Building A Nintendo Wii Handheld

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Today we're going to be cutting a Wii in half. In order for the console to fit inside a small Gameboy like shell it needs to shrink down a lot. Cutting out parts of the motherboard that are not needed is a method modders have been using for a while now and today we're going to see if we can cut a board up and still have it start up.
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#Nintendo #NintendoWii #Wii

[@dronedoutrc5970]

John you really need to make sure to wear a mask when cutting pcb boards. That dust is hell on the lungs and can actually damage them. You are essentially inhaling fiberglass. Safety first.

[@fergboyrossgerson1412]

Droned Out! R/C he needs to wear a mask because the boards have corona

[@dragonballgacha]

@@fergboyrossgerson1412 dude, r u 4 real rn?😆😆😆

[@fergboyrossgerson1412]

xxDBZFANxx tnl why would I be joking tho Social distancing 101

[@dragonballgacha]

@@fergboyrossgerson1412 😑ya, ok Wood has the coronavirus now. Because that makes ALL the sense!

[@ShuffleboardJerk]

xxDBZFANxx tnl wood? Where’s the wood?

[@FBlockLeymann]

0:01 : [Dremel noises] KZbin Subtitles: [M u s i c]

[@pronounjow]

Go home, KZbin. You're drunk.

[@CoreDreamStudios]

Sounds like Sandstorm :P

[@artstrange3230]

It is Music for an engineer

[@Alexander_l322]

Copyright strike from Dremel

[@OhSoTiredMan]

@@CoreDreamStudios darude sandstorm

[@GingerOfOz]

Definitely making good progress, the first portable is always a stressful experience. Looking forward to seeing it cleaned up! Big wires going to data lines always makes me sweat a bit.

[@lukeramos6546]

Oh this is absolutely beautiful 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@SCJhoops]

I’ve never made one before but the stress wouldn’t be the right word for me I’d either be stupidly confident or stressing like my life depended on it 😂 but he def looks like he’s doing a solid job with it, especially for his first time doing it

[@lazyoutsider35]

Just watched your wiiboy color video before this one. I emailed you about it lol yours looks really good too

[@crazytomato5516]

How do you get a kit

[@09goatboy36]

Ginger, is it possible to make a Wii Hybrid?

[@amansaxena5898]

The best wire to use for these kind of things is the one you find in a CAT5 cable

[@mikepecore5752]

I believe its 24 gauge wire if I'm not mistaken

[@perezidentperez]

Yep I used cat5 internal wires for moding my Xbox 360 back in the day. But he is right though speaker coil wiring is the easiest for via points.

[@Cjay2200]

I used some CAT5 to wired up computer parts for a lab on a breadboard in school back in the day. CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. It was a terrible experience because these little cables are very fragile and some of them broke inside the sheath from being manipulated too much. It was a nightmare to debug.

[@amansaxena5898]

@@Cjay2200 yeah CAT5 wires are pretty terrible for breadboard. Standard breadboard single core wire is best for that purpose. But for space constraint areas or for making bridges on perfboard, CAT5 wires are pretty good.

[@border056]

Magnet and kynar wire are better alternative than CAT5 wire.

[@stapledead]

4:53 Dremel looks terrified to be making that first cut.

[@JesseAndMike]

Great video! Really enjoyed watching this!

[@chuyramirez3731]

@SuperIceCream - Pixel Worlds so, is this a joke cause there's no way this should work. This is really misleading.

[@rager1969]

My suggestion, if the screw holes are too tight, try driving the screws without the PCB to create the threads/bore out the holes. Then remove the screws, place the PCB and screw in. It may seem obvious to some but better to point it out and save someone from thrashing their PCB and/or components.

[@kman316]

These kits are so amazing, I’d love to try this someday, just can’t justify the cost. Can’t wait to see the finished handheld. Is it sad that I was excited and happy when you fired up the Cut up Wii for the first time? So cool.

[@DarkTyyp]

If I was an engineer, I would literally do this full time.

[@souit957]

Engineer here we don't do that. You can do that full time if you learn it online

[@MarouaneTF]

@RaLLyKaTz OoO this kit isnt as gard as making a portable fully by yourself from scratch

[@punkydudester3]

Seriously what is stopping you. There are millions of people who want this done, just like GBA has millions of people upgrading their screen, battery to AA or pack, better speaker & any color they want.

[@_swesters_]

@@punkydudester3 resources and money

[@bobbrossify]

Electrical engineer here - we do not do this. We have technicians for any kind of hands on work that needs to be done and they get paid A LOT less. We’re stuck in design work and troubleshooting typically.

[@khtrammell]

I'm *shocked* that you got the Wii board trim right the first time. I've always avoided trying it out intimidation but you've challenged me on this. Nice job to you and the instructions 👍

[@thecasualcanuck4590]

Ok, im happy this is continuing. I'd never do this. I learned how to do basic mods off of guys like you, but this is far too advanced for me. Also, pretty happy you got a legit sponsor here.

[@BatLB]

spawnwave is such a humble genius, how can you NOT love that dude.

[@zaakaryvoid991]

I straight up love him.

[@Cubbyg22]

Mike UK either way putting this stuff together isn’t something the average joe is gonna commit their time to

[@Matanumi]

No trail blazer this time - portable wiis have been around for years

[@BatLB]

@Mike UK and? if you build you own car in your garage i will also congratulate you, even though you didnt invent the automobile.

[@TruTrae]

Mike UK you do realize that when you learn something in school you are using others hard work to figure things out?

[@_Banjo_]

Gone a bit insane in recent times during lockdown - updating all my consoles to the latest homebrew stuff. Backing up my entire library etc. This has been quite the project. The Wii and WiiU are phenonemonal and the 3Ds. Then you show me this..... Woah

[@highlandcrawler]

Pretty amazing project. Has me looking at my old Wii in a new light. Kinda disappointing though for a $300+ product to have a 3D printed case instead of a nice molded one.

[@frostedfiresmods2059]

Nice work Spawn Wave, also don't forget to remove the 5 capacitors on the front of the Wii motherboard. You will not be able to close up the case if you don't and it's easier to remove them now before too many tiny wires are on. That is something that wasn't included in the Manual but can be seen in the pictures of the Manual.

[@ikotherainman4866]

Imagine being an engineer waking up one day and being like... "Gonna build my own gaming handheld today.." Such a dope video series

[@UzzyT.]

This doesn’t actually look as difficult as I originally thought, great work.

[@RedboltTech]

I like the Wii shop music you added as you slices away at the board. Made me smile a bit.

[@Huanchee]

I've got a few spare wii's I was tempted to do this on, but the idea of cutting the wii board like that just seems so...wrong.... ...not sure why I got extras. Probably cuz they were so dirt cheap.

[@why8308]

You should do it.

[@eduardovallejo962]

This project is really cool, the gc has great games that would suit perfectly for a handheld. Nice job!

[@JohnDoe-kv3kd]

The only downside is for all the work and money it only plays for about three hours portably. Again still cool, just a lot of work for something that is portable but only has three hours of playtime per charge.

[@AutisticGaming2004]

@@JohnDoe-kv3kd That's literally the switch lol 3 hours of playtime of course depending on the game and if you have the v1 or v2 switch etc.

[@duck7496]

It's not made by him It's made by Gmanmodz

[@JohnDoe-kv3kd]

@@AutisticGaming2004 Exactly.

[@doomsdayjoestar47]

@@JohnDoe-kv3kd u can mod it to a 2000 mah battery not hard

[@rgpistolero1458]

Nice work spawn! Can’t wait to see it completed, this is awesome!

[@eddiejeffrys1985]

I wonder why they didnt go the route of ribbons for soldering video and usb etc to the trimmed wii. Then have zif connectors on those PCB's. It would make things much more manageable.

[@Dark_Mario_Bros.]

* *removes wii's wifi* * me: it's useless now

[@kamranm4078]

you'll love the wii mini

[@danielvillalobos3655]

Like the wii wifi is useful in some way in 2020

[@Dark_Mario_Bros.]

@@danielvillalobos3655 well, if you want to homebrew that, the best way is using wifi

[@danielvillalobos3655]

@@Dark_Mario_Bros. or you could just.... use a USB stick from your pc and install it on your wii. Like I did

[@mistysstevens]

@@danielvillalobos3655 yes since you have the home brew channel you definitely have a powerful pc/laptop

[@guitarhero367]

Thank you for the great content! I really enjoyed the video! It’s cool to see some skills I learned in my last job applied to Frankensteining one of my favorite systems 😁

[@wozthescott2804]

Wii finally made it to part 2

[@DarkTyyp]

Hey Scatt, all here

[@Electro096]

I can't find part 1

[@neptune3569]

Scozz hey, here here all

[@WaynesWorld69]

Wow.....when you turned on that dremal and started cutting I swear my heart rate increased. Every part of my soul says this should not be done! Great work!

[@Preech.Avangelist777]

Wow bro, this video is the truth. What an amazingly awesome experiment, very creative very inventive great choice for the channel.....keep it Up ;) Long time watcher and subscriber

[@unknownwill4th549]

@Mike UK so? Its still impressive

[@fefe177]

Nintendo Wii shop music... You will be missed...

[@SixString_J5]

I can't thank you enough for doing this. It clears up any misconceptions that I would be able to do this, lol.

[@devastation3395]

as someone who built and hacked a Wii from scratch, the cutting of the motherboard broke my heart.

[@_Banjo_]

Loving the use of the wii music ...that elevator background music while youre doing the important stuff

[@js.sunset]

I'd rather have a tablet-sized portable console. That way, the screen would be larger and the board could remain intact.

[@DS9TREK]

I'm surprised they didn't make it Switch sized for that reason.

[@stedmangg]

why would the board need to remain intact when most of it isn't needed?

[@itsbea3859]

You,,, dont keep the board intact when making a wii portable. Like you just don't. Most of the stuff is either unnecessary, or will actively prevent the system from working as a handheld console

[@SunnyCress]

Fix a tablet sized hdmi screen to a wii and connect then stick a wii remote and a nunchuck to the side with Velcro and you have a switch that reads disks

[@notneeded872]

I understand the first 2 but the intact part doesn't make sense, It would make it significantly larger, and the other stuff on the board is mostly voltage controllers, disk drive stuff, wireless stuff (WiFi and Bluetooth which can be moved) and game cube controller stuff. Using it couldn't even avoid soldering because of the fact that you'd have to redo the voltage control anyway

[@CPMEDIACREATION]

thats so awesome man! i cant wait to see the end result, i never would of dreamed to cut a motherboard up and frankenstien it all back together again to make it work lol badass my friend!

[@55Kryan]

What a hero this man is, showing such a niche hobby in detail for all of us newbies.

[@therunningxfree]

I’m really looking forward to watching this whole process, I’ve been interested in a G-Boy myself.

[@Slamgod]

Very appropriate back ground music, John. This looks like a great challenge! Fingers crossed 🤞🏻, brother. Can’t wait to see the finished project.

[@Maverick7r]

Looking good man!! As with some of the other comments it will be A LOT easier if you get some 34awg magnet wire for all the data lines. Things like USB, VGA, Audio, controller wiring and U10 rewire. 😁

[@derrickrussell8254]

When you are tired of waiting for Nintendo to release GameCube online app, just go make your own portable GameCube.

[@smgofdvld]

Dolphin is good enough for me 😁

[@OrchidEleven]

@@lol-ih1tl ya people who want gamecube on switch are just casuals

[@quadragoo8484]

Your smartphone is a portable nes + snes + gamecube + wii + ds + 3ds machine

[@quadragoo8484]

@@lol-ih1tl im using a decent gamepad and honestly just feels right especially the emulators updates from time to time.Personally, it's the most practical emulator machine and plus, you can upscale the resolution up to 2k if you have a powerful device.

[@indianatoads]

@@OrchidEleven Agreed, I really don't understand why more people won't just mod their Switch and then use L4T to use Dolphin

[@peperotz6188]

So when is part 2 coming out

[@twysted]

that is nuts man i am totally loving this john i like you am surprised at cutting that board and it works... thanks for doing this

[@ludvigholst4767]

Your videos are so calming to watch. You do the narrating greatly´, keep it up

[@JayDrisc1]

I really want to do this project!

[@AeroMittens]

They can blow up on you though did you read the fineprint?

[@oopsdidntmeanto9203]

Adam Mendez it can blowup :o

[@JohnDoe-kv3kd]

Also everything you need will cost about $400 or more and it only has a play time of about three hours per charge. Otherwise a very cool project.

[@AeroMittens]

@Neil Degrasse Tyson if you do it right xD

[@misham6547]

I'm usually against destroying discontinued hardware, but the Wii was so popular even I'm drawn to do this

[@blizmo2]

Excellent! Cant wait to see it run

[@ChrisfrmOhio]

where is the next video to the this build?

[@Masterblack1991]

Some step are inverted for me,for example i think is better to install the fan before usb e power board for easy access. Btw a plastic header pin and some pre-wired cable is perfect for this application,take muuuuch time to do,bit the end result is better. Nice video :)

[@HackerBilly13]

I would definitely recommend getting magnet wire and then some other small wires as well.

[@jahkae]

Very interesting. Keep up these kinds of videos, my guy. I am enjoying them very much

[@act4413]

Love this content! Don’t wait so long for part 3!!!

[@josephdemoya3896]

Love this video very detailed looking forward to watch a lot more of your content

[@AnimalsmusicFGC]

This was really cool to watch!! Keep the videos coming!

[@barryschewe1828]

This is so awesome. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I have 3 Wiis that I have no idea what to do with. Omg

[@fungalchamber7463]

Things like this makes you realize that a lot electronics are made to fit the shell

[@Gloohmy]

great stuff man, love these videos!

[@mohsinsajid288]

Well done dude - very brave

[@1030eev]

Super cool cant wait to see it done.

[@doivid]

Really cool stuff! Can't wait for the next part!

[@00r99]

Damn i would like for you to take a look at my systems every time i need a repair haha youre a pro man, if you ever into that bussiness you will be my first option always!

[@ashykins]

Umm it was a kit?

[@00r99]

@@ashykins what i meant its that he has a lot of skill for systems he could be able to repair almost everything

[@jeff15]

Love ur videos. Use 30 awg wires. Should fit fine in the case. For ground and power use the 24 awg. Can't wait to see the rest of the project.

[@angellao9469]

Great video. Can't wait to see the finished product

[@MarkDavidBlack]

Wow great job! Can't wait for the next part.

[@midievalcat7770]

Somebody could make big bucks just for building these for people

[@tollywallace8468]

They do. And for BIG bucks, too.

[@MEQUPWER]

ya, the 10 a year they gona sale is worth it.

[@professorparabellum]

flappy188 still a lot of money considering these cost around $900-$2000 and more than “10” people buy them

[@bingbing4332]

cästles for 2000 dollars I would expect a more polished case that’s crazy!

[@LandHooman]

tbh it is one single guy making and selling them

[@pedroas3981]

Can't wait for the next part, it's a really cool project

[@amrok2002]

Awesome vid mate 😊

[@Electro096]

I like watching this sort of stuff, it's coming rather nicely.

[@scottfox874]

Absolutely love the sanding music. 😃

[@drogbasasuke]

This is a marvelous project, congratulations 🎉

[@ViolinistProductions]

I love seeing the community's hardwork being shown off like this :)

[@onejrc4]

Badass. Can't wait for part 2. Great job even if you are reading the instructions

[@BruceWayne-el3qe]

Very awesome video, can't wait to see it in action.

[@8990jimmer]

Really interesting! Looking forward to the next part!

[@BM1620]

Telephone wire out of a old cable would be perfect for that, that's what we used on electronics back in the day to jumper across cracked traces on boards.

[@JasonSawyer]

Amazing, even if somewhat impractical. Will it be able to run off USB while charging?

[@neptune3569]

This video is actually following the guide of the G-boy portable wii kit. That kit uses the USB port for charging and data, so no. But there is a built in microSD slot, sort of.

[@chrisg828]

I'm digging the music while you cut with the dremmel. 👍

[@hassenfarooq8560]

This is an interesting build, love it!

[@cantolope3322]

This video was so cool can’t wait for the next one!

[@danielnichols7817]

I super enjoyed this video. I can’t wait to see part 2!

[@stephendallasdraws2929]

They should just make a kit that fits in the Wii U tablet. its a little roomier so you'll get better battery time

[@itsbea3859]

Or you could just do it yourself like a Big Boy

[@itsbea3859]

@referral madness Haha funny. Exactly what I meant. But seriously, wii handhelds are far from the most difficult thing to create without a kit. Stop wishing and start doing

[@itsbea3859]

@referral madness No? Literally I said "you don't need a kit" not "you need to make every piece yourself". Just do like two seconds of research on handheld wiis

[@itsbea3859]

@referral madness seriously. people do it without a kit. you dont need someone to make a kit for you in order ro make yourself a handheld wii- i would know, I've been doing research on the topic for a while as I plan on making my own. You don't need to be a rocket scientist, you just need to understand the basics and follow one of the many guides avalable online. Fuck, you don't even need to make your own buttons- plenty of people use gamecube controller buttons. Its not as difficult as you're convincing yourself it is

[@itsbea3859]

@referral madness actually many wii handhelds are quite beautiful and have a battery span of 4+ hours

[@BuggyBum26]

Awesome work sir!

[@dallaspatrick82]

More videos like this, super entertaining 👍👍

[@SirLionhead1]

Ah that Wii shop music, brings back some happy memories

[@Talsbynians]

the we music that played during the first cutting portion was golden

[@rokero171]

A great tip do build this is using old IDE cables as wires, they are really small and they are super easy to route.

[@mike21cod]

I think all your audience love this king of videos.

[@zartiz]

Pretty amazing stuff. Makes me want to try it myself

[@GotTM87]

We need more of this content.

[@GianfrancoLaRotta]

Very nice tutorial!!

[@seanscarborough4023]

I really enjoyed this. Thanks spawn

[@samuraispiritsx]

that shit was wild, great video

[@britannic27]

This reminds me of when I used to watch How it's Made lol

[@jaredf6205]

This is awesome! I didn't know you did Ben Heck stuff

[@Kurtyburt]

The Wii shop music was a nice touch

[@alexanderlee5180]

That's insane! Sooo cool!

[@RobertFierce]

It's been over a month! Where is the finished wii handheld?

[@AndrewO83]

Pretty nifty Jon. I'd love some handheld Wii games.

[@rupertocampo8965]

Oh man. 0:05 The anxiety I felt right after with Spawnwave with just all kinds of wrong but can't wait for the rest of this series.

[@shortbreadhead]

I always knew I needed a Wee Wii

[@thesegacampgamerandwerecam7504]

8:38 - 8:55 you did Sandpaper ASMR? I call this Hot Air ASMR.......... actually feels pretty warm too!

[@woogaloo]

I wish I had picked up one of these while they were available. Have any suggestions since the G-Boy isn't being sold anymore?

[@sellers8133]

Its very very hard to 3d print m2 threads being they are so small and that it's 3d printed. Only way around it is running a tap into all the holes which would be laborious.

[@doublecheesegamer4314]

where is the end ?