Hacking DB2 cutpins Modding without grinding chip

[wiimodder69]

This will be the second time ive managed to rebuild legs that have been removed by nintendo. This is a teadious and extreamly delicate job.The legs have been removed with a grinding tool which makes it extreamly difficult to attach wire to.However, if you look close enough you will notice a slight"shelf" the chip has that prevents all material from being removed, hence it can be attached to and repaired.

This is expert level soldering at it's finest i took a picture of a bic pen to show scale, step by step of how i rebuild legs on an smc.

Start to finish pics, not quite finished still need to chop the excess off but you get the idea!!

Just waiting for the chip now! Came out cleaner then my first one(mine).

I chose wiikey for the simple fact, i have not had a single complaint or issue with it, they just work.

 

[arctic_flame]

Congrats... they really are tiny. Whenever a cuts legs came my way, the chip got ground down.

 

[NeSchn]

With cut chips can you the Wii-Clip. Because I am going to install a Wii-Clip with D2Pro9 on it for my bro's friend and it says that he has a 50% chance that he has cut pins.

 

[wiimodder69]

Yeah, for people without the skillz to solder this level a definate option. I like the challenge of rebuilding smc legs... I would have never thought it possible even after my advanced soldering course i took in collage.... It is indeed possible and stable. For some reason the chipset with cut legs seems to be faster updating firmware??No idea why, but i have noticed this before..

Wasabi is the other option for cut legs on d2b, I havent heard much about either of these chips running on D2b chipset... This must be common practice, if it works well???

 

[gene0915]

Wiimodder69, very impressive work. Tell me, what kind of hardware do you need to be able to hit legs that small? I've modded quite a few consoles in my time (including my own launch Wii) but stand in awe of people that can rebuild those legs or grind back the chip to expose them. Can anyone give me an idea of the cost of the hardware involved to accomplish these feats? Not only the price but what size soldering pencil, etc. (Assuming you're using a soldering pencil.) One of the reasons I ask, is because I'm sure that as time goes on skills like this (in the console universe at least) will always come in handy.

Sure, with the advent of things like the Wii-clip, things are a lot easier for John Q Public but I'd like to learn how to do what you did.

 

[wiimodder69]

Really!??Cool.... well I am more then open with my soldering techniques, so pull up a chair dude!lol

OK first step as you know, this stuff requires a fairly high tech setup..Fortunatly thanks to ebay and Hong Kong... this can actually be had... cheap...
I bought this.. I have always wanted one.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Kada-852D-Soldering-Rew...1QQcmdZViewItem

Unreal... these units made by other folks such as weller or Hakko, fetch a HUGE Penny.Im so happy with the unit I will be buying another one, just because it is that good of a deal. Next.. smallest tip you can buy for it is a 0.1, which is what i use.It also is uses Hakko tips, also avalible on Ebay.The iron is slender pencil grip wieghs nothing and is fully temp controlled(LED Indicates temp).

You can also see the other part of this unit that makes me horny is the hotair SMC rework station. I can replace those chips entirely, messed up by noobs using this device, I have experiance removing and replacing chips similer to our famous d2 chipset seires. So you can see how kickass of a machine this really is!

Of course its all great to say how awsome it is, however one must also be able to use it effectivly.
So that being said I will not be covering SMC hotair usage, as you really need to practice HUGE before even attempting ...

Moving on, Basically what i do. I find the finest wire i can. I dont buy it just cut some insulated stranded wire from some old electronics.

Next I take a pair of non gripped needle nose and make a small leg (90 bend) Like i mean tiny. You can see the first leg on the right was actually a little big.The wire length im working with intially about 2 inchs.

Next flux wire with flux pen. next tin wire leaving a *slight amount, like i mean next to nothing at the base and just above the point of attachment..Flux again.

Flux exposed material on chip with flux pen.

Next is all the skillz man. Basically i attach the wire to the pad first; iron is set at 185 degrees.
next i bend the wire against the chip. Using a small blunt tool(dentist tool!lol) causing the wire to form into/overtop the small(shelf) part of the chip, you can see this how mine contours the chip. next...flux wire again as well the chip..This is the hardest part. Apply heat to the wire directly ontop of exposed metal for a fraction.... Its hard...... even a fraction to long, your entire leg will desolder instantly from the pad, and you have to start all over again. now... I also do this again after removal of the final excess wire off all three wires. Use SHARP(NEW) fine flushcut pliers. Then yes once again after straitening and verify the legs are perfect and not bridged in anyway. This takes me about 2 hours with PERFECT LIGHTING, 400watt MH above my desk.

I would never want to change the heat signature of any electronic chip, this is why i refuse to grind into an IC.

 

[NeSchn]

With cut chips can you use the Wii-Clip. Because I am going to install a Wii-Clip with D2Pro9 on it for my bro's friend and it says that he has a 50% chance that he has cut pins.

Anyone know?

 

[SenorClean]

With cut chips can you use the Wii-Clip. Because I am going to install a Wii-Clip with D2Pro9 on it for my bro's friend and it says that he has a 50% chance that he has cut pins.

Anyone know?

No D2C / D2C2 / D2E drives have cut pins! Wii tracker is really out of date.

D2B with cut legs can just use a D2Pro-9 or Wasabi - which don't use the legs which were cut. Because neither use the legs which are cut - even with D2B installs, they are fine with the clip.

 

[thieves like us]

nice job. some of the pro's over at wiinewz.com have been doing this method since the D2B's with cut pins first made their appearance.

just be careful when you go to trim the excess that you don't fracture the wire where it connects to the cut leads coming out of the chip. when I was doing them, I found it safer to go back and touch the wires with the soldering iron at the pins to ensure that I still had good contact.

btw, what kind of camera did you use to take the photos? it looks like it's got a nice optical zoom on it and gives you a good, clear picture.

 

[wiimodder69]

The Camera is the canon S2IS. It has a mode called super macro, will focus even with something pressed against the lens. this allows for super closeup shots as seen!


The trim is the tricky part for sure!! Yes I resolder those pins like 2-3 times before im totally done...

 

[wiimodder69]

finshed shots

make sure to use lots of flux, and cleanup with flux remover when done!

small vid i threw together of the test.....this is how you KNOW the wiikey is working...remeber to update to latest firmware!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXfILZV4muY