Hacking Open source vs wiikey

[phoisgood495]

Now before you talk i'm not very good at soldering, but i'm at least serviceable. My question is would it be better in the long run to do an open source external mount or install a wiikey? Brawl's delay has pushed me over the edge, and I no longer feel any guilt with modding my wii.

 

[diglett]

If you're concerned about updates, Openwii is DVD upgradeable. Though an external mount would make it easier to switch chips later.

 

[phoisgood495]

How much harder is it to do the external mount rather then putting it inside the wii and just opening it up for the crucial openwii updates?

also, if would you suggest using a 8 leg pic or a 16 leg atmega8? How much harder is the installation on an atmega8, how about external on an at mega8?

 

[diglett]

It depends how elegantly you want to mount it externally. On my first install, I just made a hole through the bottom vent which worked fine, but damaged the vent plastic and screen. That isn't very hard to do.

The atmega8 is programmable in system, so you could install it anywhere and update via dvd. For that reason, I would recommend it over a pic, which is not as easily reprogrammed.

Only a few of the legs are actually used, so not much difference there. They will both comfortably fit inside the system.

 

[phoisgood495]

With the atmega8 i'm assuming an external mount wouldnt really be necessary then? The main reason i would do an external mount is so i could easily access it for updating, also how much would a compatible programmer run for an atmega8?

 

[paul1991]

I would go with a pic beacuse of Wlip.
Also, the PICs are smaller and a bit easier to solder if you dont want a wlip.

Most of all, I am just partial to them.

 

[diglett]

With the atmega8 i'm assuming an external mount wouldnt really be necessary then? The main reason i would do an external mount is so i could easily access it for updating, also how much would a compatible programmer run for an atmega8?

Correct. You can construct a simple programmer from cheap and widely available components, though it would probably be cheaper still to buy a preprogrammed atmega8 and use the Wii for any updates.

 

[kedest]

I have an internal opensource wii-boss chip (with yaosm on it). It has an external cable that can be used for updating the chip and also for connecting an external chip.

 

[arctic_flame]

I prefer the ATEMEL AVRs (ATMEGA8)

As they're more power than PICs and programmable in-system.

(Did you know you can make your own Wiikey?)

 

[phoisgood495]

Wait where could i order a preprogrammed atmega8 that is a reliable source? This would be good for me as i dont want to waste too much money on a programmer i'd only use once

 

[diglett]

Yeah, the Wiikey also uses an Atmega8 and the hex is available in the wild.

I guess it comes down to a question of whether you expect the Wiikey folks (who have had a dead web site for some time now) or the open source community (which has not been very active lately) to provide better support.

 

[diglett]

Wait where could i order a preprogrammed atmega8 that is a reliable source? This would be good for me as i dont want to waste too much money on a programmer i'd only use once

I have no idea if this is reliable or even still in business. This link was posted on the Openwii forums in July of last year.

http://www.atvgc.com/shop/details.php?id=15