Hardware Best chip for use with Wlip?

[kedest]

Thanks again for the replies. Good info.

Only thing I'm still confused about is the non modchips, the "only code" ones like YAOSM. You say chips for them are very cheap and easy to come by. I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about. What do these 'chips' look like? I guess you just somehow attach the YAOSM to this chip without soldering? Kinda confusing. Thanks.

You download the YAOSM code and use a programmer to put it on a PIC chip. That's a standard chip that can be used for many purposes, and in this case it can be used as a mod chip. It looks like this:

Those chips are very cheap, and if you have a business or university email adress, there's even a company that will send you some chips for free.
You can build the required programmer yourself (it only requires some cheap parts, but you do need some skills for it), or get one from ebay for example (search for JDM programmer).

 

[ropeadope]

Ah, well that's much too technical for me, but thanks for explaining. I'll just buy a Wiinja Deluxe I think, so I can just snap it into the Wlip when i get it, should be easy, but much could still go wrong I imagine.

 

[GeekyGuy]

Ah, well that's much too technical for me, but thanks for explaining. I'll just buy a Wiinja Deluxe I think, so I can just snap it into the Wlip when i get it, should be easy, but much could still go wrong I imagine.

Well, I was just re-reading the FAQ on the "official" Wlip site, and it does say that PIC chips like the Wiinja will just plug into the Wlip, so no soldering needs to be done either to the Wii itself or the chip. I find that to be a relief. I have an iron, but my soldering abilities are amateur at best.

Also, again, according to their site the Wlip is supposed to be released on the 21st, but the wording implies that it will be released only "if" it is feasible for them to market it. Hmm...

Sounds like they had the product finished but stopped production so as to update a model that would work also for D2C chips (which whatever they had before didn't work for that model Wii). Hopefully, they follow through, because this is really the only option, currently, I care to pursue when it comes to modding my system.

Lastly, they address the issue of the clip coming off after installation. A quote from their FAQ: "...Wlip has been especially designed to avoid this problem. Wlip fits perfectly in your console so that it can't move once you have installed it."

Well, hopefully we'll know something in a week from now?

 

[ropeadope]

Ah, well that's much too technical for me, but thanks for explaining. I'll just buy a Wiinja Deluxe I think, so I can just snap it into the Wlip when i get it, should be easy, but much could still go wrong I imagine.

Also, again, according to their site the Wlip is supposed to be released on the 21st

Actually, their site says it's coming out on the 21th, just a little typo

It's hard to find places to buy wii mod chips. Anyone know what the cheapest wii mod chip i could get is that would work with the Wlip with no soldering/welding whatsoever? If it's still the Wiinja Deluxe, where can I get it at (for the lowest price of course...I don't have a lot of scratch

)? The sticky thread with all the retailers is a little outdated now, but I'll browse through it again.

 

[kedest]

The cheapest solution would be a general PIC chip on which you load opensource modchip software. But you would need a programmer for that

 

[GeekyGuy]

Well, I'm personally sticking with the Wiinja Deluxe simply for convenience. I don't know anything about programming a chip, and I just don't have the time to invest in figuring that out. I'm happy to pay to have Wiinja do the legwork for me. The only site I know of that still sells the Wiinja Deluxe to the States is: http://www.futuravideogames.co.uk/e-tienda/catalog/index.php?

I spoke to their rep. They only show their prices in British pounds, but the rep. says if you use your credit card the currency will be automatically converted. I think it comes out to about $35 for the chip, but shipping might be costly, since it's coming from, I believe, Argentina. They are an official reseller, though, so I feel fairly confident buying from them.

 

[ropeadope]

Well, I'm personally sticking with the Wiinja Deluxe simply for convenience. I don't know anything about programming a chip, and I just don't have the time to invest in figuring that out. I'm happy to pay to have Wiinja do the legwork for me. The only site I know of that still sells the Wiinja Deluxe to the States is: http://www.futuravideogames.co.uk/e-tienda/catalog/index.php?

I spoke to their rep. They only show their prices in British pounds, but the rep. says if you use your credit card the currency will be automatically converted. I think it comes out to about $35 for the chip, but shipping might be costly, since it's coming from, I believe, Argentina. They are an official reseller, though, so I feel fairly confident buying from them.

I'd hope there's a better retailer out there that sells the Wiinja Deluxe, but then again I wouldn't bet on it. I'll start looking.

 

[nightwalker]

is the programmer that came with the wii-boss capable of programming the PIC for use with the Wlip?

 

[kedest]

yes. that programmer has a socket for pic chips.
If you have the wii-boss, you could also remove the socket from the wlip and solder the wires to the wii-boss. Then let the wii-boss' ribbon cable come out of the back of the wii. Updating the chip later is easier then because you don't have to open up the wii again, but you can connect the programmer to the ribbon cable

 

[ropeadope]

I don't know why everyone is suggesting chips that require soldering to go along with the Wlip. The whole point of the Wlip is that you don't have the solder. Why would you want to get the Wlip if you're going to have to solder anyways?

I thought it was all about being a solderless solution to the Wii?

 

[kedest]

Soldering would allow more modchips to be used, like the popular wiikey. And if you screw up, the wii itself will still remain undamaged thanks to the wlip.

 

[GeekyGuy]

BTW, they're now officially selling the Wlip. Of course, they only have one reseller currently listed, and that retailer doesn't yet have them in stock. But we will, hopefully, start seeing it for sale soon.

 

[ropeadope]

Soldering would allow more modchips to be used, like the popular wiikey. And if you screw up, the wii itself will still remain undamaged thanks to the wlip.

Well I guess. I still think solderless is the only way to go if you're getting a Wlip

 

[slacker99]

The Wlip is now in stock.

Also, I saw on the site for the product they list which mod chips snap in and which require solder.

 

[GeekyGuy]

Yeah, they only the have the one reseller right now, though (but a rep. from Wlip told me they would have more resellers in Feb.) Anyone having trouble using their credit cards with DiscoAzul when trying to buy one of the Wlips?