Hacking Why does the WiiKey have 6 wires?

[airrich]

Just curious, but why 6 wires? Every other chip seems to have only 5 wires. So what does this extra wire do exactly?

 

[shaunj66]

IIRC, the 6th wire is so the reset switched can be used as a menu/item select button instead of a gamecube controller.

 

[link459]

IIRC, the 6th wire is so the reset switched can be used as a menu/item select button instead of a gamecube controller.

Never knew about this. Could you explain further?

 

[Jeomite]

[Never knew about this. Could you explain further?

The Config Disc for the WiiKey is a GameCube disc. And in order to "play" a GameCube disc, you need a GameCube controller. WiiKey understand not everyone own or wants to buy a GameCube controller just to configure the WiiKey functions (i.e. Region Override). Therefore, when you pop in the Config Disc, you can press the Wii console Reset key to alternate through the menus and change any options such as Region Override, all without the use of an actual GameCube controller.

 

[dsbomb]

Check the wiikey site's download section. Version 1.1 of the config disc used the reset button like that. But people found it hard/awkward, so they went back to the gamecube controller with 1.2.

 

[DGSystems]

.

 

[cardyology]

I used V1.2 and the reset button to navigate. Worked fine.

 

[Thulinma]

Using the reset key to select menu items has nothing to do with any wires, it is pure software: try it on a Wii/GC modded with some other chip, the reset key still works to select items in the setup disc.

As for what the wire DOES do.... no idea.

 

[lenselijer]

the 6th wire is for updating

It supplies the extra voltage required to flash the atmel chip.

 

[kai445]

the 6th wire is for updating

It supplies the extra voltage required to flash the atmel chip.

The atmega8 doesn't require HVP ...

 

[darrrren]

iv always thought it was for the dvd update.

 

[Hooya]

It can't be a requirement for DVD updating... maybe using the code that the WiiKey uses does require this. But if OpenWii can DVD update without this extra wire, and they use the same chip, than it can't be just for DVD update.

But again, it might make a difference on how it's coded, I'm not really sure.

 

[flyingape]

sounds interesting, am keep looking for more tech. info

 

[moshii]

It can't be a requirement for DVD updating... maybe using the code that the WiiKey uses does require this. But if OpenWii can DVD update without this extra wire, and they use the same chip, than it can't be just for DVD update.

But again, it might make a difference on how it's coded, I'm not really sure.

Maybe it's used for locking/unlocking the chip during updates using a super secret code so that Nintendo can't write code to nuke people's wiikeys?

Someone could always stick a logic probe on it and see what happens?