Hacking So I am about to solder in my wiikey...

kingmathyou · Aug 12, 2007

This is my first mod chip installation. I've soldered before though and I'm decent at soldering. Do you guys have any pointers for me when I put my wiikey in?

Oh BTW, I have Wii NTSC v2.2U, in case that matters. My wiikey is also a legit chip.

I think I should be alright, but as it's so small and all, I would ask around see if there are any little suggestions you guys would think that would help me out.

ziddey · Aug 12, 2007

Your wii have cut legs? If so, that job will require 99% of the effort.

But as for the wiikey install itself.. flux the pads on the wii. hold your wires parallel to the board and dab the pad until it melts and the wire gets eaten in. Once it cools, you can pull the wire upright so it's perpendicular. Repeat for all of the pads on the pcb. It would help to do it in some sort of circular manner such that previously soldered wire won't get in the way.

Then, flux the contacts on the wiikey and situate it on the pcb. It may be of help to have tinned the wires and contacts on the wiikey. Bend one of the wires such that it hugs along the wiikey pcb and goes parallel above the contact. Solder. Wait for it to cool and use something to snip off the extra wire. You'll be then left with a perfect shortwire. Repeat for other contacts.

kingmathyou · Aug 12, 2007

Okay thanks! My drive chip is GC2-DMS, so I don't have to do the long annoying method GC2-D2B method.

Anyone else have some helpful pointers before I get down and do this thing?

dsbomb · Aug 12, 2007

Use wires, not the quicksolder method.

dcramps · Aug 14, 2007

Don't understand why so many people are saying to flux everything. You don't need flux for any modchip install in the Wii.

gamez2003 · Aug 14, 2007

just get some double sided tape, stick the wiikey down and use the wire method I believe its the best was to install the wiikey as you can see your job unlike the quicksolder where you cant really see if the solder has joined to other pads

as long as you dont have that new console revision you should be fine.

BTW I think most solder these days has flux cores well every single spindle ive bought has been a flux core.

dcramps · Aug 16, 2007

I would strongly suggest using no-clean solder rather than rosin cored solder that seems to be so popular. No-clean is far far nicer to work with, with less cleanup etc.

3DPiper · Aug 16, 2007

I mounted mine externally so I can pull it off whenever I need to (although I have never needed to yet).. Might be something to think about.

Oh, and although it's been said a million times: use a small-tip, low wattage iron (12W or so)..

Good luck!

-Matthew

HKCC · Aug 16, 2007

do not hold in the same position for too long, and u will find it easy after the first point

KamiCrazy · Aug 17, 2007

I soldered in my wiikey yesterday night. First time I did any soldering for 10+ years. These are the challenges I had.

My hands are never still, years of abuse have meant that I have slight parkinsons shake in my hand. I found it very difficult to hold the iron straight.

I used a 40w soldering iron, I was aware that I could cause nasty heat dmg so I had to work very quickly in very short bursts. Hard to do when your hands are shaking very slightly.

I couldn't actually wire solder the smaller contact points at all, so I just quicksoldered the whole thing. I found quick soldering to be much easier.

gamez2003 · Aug 17, 2007

QUOTE(KamiCrazy @ Aug 17 2007 said:
I soldered in my wiikey yesterday night. First time I did any soldering for 10+ years. These are the challenges I had.

My hands are never still, years of abuse have meant that I have slight parkinsons shake in my hand. I found it very difficult to hold the iron straight.

I used a 40w soldering iron, I was aware that I could cause nasty heat dmg so I had to work very quickly in very short bursts. Hard to do when your hands are shaking very slightly.

I couldn't actually wire solder the smaller contact points at all, so I just quicksoldered the whole thing. I found quick soldering to be much easier.

lol 40watts. shit thats alot. I guess it all depends upon how long you hold the solder iron on the point. I personally use a 13 watt .2 fine tip solder iron

Shadow-Zero · Mar 8, 2024

Google got me here ^^;

I was trying to replace my Wii laser, but in the process some wires from the wiikey got detached (didn't do the install myself). I'm trying to resolder it, but it doesn't stick at all. I fluxed it, but it's just a black hole on the pcb now so to speak, and the wire and solder won't attach. What else can I try?

More pics:

JuanMena · Mar 8, 2024

Shadow-Zero said:
Google got me here ^^;

I was trying to replace my Wii laser, but in the process some wires from the wiikey got detached (didn't do the install myself). I'm trying to resolder it, but it doesn't stick at all. I fluxed it, but it's just a black hole on the pcb now so to speak, and the wire and solder won't attach. What else can I try?

More pics:

Lol that black hole has no trace left in it, so it's not going to work unless you find copper around it or a copper via you can solder to.

Shadow-Zero · Mar 8, 2024

Darn! Did I desolder it, or did it get pulled off/out with the wire?

Can it do harm to keep it there with the two loose wires?

JuanMena · Mar 8, 2024

Shadow-Zero said:
Darn! Did I desolder it, or did it get pulled off/out with the wire?

Can it do harm to keep it there with the two loose wires?

If the solder pad came off with the wire, it should still be attached to the wire.
My guess is yes, it came off with the wire itself.

Again, unless there's a light colored trace around it (a line going to that broken pad) you can scrap a bit of that pcb mask to expose copper and solder the wire directly to it.

Alternatively, you could check the other side of the PCB and see if the trace goes to another chip or something, then you could just solder a "jump wire" which means soldeting a wire connecting both points.

Shadow-Zero · Mar 8, 2024

Was that a case of the iron being too hot?

You think the Wii will still function properly like this?

EDIT:
There seem to be lines going to the pins of the chip. Still, it's all very microscopic (to me

) and the two lines are very close to eachother. Not seeing myself successfully go scraping there. Made a photo of the back now too btw.

RatchetRussian · Mar 9, 2024

Shadow-Zero said:
Was that a case of the iron being too hot?

You think the Wii will still function properly like this?

EDIT:
There seem to be lines going to the pins of the chip. Still, it's all very microscopic (to me ) and the two lines are very close to eachother. Not seeing myself successfully go scraping there. Made a photo of the back now too btw.

This would be an east trace repair for any professional. I would either practice on something valueless or give it to a professional. Preserve this beautiful Wii modchip which is so rare nowadays.

Yes the Wii would work fine after a trace repair (scratching nearby trace and soldering to it) assuming there's no damage to the deeper layers (doesn't look like there would be)

Shadow-Zero · Mar 9, 2024

It's not a WiiKey 2 though, it's the 1st version. Is there a general consensus in the community that it's beautiful? haha
It's hard to find documentation for the 1st version nowadays it seems. All the links are dead, and the diagrams I do see are so different, I gather that's the v2 version. This is pretty much what I could find so far: https://www.ps2cover.com/pages.php?pageid=8

Sorry, I meant to ask, will the Wii work properly/can it cause damaged if the modchip isn't connected properly? Primarily I want to continue getting a working dvd drive/laser. Else I need to consider desoldering it, which would a pity somewhere, although with homebrew there are alternative options (and in the meantime I have a large backlog of original discs to still go through).

Alternatively I can get a backup Wii and do a complete drive swap.

Shadow-Zero · Mar 11, 2024

Well, some progress. Did a drive swap to my old Wii, which is reading DL discs fine now. Put the dvd drive of the old Wii (where I put the original laser back in, since the new replacement one didn't work) in the backup/spare-parts Wii after I fiddled with the pot, and now it reads DL discs too!
I forgot if I also tried the replacement laser after adjusting the pot or not (think I did, but not sure now).
Ideally I fix the Wiikey which is now in the backup/spare parts Wii, but I reckon that's way beyond my skills/tool set.

JuanMena · Mar 12, 2024

Why don't you simply get rid of that dumb outdated chip and load DVD/CD or whatever burned Backups via CFG USB Loader?

Hacking So I am about to solder in my wiikey...

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