (humidity, changes to room temperature, who knows?).

Post automatically merged: Dec 24, 2022

It's basically the areas I marked on the attached image here that always did break (2x in the sense that it did not supply the console with power anymore and 1x in the sense that the console still did receive power but it's not that great of an idea to use some power brick with life wires exposed on it) after some time.View attachment 344197

Post automatically merged: Dec 24, 2022

By the way, is this a 3D print? If so do you mind sharing the files so others can print one aswell? Not everyone will feel comfortable opening up the console, soldering some wires to some pads and cutting the case. Having basically the standard issue Wii U plug with an USB-C port on one end will open this up as a potential replacement / alternative to a lot more people with very limited soldering experience.

I found it on our local online store (Shopee). It is also available on AliExpress:

"Repair parts For WII U 2 Pin 180 degree power supply ac adapter male connector jack plug interface replacement part"