Poking at the Wiis inner workings with a soldering iron. You break it, you get to keep all of the pieces.http://forum.wiibrew.org/list.php?7Sun, 14 Jun 2026 06:02:05 +0200 Phorum 5.2.23 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,74455,74455#msg-74455 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,74455,74455#msg-74455
It is well known that the Wii has poor component image quality. Gamecube component is much clearer:

Example : [retrorgb.com]

Apparently, some of the later Wii hardware revisions had slightly better image quality than the earlier ones via component though.

I've been told that these are probably the later models - RVL-101 - the ones that had no Gamecube ports.

Does anyone have any more in depth information as to exactly which hardware revisions have this 'upgrade' in image quality?

Cheers]]> andykara2003 HardwareFri, 19 Sep 2014 08:49:07 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,74349,74349#msg-74349 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,74349,74349#msg-74349
They are generated by the console (not copyrighted), so there shouldn't be any legal issues.]]> JoostinOnline HardwareSat, 17 May 2014 01:33:45 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73702,73702#msg-73702 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73702,73702#msg-73702
I want to make my very own Wiimote with Motion Plus functionality as an experimental project. To do this I need some equipment:

- Bluetooth
- Microcontroller
- Accelerometer
- Gyroscope
- IR camera
- etc.

I want to use an AVR microcontroller since I have some exerience with AVRs. The AVR will communicate with the Bluetooth module using UART. I am thinking about using a RN42 class 2 Bluetooth module. I can read on the Wiimote site that: "The Wii Remote uses (and, at times, abuses) the standard Bluetooth HID protocol to communicate with the host..." and "The Wii Remote actually uses a fairly complex set of operations, transmitted through HID Output reports, and returns a number of different data packets through its Input reports, which contain the data from its peripherals."

Anyone know if I will be able to communicate with the Wii U using this RN42 module and a microcontroller?

Thanks for any response!]]> Mikrogut HardwareMon, 16 Sep 2013 14:14:20 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73565,73565#msg-73565 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73565,73565#msg-73565
working on a system to use different controller types to navigate a 3D scene. Did some work on Kinect, Android smartphone and using Brian Peeks WiimoteLib for a Wiimote and Nunchuk. Now I just discovered a friend owing a board from Tony Hawk Ride. Is there a way to use its sensors on a PC? Using Win 7 x64 and like to code in C# but after all any working implementation is more than welcome. All I could find on the web was:

http://cycling74.com/forums/topic/tonyhawkrideshredcontrollerhackjitter/

But I don't know this language nor did the original poster upload anything or responded to requests in the thread.

Hope one might help,

Cya]]> Hilarius HardwareFri, 16 Aug 2013 22:00:02 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73335,73335#msg-73335 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73335,73335#msg-73335
I'm wondering if this is due to improper setting of Page Scan Interval, Page Scan Window, or Page Scan Mode on my host controller? I'm using PSM R1, which is what I saw the wiimote announcing in a request. I could try to set the host controller page scan to continuous, but wouldn't that leave no bandwidth for the data communication?

Thanks.]]> ags000 HardwareSun, 21 Jul 2013 17:19:47 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73327,73327#msg-73327 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73327,73327#msg-73327
1) Once an HID connection is established, I originally attempted to cause the LEDs to cycle from LED1, then LED2, 3, 4, and repeat. I sent output report 0x11 with the single data byte holding the proper value (bits 4-7 representing LEDs 1-4, respectively, and bits 0-3 cleared). I then verified that the setting was received by the wiimote by sending output report 0x15 and reading the current state of the LEDs from the 3rd data byte of the reply input report 0x20 . The LED values in the received input report matched what I had set, but the LEDs kept blinking as if I had not set a value.
2) After experimentation, I determined that by slowing down the cycling through each of the LED settings the flashing would stop and the desired pattern would be displayed (at a slower speed due to the inserted delay). The delay needed to be something greater than 1/2 second between sending the next LED setting.
3) Further experimentation showed that if I send an initial LED setting and then delay (at least 1/2 second) before sending any others, I could remove the delay between any subsequent changes to the LED settings, achieving the pattern in full-speed - limited only by the speed of my BT stack implementation.

This seems to indicate there is some additional "initialization" time that must be observed after sending the first output report to stop the LED flashing.

Questions:

1) Has anyone else seen this?
2) Is it documented? (I did not find it anywhere. If not, should it be?)
3) Is there any known explanation for this?

Thanks.

* to clarify: I'm sending
a2 11 10; a2 11 20; a2 11 40; a2 11 80; repeat;]]> ags000 HardwareTue, 16 Jul 2013 00:56:50 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73110,73110#msg-73110 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73110,73110#msg-73110
I have two modes that I'd like to support:

First, a pairing mode: press the sync button under the wiimote battery cover, then command my local controller to inquire, connect, and finally pair with the wiimote. This seems to work. I think it is actually establishing a bond because after this process, and disconnecting the wiimote, a single button press on the wiimote causes a Connection Request event on my local controller. I presume that indicates that the Pin/BD_ADDR has been stored in the wiimote - indicating a successful pairing.

However, after the (ostensible) pairing, the LEDs on the wiimote continue to blink. Is that because the pairing is not complete, or because I am required to send an output report to the wiimote after connecting to stop the LEDs from flashing?

Second, a reconnect mode: after successfully pairing the wiimote once, I'd like to be able to have it initiate a connection with my local controller using a single button press. This also seems to be working, but the LEDs on the wiimote continue to blink after the connection is established.

Is there some additional configuration/handshake required to complete the pairing and single-button reconnect modes? Or, is it expected that the LEDs will continue to blink until some report is sent?

Thanks.]]> ags000 HardwareSat, 13 Jul 2013 18:45:00 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73096,73096#msg-73096 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73096,73096#msg-73096forum.wiibrew.org] I was wondering if anyone has successfully accomplished the feat using an actual computer, beit Windows or Linux. It sounds like Rikmer and his/her repliers had things nearly down with Android (only stopped by Android security problems), but it doesn't sound like they ever tested things on an actual computer. Please tell me if any of you have tried this (and how to do it if you succeeded ;) )]]> Matchlighter HardwareWed, 12 Jun 2013 06:26:12 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73034,73034#msg-73034 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,73034,73034#msg-73034
Thanks.

[edit] I tried connecting with the Wiimote in discoverable mode (pressing sync button under the back cover). I was able to establish a connection (Connection Complete event returns status 0x00), but it was immediately terminated (received a Disconnection Complete event).]]> ags000 HardwareMon, 24 Jun 2013 05:26:22 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,72986,72986#msg-72986 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,72986,72986#msg-72986 boot.elf HardwareSun, 26 May 2013 00:23:41 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,72784,72784#msg-72784 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,72784,72784#msg-72784
I bought a Wii Remote Plus (RVL-CNT-01-TR) for using to comunicate with my computer. I was able to pair it (programmatically in Java and using bluetooth tools from MacOs), but all the other successive communication fails. I am not sure if all the software I used to test it was written using some protocol supported only by the previous version of the wiimote. So far, the best place I got information about the protocol of the wiimote was on the wiibrew. I am using MacOS and I am trying to do the communication using Java bluetooth stack. My main objective is to respond on the button events as well as the accelerometer, but I even could run any simple test, such as controlling the LEDs for example.

So, given my scenario, let's ask the questions:
1 - What is the best piece of software for me to look at that communicates well with this version of Wiimote (RVL-CNT-01-TR)? No problem at all with Linux only implementations but MacOS or Java is preferred.
2 - Is there any documentation describing the protocol and messages in detail?

Thanks in advance for everyone!

Kind regards,


Teston]]> feu.teston HardwareFri, 19 Apr 2013 20:56:06 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,72579,72579#msg-72579 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,72579,72579#msg-72579
We were able to successfully open up a Wii Nunchuck, add a small circuit board with a PIC16 and an FTDI USB-to-serial converter and make it show up as a usbserial device on a Linux device. However, we are only getting data packets at 3.67Hz. When I look on the scope, that is how exactly fast the packets are coming on the I2C bus from the original Nunchuck board.

Is there something I can do to change that rate?

Thanks in advance.]]> pkpdjh HardwareWed, 20 Feb 2013 23:59:47 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,70494,70494#msg-70494 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,70494,70494#msg-70494 lolwhut HardwareSat, 12 May 2012 21:07:52 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,70368,70368#msg-70368 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,70368,70368#msg-70368
6331 accelerometers/fake nunchuks?/Kionix?/stuck bits]]> yardleydobon HardwareSun, 29 Apr 2012 08:40:20 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,69755,69755#msg-69755 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,69755,69755#msg-69755 DJHoboMan HardwareTue, 27 Mar 2012 17:06:06 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68819,68819#msg-68819 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68819,68819#msg-68819 barreyi HardwareWed, 07 Dec 2011 16:10:05 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68816,68816#msg-68816 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68816,68816#msg-68816I need to connect 4 mics and a webcam...but my usb hub needs to be powered
Since i would use my hubs (i've 5 of them unused!!!) and they needs to be powered by +5v, I would get +5v directly from the inside of the wii (don't wanna use external power!!!!!!).
Is there a way to get +5v from the wii board?
I can solder very well, but my knowledge about electronic is very poor :P

Any idea? (pictures of teh board where to get +5v would be great....)

Many thanks!]]> michelinok HardwareWed, 29 Feb 2012 03:35:25 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68321,68321#msg-68321 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68321,68321#msg-68321
I need the official Nintendo datasheet on the sensor bar. I want to know if the current limiting resistor for the IR LEDs is in the bar, or the wii. I want to know what the open circuit voltage of the wii sensor bar port is on the wii console itself (I assume it's 3.3V, 5V, or 12V as these are the most common voltages used in computers). I want to know which pin is + and which is - on the connector for the sensor bar. I want to know what the current draw of the sensor bar is. I need to know these specs so I can conduct an experiment with the sensor bar. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Best outcome will be that someone can provide me with the official Nintendo datasheet for the sensor bar. Next best outcome is that someone with an EE degree can use a scope, meter, and other electric test equipment and determine these specs experimentally and can then send me these specs.

In any case I really need help finding these specs.]]> Videogamer HardwareSun, 23 Sep 2012 08:22:27 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68253,68253#msg-68253 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68253,68253#msg-68253I want to make an homebrew application that will drive the external device that I will make.
What are the protocols? What are the pinouts?

Thanks for your anwser in advance.]]> holy_artefact HardwareMon, 31 Oct 2011 08:14:34 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68134,68134#msg-68134 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,68134,68134#msg-68134
I have a Microcontroller based robotic project going on and i am wondering if it is possible to use wii controllers to controll the robot. Has any of you done somthing like this before? I was thinking to use a bluetooth module (i.e. [www.rovingnetworks.com] ) to connect to the wii controller. The serial port of that module will be connected to the microcontrollers UART. Is there any known working BT-modules?

Many thanks]]> PowerPedro HardwareWed, 12 Oct 2011 18:08:36 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,67494,67494#msg-67494 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,67494,67494#msg-67494 Antz97 HardwareWed, 03 Aug 2011 12:24:39 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,65353,65353#msg-65353 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,65353,65353#msg-65353 xGRUMPYx HardwareFri, 18 Mar 2011 04:57:29 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,64803,64803#msg-64803 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,64803,64803#msg-64803
I'm making a currently setting up my Wii with a projector. I'll be putting the Wii next to the projector (which is mounted to the ceiling) and therefore will make my own sensor bar to put under the screen.

Making the sensor bar is the easy bit. What I'm wondering is: is there an optimal distance of the IR LEDs? I'm pretty sure Nintendo simply chose a distance which matches most TV sets. So, for a 200cm image diagonal, I'd probably chose a larger distance--or is this BS?

Does anyone know any details about the triangulation algorithm used? Or can give me advice on what distance to chose?]]> brownieman HardwareThu, 24 Mar 2011 16:15:55 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,64700,64700#msg-64700 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,64700,64700#msg-64700
Relatively new to the scene and have ran into a few issues. I would like to know if anyone here in the hardware department has ever had an issue where they were playing a video game and after a certain amount of time, or after a power down, you are no longer able to get the Wii Game out of the drive?

I have tried the normal, pressing Eject multiple times, waiting a few seconds and holding it down, have tried powering the device down for 10-15 min and trying again, I even tried turning it facing down to see if it would slide down.

I am not afraid to get my hands dirty, so if necessary I will take apart the hardware to get the DVD out, however I would like to know the following:

1. Is there an easier way that I just have not tried yet?
2. If not, whats the proper procedure for manually accessing the drive to remove the DVD?

Thanks a bunch,]]> ElderUsr HardwareSat, 29 Dec 2012 13:46:21 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,63576,63576#msg-63576 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,63576,63576#msg-63576
-It has a very simple start-up (Hold down the Plus and Minus buttons on the opening boot screen)
-It starts the System Menu with a user-friendly notice (Your Wii is operating in Maintenance Mode)
-All possible online communications have been blocked as well as the Wii Message Board completely
-All Regular Wii channels are missing parts of their channel banners/animations on the System Menu
-The Mario Kart channel displays Japanese letters and the Karts will not move, but freeze once in position
-Even if you've updated your Wii to have the SD Card Menu, it does not appear
-The Mii Channel and the Disc Channel both seem to be unaffected
-This mode does not respond to control sticks and the control pad on the Classic Controller, but responds fine to the other buttons
-Nintendo is aware of this mode, but has not done anything about it via Wii System Update

I've come to one guess so far about Maintenance Mode: It's being used as a Debug Tool for Nintendo's testers. However, it's not a good guess because I can't back it up very well. I also noticed that returning to the Wii System Menu (In any way with the exception of going to options) will reset the System Menu back to normal. I've been trying to find out where Maintenance Mode is located in the Wii's Flash Memory and what exactly resets the System Menu back to normal. Does anyone know good tools to do this? I'll be posting my progress here.]]> Dr.MarioX HardwareMon, 03 Jan 2011 05:15:54 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,61492,61492#msg-61492 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,61492,61492#msg-61492
I'm not that savvy when it comes looking at the Wii in a physical way. I hope to do so one day, but for now, I have a question.

How is the Wii supposed to handle faulty USB drives? Today, before turning on my system, I connected a microSD USB adaptor to port 2 (farthest from edge), since I carry in it some music I like to listen to with WiiMC (also included in the same device). But when I turned my Wii on, it only showed a black screen.

I was quite baffled, since I had not done anything to my Wii prior to this moment, other than play with my emulators, and I certainly don't have it connected to the internet, so it couldn't have been a System update while I was away. Still I panicked, turned my Wii off and attempted to go into Priiloader with that same USB device still hooked on my console. To my relief, it did appear. But it took a few seconds longer than usual to load, which still made me worry. I went into HBC immediately after that, and I noticed it didn't detect my USB.

So I did what I'd do to my game cartridges back in the day: took a deep breath, and then blew on the USB to get rid of any kind of dirt or something, and hooked it again. This time, it instantly found my device, and WiiMC popped up on screen. But after trying to load a song, it gave me a code dump as if it lost connection to my USB.

I didn't try anything else with it after that, but without that device in my Wii, it would boot normally and into the System Menu.

So, after this really long read... how is the Wii supposed to respond to faulty USB devices? Was my experience the "expected" reaction from the console?

I only ask because I remembered a similar experience, but with my N64. My dad bought an official controller that had the plug cut off, and he decided to use the plug from a controller we had lying around that didn't work anymore. After joining the both ends correctly, hooking it up to the system and powering it on, the N64 would refuse to turn on until the controller was disconnected from the console (it would turn off immediately if the controller was pluged in while the console was on).
For anyone curious, the problem lied in the length of the cord after joining them, which was much longer than the standard controller (my dad thought that with the extra length, we could sit as far away as possible without having to carry the console around... too bad his idea didn't work, heh).

So, my point in telling this story is about how the console (Wii in my case) could react in possibly undocumented ways.

Regardless, I thank you for your attention, and apologize for the long post.]]> Magil HardwareTue, 02 Nov 2010 17:55:23 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,60541,60541#msg-60541 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,60541,60541#msg-60541
Id just like some info on what type of bad block management the Wii uses..

I assume block 0 is guaranteed by the factory to be working? Also, does the Wii skip invalid blocks or remap to RBA?

Just looking for as much info as possible as things specific to how the Wii handles things.

Thanks]]> Bad_Ad84 HardwareFri, 08 Oct 2010 14:18:54 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,60317,60317#msg-60317 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,60317,60317#msg-60317
The original website is here [www.windmeadow.com]. Copying just the odes didn't work, so need more than just that apparently.

Now, I've read the wiiimote wiki, especially on the extension controller and Nunchuk. but several things I dont get:. I'll start with what I think I understand:

1. To initialise the connection, the Wiimote sends 0x00 to 0x(4)A40040, which is the address of the device
Translated into arduino, that's

Wire.send (0x40); // sends memory address
Wire.send (0x00); //sends zero

2. How do the device reply? from the wiki:
The Nunchuk is identified by the 16-bit constant 0x0000 (0xFEFE encrypted) at register address 0xa400fe
I guess the memory address is 0xfe, but what is the value of the data to be sent? I've tried 0x00 and 0xfe, but each time the wiimote registers it as unknown device...

Can someone explain to me the data transfer between these two devices?]]> Sodrohu HardwareTue, 05 Oct 2010 16:07:45 +0200 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,59126,59126#msg-59126 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,59126,59126#msg-59126
I am relatively new to this but is there an existing library which allows connecting other Bluetooth devices to the WII? I am asking this because if there is a possibility to do that I probably will begin looking into using an android device for input to the WII. The only sensor on most android devices that is missing compared to a WII remote is the IR sensor. So in principal it would be possible to develop an app which emulates a WII remote.

BR]]> rikmer HardwareTue, 05 Feb 2013 13:39:29 +0100 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,58939,58939#msg-58939 http://forum.wiibrew.org/read.php?7,58939,58939#msg-58939I have been busy hacking away on the Logitech wheel (picked up a few for $8.00 each).... I've started a page here:
[www.wiibrew.org]

I have coms working for to/from wheel (making it usable for game play in Linux) and am in the process of reverse engineering the force feedback 'commands'.

Enjoy,
Mungewell.]]> mungewell HardwareWed, 08 Sep 2010 17:41:27 +0200