I Bought 4 BROKEN Nintendo Wii's - Let's Try to Fix them!

[@Tronicsfix]

Check out this original Xbox I bought to try and fix: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3innHiGpNiHbbs (And for those commenting about the title, I'm fully aware of the differences in the Wii and Wii U but they both didn't fit in the title very well so one of them had to go!)

[@OneSmallStepWeb]

I'm sure on release everyone had the thought. Have they told me enough information? Is it a Wii expansion? Is it the same thing?

[@davidsalmons80]

That line of capacitors is what causes a no video problem

[@leeartlee915]

Meh, Nintendo stuff is all the same. Anyone who’d be interested in a Wii being fixed is gonna be interested in Wii U’s as well (and vice versa)

[@itzd3str0y3r]

The white Wii could be software bricked from a bad soft mod install. Sadly no real way to recover it without a NAND backup.

[@dragan.duvnjak]

use this to remove parental pin.

[@nukelauncher95]

It's been a while since I've worked on a Wii U, but if you reset the parental controls, by either calling Nintendo or using the online password generator made by the homebrew community (if it still works), then you can factory reset the console. The previous owner's Nintendo Network ID will be cleared during a factory reset. If that doesn't work, just call Nintendo. They reset a couple locked consoles I've had before, no questions asked.

[@TheSlackassCrew]

I second this. I also called Nintendont and got it fixed

[@leev211]

Salt master key generator

[@lantheman3858]

Yeah, agreed, call Nintendo. I've had them reset a Wii U as well.

[@lucho3410]

I think u may also reformat the system by booting to the Wii partition. I believe it was done by holding a button while booting

[@AbdAbdAbdAbd]

one of my friends had a parental locked 3DS, i easily cracked it with an online site like at the beginning of this year so yeah it does still work.

[@jacqueshilo250]

You can call Nintendo support, I bought a secondhand Wii U and they reset the account remotely

[@abhiramakella7146]

They no longer manufacture Wii Us and no longer provide support on the Wii U as well.

[@BooleanDev]

@@abhiramakella7146 they still do on their support website

[@benrodgers4017]

This video brought back bitter sweet memories, I have a broke Wii U console that I have kept for years but I haven't been able to fix it because nobody fixes them. I'm glad you're fixing a few as they don't make them anymore and nobody bothers to repair them.

[@awilliams1701]

For the WII that has no video signal try replacing the caps especially near the video port. MattKC bought a WII for $1 when he was in Japan and it worked, but barely. He replaced the caps and it worked normally. If those caps degraded further, there would be no video signal at all. Keep in mind a lot of these were made in 2006 and back then SMD mounted caps were trash. (It makes me wonder if my wii still works)

[@NepgearGM6.1]

Me while watching thinking about that

[@cs22gaming]

That was the first thing I would have thought to do

[@BloodlustNL]

Damn makes me wonder if mine is still good. Its been sitting for a few years...

[@SwareJonge]

Unless the Wii is bricked

[@krayzie7022]

I recently took out my old Wii from my storage to play Metroid prime. Needless to say the same thing happened as in this video. Couldn't make it work.

[@wiimaster2847]

So some good news and bad news for the white Wii: The fan is spinning which means the Wii is at least getting past boot1, the second stage of the Wii's bootloader. That likely rules out an issue with the Hollywood GPU, as in order to reach boot1, boot0 inside Hollywood has to work and verify boot1 first. After that, the most likely thing that's wrong is someone softmodded this console in the past and damaged the main operating system. When that happens, you get the same symptoms as a failed Wi-Fi module: no signal and the disc drive will not spin up. In that case, there's not much you can do to fix it as it would require reflashing the NAND flash, but the signing keys for those are located in Hollywood. It's not really possible to extract those keys without the Wii functioning, so if you really wanted to fix it, you'd need to swap in a Hollywood-NAND pair, which is probably way more work than it's worth.

[@1blackbirrrd]

Is there somewhere I can look for more information on this? I haven't been in the Wii hacking scene for quite some time, but I have a stack of broken Wiis and I do believe at least one of them is just bricked. I know it'll definitely be more work than it's worth, but I'd 100% love to do it in my spare time.

[@bls3746]

I love the Wii and Wii U so I’m glad to see you fixing them. Hopefully in the future we can see some gamecube repairs? That’d be fun to see you fix

[@Tronicsfix]

I might try that. Never fixed one of them before.

[@epicman5324]

@@Tronicsfix hey, I called Nintendo support a long time ago and had my Wii u reset

[@xtreamfortnite1633]

@@Tronicsfix hey dude long time subscriber here! One small question, in the first wii u, why didn't you change the internal hard drive, with the same wii u software pre installed instead of just bricking the console. Like I did it in my ps4 and it works. So why isn't it possible in the wii u / why didn't you replace the hard drive ?

[@bls3746]

@@xtreamfortnite1633 he probably didn’t cos Wii Us don’t have hard drives im pretty sure they use flash memory

[@afieldingaf]

@@bls3746 you are correct

[@HgordoX]

The wii u is definitely the best console for homebrewing, and its such a great console for backwards compatable content/games

[@XRelays]

you can play almost every nintendo game on a modded Wii U with fan emulators and vc games, all for free

[@HgordoX]

@@XRelays yep

[@home1927]

this is one of my favorite channels on you tube.just watching you fix staff and getting things to work just gets me fired up.i love fixing staff too

[@heavyarms55]

Nintendo actually sold a better battery for the Gamepad. I remember upgrading mine. It was a big improvement and I am shocked that battery wasn't just included in the deluxe set. One of many mistakes they made with the Wii U.

[@Patrick77001]

Yeah, right? It would've helped a lot with deluxe set sales

[@heavyarms55]

@@Patrick77001 The original battery was trash tier. 2-3 hours for a controller is unforgivable. I just kept the charger on an extension cable until I learn about and got the better battery.

[@princegroove]

Cool, but where can I find one for my WiiU?

[@Patrick77001]

@@princegroove nowadays, I think you can only get 3rd party ones, or maybe some second-hands

[@isquack4592]

@@heavyarms55 I wish I had a better battery mine has expanded and only lasts for a few seconds

[@ukatosp1953]

For the Wii #2 the display problem could be caused by the surface mount capasitors near the av cable socket, check if they're working fine, also a reflow on the actual socket doesn't harm

[@Ukysseus]

I have a GameCube that turns on but doesn't display anything, no sound, no video, no signal. Do you know what may be causing this ?

[@leeartlee915]

Truth be told, it’s the gamepads that are gonna become harder and harder to find. In 10 years, the ratio of gamepads to Wii u consoles is gonna be totally lopsided (it already kinda is).

[@jen_ate_that]

It was way harder than it should’ve been to find a Wii U with the game pad on eBay. At least one that was reasonably priced :(

[@zacharyrollick6169]

I wonder if third party game pads will ever be a thing.

[@Bond007er]

My gamepads broke

[@tinystar3010]

Your PS5 cleaning tutorial saved me this morning. I decided I'd start the day by giving it another cleaning. Began to do the usual routine. Got around to using the canned air on the cooling fan and the stupid straw shot loose into the fan area, and managed to perfectly get lodged inside where I couldn't reach it. I panicked because I don't have a tool kit with TR8 bits like you recommended. I managed to find a small flathead for glasses repair and it just fit enough to get the fan screws loose but your video showed me the black plastic cover above the connector wire. Managed to get it out without damaging my PS5 or removing the tamper sticker. God knows it's near impossible to get replacement parts right now on new gen consoles. Had mine since launch too. Don't want to try sourcing one now in today's market! lol I need to order an iFixit Pro kit as soon as I can spare to!

[@Tronicsfix]

So glad you were able to get that out! Yes, that toolkit is amazing!

[@TheGlitchyMario]

The Wii was my first console ever. It’s so cool seeing these getting fixed

[@tony--james]

Love the Wii-U , underrated system.. great for soft modding/emulators also!!!

[@DeepThought420]

You're a living legend to all of us gamers! Thank you for the awesome video!

[@rylar717]

one of the problems with the ifixit Tech pro toolkit is that their driver tip is too wide sometimes to squeeze into those small grooves to screw/un-screw. Other than that their sets are great I use them all the time to repair all sorts of things people bring me.

[@WaynesWorld69]

Thanks Steve for working on the Wii and Wii U! After the PS2 these are my favourite consoles. The homebrew community is active and the games are great.

[@leeartlee915]

Not gonna lie, my favorite videos you do are the ones that are based on Nintendo systems. Don’t know why but they just tickle my fancy ;-)

[@lookitskazzy]

I'm sure someone beat me to this already, but the module in the front is the Bluetooth, the one under the drive is the wifi. If there are issues with either it won't boot. However, yours is clearly booting so that isn't the problem. You'd get a red light otherwise. Video problems are always the video encoder or the row of caps next to the video output connector (the 220uF caps and the other cap, I forget what value). Wiis are a pain in the ass to fix.

[@andreasweet6635]

This didn't work for me :(

[@wiimaster2847]

That's not entirely true. The console will still turn on with a failed Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module, you'll just get no output like here.

[@andreasweet6635]

@@wiimaster2847 Recap didn't work for me either.

[@wiimaster2847]

@@andreasweet6635 Not surprising. Recap isn't the issue too frequently.

[@jdgamingandfriends5286]

For the first wii u that you showed try making a new account on the wii u it showed up on the game pad on the top right of the screen

[@timothyle4248]

The first wii u. I think there is a way to remove and fr the console. It's technically not bricked "Good to know Joe" explains the multiple ways to get it removed and running like normal.

[@guitarhero918]

Hey Steve! Long time viewer of yours, I was hoping you would be able to upload full length uncut videos at some point maybe to another channel of yours. I like to view the entire process of teardown and putting back the consoles. Thank you!

[@rcasonbbf]

I like that you showed that ribbon cable mistake.

[@daannNx3]

The Wii with no video might have faulty capacitors. I remember watching MattKC's $1 Wii video and he fixed it by replacing them iirc.

[@retroradar_de]

For the Wii that is not booting/unfixable: try holding down reset while powering it on. Maybe it is softmodded and if it boots directly to PriiLoader you can factory reset the console from there. If this is not working (because you don’t have an sd card with the Homebrew stuff on it) you can softmod a working one and steal the sd card from there. I managed to save a „dead“ Wii with the first method (holding reset while booting).

[@amarant8916]

Can you sync a gamepad to a WiiU that’s not booting?

[@retroradar_de]

@@amarant8916 sorry i have no knowledge about Wii U, I was talking about the normal Wii

[@The_Madhatter666]

What worries me about the preservation of Wii U units is the battery pack. The gamepad will not turn on if there is no battery present and you only use the power adapter (a really poor design decision on Nintendo's part). So if the battery dies and you can't get a battery replacement, you have a dead console. Or someone can figure out if you can bypass the battery with some soldering and rewire work on the PCB.

[@bryans8656]

I always get a kick out of watching you work on devices even when you occasionally can't fix one.

[@davidsalmon3986]

When Steve said, "i'm just gonna soak this in some IPA" my mind immediately went to beer. Do I have a problem?

[@MrCliverlong]

Steve. Brilliant and entertaining content, as always. Please lose the intrusive and irritating background noise ("music").

[@SuperMattMan03]

On the Wii with no picture, usually if you leave it on for a few hours, it will start showing a picture, though very faded, dark, etc. this is due to the capacitors right next to the heat sink on the back by the fan. Replace those, and it should work.

[@sarah1390]

Hahahaha. I loved the TV saying Moving Mountains. If that is a TCL TV, I have one too that occasionally displays funny sayings. Just yesterday when I was switching back to my computer input it displayed Hamster wheel Engaged. I think that is a nice little touch.

[@Tronicsfix]

Agreed!

[@dwightdixon8508]

Wii & Wii U are a couple of my favorite Nintendo consoles. Excellent first party games plus and incredible amount of games to play from classic consoles. And modding them allowed you to play even more. Sure they had some gimmicky games but there’s far more incredible games to be had on these two consoles. Odd that Nintendo locked the games to the Wii but switched this to the user account on the Wii U

[@acstilesjr8279]

Tronicsfix, you should try other bluetooth and wi-fi modules on the no screen Wii. Get the one that Wii that Works to get sure is functional. Majority of Wii that i fix It in the past are them. Great work btw!

[@robertday5243]

Great video Steve, I've never seen inside a wii / wii u before.. found it really interesting.. would love to see you do something with a gamecube

[@johnathanscalfani1707]

Funny you mention the xbox. I am working on repairing the traces on an OG xbox right now where the clock capacitor leaked so badly it ate some of the traces. Had to order a microscope though for the area around the resistors (eyesight isn't what it used to be).

[@Grimm81774]

I bought a Wii U with both parental and Nintendo ids on it. I called Nintendo and they helped me unlock it so it isn’t bricked. Just give them a call and explain you bought it that way and they can walk you through unlocking it and setting it back to factory. I want to say that I put a post about it on the Facebook group that we are both in.

[@SirC2100]

Finally, the repair that I had waited for so long!!

[@unperrier5998]

You should learn how to reprogram solid state storage (flash or eeprom) so as to duplicate the config of another config and then factory reset it.

[@DrSalvador555]

Just got a Wii with the same button problem on Eject and Power. It's easy enough to work around with power button (just use a Wii Remote's power button to turn it on) but the eject was annoying. Thankfully I don't plan on playing much physical media, more homebrew and emulation so that doesn't really bother me much. Good to see that I'm not the only one with a weird button like that. Easy fix.

[@GTBKS]

Hey, love the content. I noticed you dont do PS3 and X360 fix videos, any specific reason?

[@tamoghnapal6619]

So MattKC had a similar Wii with no video output and it turned out that the capacitors on the video filtering circuit tend to go bad. You can try either replacing them (the capacitors on upper back side of the board) or bypassing the filtering circuit by taking an output directly from the video chip..

[@wiimaster2847]

The difference is MattKC did have video output, it was just very poor.

[@tamoghnapal6619]

@@wiimaster2847 He did not get an output at all via component cables.. Only composite had poor output

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

Hey steve just to note if you got a Wii U console without its gamepad make sure you get the gamepad that matches the region like USA gamepad with USA console or else it will try to update but pop up with a error code

[@LoftechUK]

I do enjoy the close up shots you do

[@Nogarda_]

Is there no way to factory reset that parental locked Wii U? Considering the very little I know about software, it seems there is 'always' an admin way to reset hardware. I know you can get to the bios of most consoles by holding certain buttons for so long, so is it possible to discover that and try it on the Wii U?

[@impearyal000]

I bought a Wii U Console + Pro Controller on FB Marketplace for $15. It was locked to someone's account but I ended up having to call some Nintendo number and I got it factory reset. Now I use it for emulators.

[@richardbriansmith8562]

Awesome video tronicsfix

[@JRthepyroguy]

Hey Steve. I had bought a use wii u for my kids years ago. It had the same problem . I called up Nintendo. And they was able to help me. Maybe you could try calling them. As always awsome video.

[@MichaelJones-gk8oc]

I’ve contacted Nintendo of America as well on Wii U’s that have a Nintendo ID linked. I’ve told them I just wanted to hard reset it, not access the account since I purchased it used. They take you through a few steps on the game pad and then give you a code and it factory resets the console.

[@AbeelSiddiqui]

This was a good video ! Can you do more of the good ol PS4 repair videos ? Kinda missing those.

[@TKdoh]

Sometimes I’ve had to repair Wii systems that were stuck in component mode. This presented itself as a no signal issue when plugged in with regular av cables. Trying plugging in component cables for the Wii and see if you can manually adjust the picture settings with your other av cables.

[@nicktimur]

i cant have enough of this videos gimme moree

[@Tronicsfix]

So glad you're enjoying.

[@OBrodergGaming]

Wii/Wii U consoles were so easy to softmod. Messing with CIO’s etc would sometimes brick them.

[@ElkeinnJenni]

There’s a row of electrolytic caps at the back of the board. In rest mode they are continually baked and die on Wiis that are left in rest mode. Simply replace those 220 caps. Their symptom is a signal too weak to register on most receivers. A wii with failing caps will have a crap AV picture out before it fails entirely. These consoles should either be on green or off red light. I don’t recommend using yellow standby for than a few hours. It’s just as hard on most of the components as being left on continuous.

[@wiimaster2847]

Standby mode is only an issue on the original 6 layer PCB Wiis. Later 4 layer PCBs don't have the heating issue. And even then, it's usually the GPU that fails.

[@ElkeinnJenni]

@@wiimaster2847 fair enough. I have repaired my original wii several times over the years. I didn’t know they had improved the design in later models. It’s too late of course to transfer my downloaded games to a newer unit. At least I’m not sure if a nand transplant is feasible into a better condition unit.

[@sharpshooter07]

That unfixable White Nintendo Wii, try reseating the Bluetooth card or the Wi-Fi module. Sometimes it interrupts the signal to the TV if it's loose.

[@fbuko]

Alot of broken wiiu's I'm guessing are a result of soft modding gone wrong

[@Tronicsfix]

Yes, I would also guess that

[@Monsterenergy2011]

Love your videos so much I watch them alot helps not be alone at home

[@jaysonhalterman5434]

thanks for all the game stuff you do you really help me fix a lot of stuff keep up the good work

[@mustafaammar551]

very cool video wish you all the best

[@Tronicsfix]

Thank you very much!

[@Slashser]

Damn, I was really looking forward to you fixing the disc drive, mine also has issues with it but I couldn't repair it by myself

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

16:06 steve the capacitors actually might be the cupirt as MATTKC did the capacitor replacement and it fixed the dimming issue

[@travesty6481]

Nice Key and peele reference at the start :)

[@cui457]

You probably won't see this, but I've had Wiis not push video out and switching the video cables has worked. Switching from composite to component has actually fixed what looked like an otherwise unfixable problem cause nothing looked bad

[@dright24]

Nintendo should help you unlock that locked unit

[@macattack6325]

I wanted to get a Wii U before the VC store went down. Think I’ve missed that window 😂. Great work

[@hrishikeshjoshi8074]

Your videos are so calming 😍

[@Tiel89]

I don't know if it's just me, but this video seems blurrier then normal, was it unfocused? are you using a different camera? On that note in general, any plans to film in 4K at some point? Would be really cool to see your detailed work in higher definition!

[@ItachiRyu]

@TronicsFix I have repaired my fair share of wii consoles. usually if a known good bluetooth chip or wifi chip does not fix the no display issue replacing those caps near the heatsink solves a no display problem. hope this helps.

[@lordsofkobol7385]

The Wii is my least favourite console to disassemble. Kudos to you for going so to such lengths there.

[@how_its_fixed]

Awesome job on deconstructing the button in such a clean and swift way.

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks!

[@mackjeez]

Hey Tronics, bought a lot of dozen Wii U consoles from a auction lot with 2 of them being network locked with no local account, I contacted Nintendo directly and they removed those accounts remotely, all you need is the serial number and a internet connection, this was done last year and I'm pretty sure it can still be done. As others have stated you can use the mkey generator found online to get a a parental masterkey.

[@codexpopzx2860]

I love your videos keep up the good work I want to see fix Gameboy’s

[@tommiealdridge]

loving the videos keep up the good work 👍

[@mtshark7]

Nicely done Steve!

[@dodgydruid]

Nice to see some Wii U and Wii stuff reminding us of how Nintendo got it twice oh so close before coming up with the marvel that is the Switch which just nailed it :D I gave away my last Wii to a neighbours lad with a small stack of games including the two Galaxy's, NSMB, Party, SSX Blur, Bully then realised Bully might not have been the best game for a growing lad ah well if he turns out into some psycho serial killer I will be walking nonchalantly away... ;)

[@raulreyes1823]

I just got a Wii U a couple of weeks ago and it had the same problem, parental code + nintendo id password, its easy to remove the parental control, just try like the 100 most common pins, eventually you gonna nail it

[@thegamingboss3347]

I repaired the screen of my wii u gamepad, it was fun to disassemble and a little tricky to reassemble but in the end it it fully functional and that is the important part.

[@frozerinosrepairs]

Great video as always . Keep the good work :)

[@biffmcspandex7748]

Wii u was so much fun man. Glad mine is still working

[@MadBrax]

As far as I know, it’s possible through cfw to remove a NNID. You can also take a shot at calling Nintendo and have them remove it.

[@nstern2]

One good trick to troubleshooting wiis is to try a component cable if you are using a composite cable or vice versa. Sometimes the hollywood chip just has issues over time and needs a reflow, but it will still display via another cable type. This generation of console was just the worst for BGA chips.

[@wiimaster2847]

It didn't help that the original boards would overheat in standby mode, which wasn't good for GPU.

[@randysmith7094]

I believe bad wifi module shows black screen. Which is different than no signal. You should have also tested both composite and component video cables because they use different pins.

[@Darchful]

It would be interesting to analyze the possible causes of the breakdowns of the Nintendo Wii U, which have been breaking lately. Planned obsolescence? I have one that has not been used much, it has been treated with love and from one day to the next it stopped turning on. Great video of these iconic Nintendo models, although on a personal level I doubt their good work as a durable product by Nintendo. They no longer provide support even if it is paying for the work.

[@srjbeast_tek]

You should do videos fixing retro consoles, also fixing xbox 360 or ps3 that'd be great

[@Tronicsfix]

If this video does well I'll do more retro stuff

[@srjbeast_tek]

@@Tronicsfix I'm hope it does, love your videos by the way

[@jar768jake]

I completely skipped the Wii U phase. But it definitely helped pave the road for the Switch.

[@scottvogel8477]

An easy to replace battery. Nintendo: DON'T WRITE THAT DOWN. DON'T WRITE THAT DOWN.

[@t0nito]

The Wii that doesn't output a video signal is because of the dried up surface mount electrolytic capacitors near the video port. It's a very known issue with the Wii.

[@Joaquin-jz2gw]

This might be too simple but for the Wii that doesn't have picture try changing the screen size on the tv from wide to full sometimes the Wii won't automatically change the aspect ratio and will be stuck on 4:3.

[@aaalexxx900]

hey the first wii that had no signal most likely was soft modded and someone bricked it, so that's why it doesn't fully boot up

[@donnyfinney9389]

I love the Wii and the Wii u they are my favorite consoles Steve keep up the good work was this your first time fixing a Wii and Wii u

[@Tronicsfix]

They are pretty cool consoles!

[@donnyfinney9389]

@@Tronicsfix ikr

[@Fortnitebois1878]

I like how his tv says “Is it on?” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂, 7:10

[@dogbear140]

1:25 add new user

[@smashICE1]

Well done, mate!

[@MTysonFG]

Well by the Wii with no picture, try to get the Wii2HDMI connector, usually, when you see no picture, it means, it's set do digital output, not analog. The disc won't run, because you have to start it manually

[@geofreypejsa54]

Another good video. I have a Wii-U and you are making me want to open it up! But I won't! lol Thanks again for the info!

[@matthewzablocki5310]

I miss my hacked wiiu. Only thing is you cld never update it cause it wld delete homebrew and everything else and you'd have to rehack it. I had a 500 gb ext hard drive that was split. 250 gb's for movies and 250 gb's for games. Had every emulator and ever game.

[@soulmourne2698]

I think that the master key works removing the parental controls even if you have a nintendo account, but not sure never owned a wiiu, there are tons of webpages to get the master key you could try that, i did that to one of my 3ds and i could restore it to factory without issues

[@SunnitoElBunnito]

My wii used to have the exact same problem with the eject button. I just thought it was normal lol. Now, 11 years later, I know that it was faulty

[@JoshuaPare]

i really hope you see this cause i have a colab idea cause microsoft just screwed me cause my custom design lab controller has a defective joystick in which microsoft blamed me for that and after testing to see if i could replace the joystick i tired my xbox 360 remote in which it worked well kinda turns out xbox 360 controller boards are paired with the joysticks and it did not work so just an idea to look at my defective design lab controller

[@jeremyaconnell]

I remember a video I saw a while back. If you get no signal for display on the wii, isn’t it the caps that are bad? The ones in a row there

[@princegroove]

The Wii and Wii U are both amazing backwards compatible consoles.