What's Inside a Wii Balance Board? Let's Tear it Down

[@kohjb]

Probably not an engineer? Those load cells are pretty cool to reuse in lots of other projects!

[@schmootheonly]

I still use mine every day, it's actually very sensitive to movement so you can do good abs exercises. I'm glad it's such a simple build tbh, probably explains how it last so long.

[@danospitpatio6236]

So many of these in homes, being used and will last a lifetime. Nintendo makes bulletproof products.

[@truthseekerKJV]

This guy apparently doesn't realize they don't make these for scrappers to tear down. They make them to have fun playing. And they are a lot of fun to actually use them for what they're made for.

[@abbylaska3828]

He found this one in the trash, so someone else threw it away. He’s reusing someone else’s so it doesn’t matter what he does with it.

[@systemmax2000]

If those are pressure switches on the feet, I use them for driveway alert. When someone comes down my driveway, it gets pressed down,alarm goes off.

[@drslartibartfass]

The value is in the weight sensors that you ignored. Also its a great base for Arduino projects. Also it is very easy to recycle since you can seperate all parts with just a philips.

[@voidgazerwisco]

What are the sensors made of?

[@drslartibartfass]

The Sensors are made of Aluminium like all fullbridges in that weight range. But they are worth around 15-20 € if you put them on eBay. Sometimes things are worth more than their scrap value.

[@lannacomlannacomservices7441]

I do not think so This device keeps the family warm. Have activities together. It's more valuable than just the material and metal. It is wisdom and technology, which is different from other war games and aggression. I like the Wii. It's amazing in the world Bro!!1

[@Wiipro2006]

Even This man is Not Care About the Bluetooth Chip on the PCB Bluetooth chip in Wiis are Removable and this is similar chip that used in Wii i think this Chip can b use Replacement for an Faulty Wii Chip.

[@chuckfinley5206]

I have a chin high pile of plastic in my yard from stuff like this. Eventually I plan on buying a shredder. I gave my son a copy machine when he was little. It kept him entertained for 3 days taking it apart. I save some plastic for future projects.

[@mnelson10000]

Yeah, it's just a scale. Seems to me they were like $70 USD when they came out... considering video games at the time were already $50-60, another $10 to include the hardware seems fair. Nintendo's intentions were good, they were trying to get a lazy generation off the couch.

[@lannacomlannacomservices7441]

I AGREE IT WONDERFUL DEVICE MAKE THE FAMILY WARM

[@NormLegge]

I agree. The device was designed to get a couch generation up and moving. The last 3 minutes of the video were spoken only from a salvage/recycler point of view. As a game controller (that likely still worked since there is little to break down) it is fairly brilliant. More than just a scale, the 4 pressure sensors above each foot work in a matrix. With a software interface that is interpreting the slight differences in the 4 sensors, a person can guide an on-screen avatar, determine center of gravity and posture issues, and yes, get a reminder that your weight and health might need attention. The body needed to be sturdy enough to support the range adult humans, yet be inexpensive enough to be affordable. Thus the plastic/steel construction. Coming up with a biodegradable replacement for petrochemical plastic is definitely needed, but calling out the board as junk based on the salvage value of its materials alone is a bit harsh. It appears to be designed to last. Just not to last the ever-changing whims of the gaming consumer.

[@Wiipro2006]

He Throws this all Useable and Valuable Parts in Scrape 😂😅😊 Instead of selling this to Someone. 😢

[@greego5952]

Thanks, I wanted to know how to do this, because I am looking to do a mod in the near future. I am going to be attaching a USB to it, so you can plug it in to the wii with a usb or the wall with the usb. I tried it with 5 volts and it works fine, where 4 AA is 6 volts. EDIT: just for power supply, not data transfer.

[@steve64464]

If anything i think they may be desirable intact for the hacking community as they can be hacked into being functional scales.

[@HonestAuntyElle]

I picked these up, 4 for $20 used from a local game store. You literally cannot buy the strain gauges and electronics for less than that. If you have a use for the strain gauges, it's the cheapest way BY FAR of getting them.

[@TheHuntermj]

Under each foot is a load sensor and the electronics are just to amplify and interpret where the person is standing.

[@judithunderwood2752]

Think of all the great games that you can play on it. No one buys a new product thinking about tossing it. Instead of calling it worthless try to imagine what it would be like if the company filled it up with electronics. Then talk to the company about that. I don’t remember you removing a fan or a heat removing device. Kids play on it for hours at a time. I am positive that the circuit board gets hot from that activity. Perhaps it is well away from everything so that it can cool off without any additional parts.

The metal rectangles under the feet where the wires go to are load cells. It's how digital scales work. The main trick of the balance board is that it can read all four load cells individually and so basically tell where on it it you are standing.

[@jeep2003]

I trade those in to the game store for store credit they still buy them :)

[@alpersungur6979]

It is a force plate, not a washing machine. It measures change in electrical conductivity as a person's weight causes the smallest warp in the metal, then correlates it with mass. It also has several dozen scientific papers (NCBI) saying it competes with force plate balance boards costing $5 to $20K. The wires transmit 6volts max so they don't need to be thicker. In engineering circles this is called using resources efficiently. The board can take a load of 600lbs, and will take measurements up to 300lbs. A professional force plate contains not much more. Things don't need to contain twirly whirlies, motors and tubes like they did in 1965.

[@scotshabalam2432]

I'm going to use mine with glovepie for a PC foot controller.

[@webtrekkeruk2487]

I did exactly that. Playing Space Invaders with a Wii balance board controller is mental! Certainly a good way to keep fit while playing games. :-)

[@michaelbrumfitt]

Surprised just how little is inside them considering what they weigh I thought there would be at least one decent board inside

[@shujin7024]

turns out you can make a very useful smart scale with this, this is a very efficient design, not worth scrapping at all. I also saw this youtube channel : www.youtube.com/@naturejab this guy makes fuel out of plastic so eh theres that. Have a good day scrappers !

[@Ultimaniacx4]

It's essentially a game controller. Less so because there's no buttons. I wouldn't have expected much from it.

[@carolmoore3706]

Omg there is very little in that hey I was picking them up but stopped unless they work there no good I know there is a market for them but you have to have a way of testing them before selling. Good to know thanks Ben I think I will be leaving them behind

[@terranmarine7395]

I'm thinking 4 load cells.

[@dorfschmidt4833]

Too bad he didn't go into depth with those four elements, but kept on talking for 12 min.

[@mrgreenswelding2853]

Yep!

[@steve64464]

I had a feeling it was going to be a huge set of scales , Nintendo sort of got cheap readily available tech and turning it into something new or new way to use it , least that's how they did it in them days.

[@rodneywelch3556]

I need that battery compartment!!

[@brytonmassie]

4 Bluetooth connectable load cells, that in itself is worth a few bucks and would work great for a set of DIY racing sim pedals.

[@class7allsubjectbykanikajh679]

Sir please tell wii fil balance board how to use

[@lannacomlannacomservices7441]

Now I'm still playing and enjoying it.

[@arneche]

Then stop using Landfill, and do like we do in Europa, Recycle.

[@Tyler-Barnfield]

Well i won't be picking them up then it so bad for the environment i definitely agree the government need to do something about it if i remember i bought one about 7 years ago for around $150

[@ernestpetzrick7741]

thanks again for another interesting vid

[@scottv6358]

Well said Ben,

[@Jonescan55]

Saved me taking mine apart, thank you. I was curious what was inside, now I know. The Wii is the best system I know of for getting old folks to exercise. The real value is in using it, if you haven’t tried it for 4,450 odd days like I have the real value is lost!

[@UndeadCollector]

seriously: if you rip apart a thing just for there internal materials, most things are not worth the money they costs. Like you said: it's made to be used, not to open it and dump on the parts that was used. The funny thing is: the Balance Board still works today. So it was build with quality in mind. The term of "cheap plastic" is always funny to me, because what do ppl like him expect? A Full Metal Plate that weight 10kg? But well, he just seems like a guy, destroying things and then bitch about it, if he can't get money out of it. Even funnier: i think he would got more money, if he opened it with care, put it back togehter and sell it as a whole on ebay. xD

[@geevee1969]

@@UndeadCollector He is such a butcher! Destroying a thing of such beauty (technically, historicaly) without even the faintest knowledge how this could have worked. The four force sensors were right in front of his eyes but all he talked about was the cheap wires. What were his expectations? To find a gold nugget inside?!

[@TheWinalot]

Thank you Ben, saved me the hassle on this one. Shame as it felt quite weighty

[@JoshuaEarlEmery]

Bravo, very well said speech at the end.

[@drakes4625]

Obvious choice is to sell it online if possible (here in US you can get $20 for it, even after you pay to ship it). People still buy these boards for the original game. Reselling durable/heavy stuff like this is probably best for the environment I think. But who knows?

[@drakes4625]

Also I just finished the last 2 minutes of the video. You are a real cynical bloke arentcha? These boards were used by people for months or years, and they rarely broke too. Do you REALLY think people will see this as a disposable mistake in 20 years? It was more like a long-term piece of equipment. It also cost $60, so of course it made people careful to purchase the plastic. It was nothing like the one-time use plastic containers people throw away every day. Then you go on about how buyers must be the 'same type of person' that complains about plastic bags. There's likely no correlation, yet you're so cynical you made this image in your head to get angry at. Your directionless anger is something you should sort out yourself, it's distracting from your vision of what's best for the environment.

[@rodneywelch3556]

It took you 12 + minutes to say, “it’s junk” 😂😂😂

[@yehudaharmor]

You missed the main part of the device which is the four strain guages.

[@5roundsrapid263]

All the thrift stores here have lots of them. It’s a combination of two heavily scrapped categories: exercise gear and obsolete electronics!

[@Madein515]

I got one last night at a thrift store for $7. Was thinking it might be a win because of all the gold Nintendo is known to use in everything else...just like you said. Big flop. Hahah. Thanks for the vid!

[@cate01a]

What do you hope for? It sounds like you're upset: -you couldnt sell some part for decent cash -the product is large -it will not be used for years and years, yet uses plastic that is horrible for the environment as it's not worth recycling and will persist in landfill for generations So would you want a smaller product made with eco friendly materials that uses expensive parts? The board looks a good size and making it smaller might make it worse to use and bad for accessibility and compatability with the different games Eco friendly materials sounds a good idea to implement everywhere I don't see any reason for a device to use needlessly expensive/complicated/expensive parts

[@cecilwine4806]

You would have thought that there would at least be some sort of liquid distribution switch for the actual balance. No wonder they don't work for long and get tossed.

[@webtrekkeruk2487]

Who says they don't work for long? Mine has had extensive use for years by the whole family and still performs like new. Since they are essentially 4 load cells and a Bluetooth interface they are useful and easy to connect to a PC for various projects via the free glovePIE software. Wii hand controllers can also be used via glovePIE.

[@echonomad94]

The main reason for the balance boards don’t last long, it’s because the batteries that Nintendo provided with the boards would always corrode, that’s what happened to my old one.

[@preetgrewal497]

It is good experience

[@citylotgardening6171]

U probably got more fit tearing it apart then the person who had it and threw it in the trash 😂

[@joan7823]

My Wii has cobwebs in it... I would've thought there was more to it as well..

[@ephraimt1]

Gotta blow the cobwebs off.

[@solar1Aus]

Eph Payne I try now & then loll

[@luffegun]

Still got the Battery cover man? Hook me up! haha

[@grodenbarg]

very sad that NINTENDO sorta failed on that thing. One major annoying issue with the wii fit games is the 330LB (150Kg ) weight limit imposed in the design of the games and board (most of us that can benefit on wii fit are heavier than that.) That board looks like it can hold more than that. LOL There is a niche' for those in the hacking community.

[@snowtonioplays3270]

Always wondered if these were worth it. I've seen them all the time

[@999DusanGoldrecovery]

Tumbs up brother ;) 👍👍👍

[@quantumstudios7944]

You could probably throw the entire thing in scrap steel

[@edwardbalboa5528]

$3 to make ...yes , once you invest in $500,000+ in tooling

[@fredlllll]

its not really the consumers fault if your recycling yards dont take abs or the way it is made by nintendo

[@msylvain59]

Want to see even more waste ? check some urbex videos, there are a number of factories and hospitals abandonned, with still all equipment inisde , and sometimes even the power still on !

[@shaneyork300]

Watched this video again. So I can continue my 2nd time around on your vids!! This might be the only vid that I watched twice and didn't learn something the 2nd time around. Only because I remembered the only thing I need to know. DON'T PICK IT UP, WASTE OF TIME!!!! Still glad I watched!!!

[@nucupanzaru9609]

Yes, You right! Very very much garberge because the people jump money for plastica without value.

[@ernestpetzrick7741]

ah well, at least I used to get some fun exercise and games with it.

[@harryverboom4032]

Fun video very surprising goodday from holland

[@abudidoriad4810]

this guy is a cave man

[@shaneyork300]

You might put the screws on ebay. You could get $10.00 for them. THIS IS A JOKE! JUST KINDA POKIN FUN AT A COUPLE OF COMMENTORS! But don't stop commenting just having fun guys!

[@TheDeathMocker]

Damn that's insane, I'm goons see if I can Make something else from it!! :D is it weight which registers the movement then via the frame ? Wish there was a plastic grader, on solar panels without China being able to Shut them off as they please!! Go Green!! Furious Foods! Jack Fruit

[@KniteRite]

2 months later. 2019. Wii fit

[@AgeofReason]

Broke scrapper demolishes game accessory that he could have sold to make someone happy so that he can yield 28 cents worth of scrap steel. "Find" any kids bikes left on the porches lately?

[@AgeofReason]

The speech, as if he's scrapping to save the environment lolol He's actually so bent that he didn't get any heavy trade steel out of it. You could identity that there's nothing to it as soon as you picked it up lol As for people throwing things away, that's man-kind. That's not the fault of capitalism and manufacturers. I still use my Wii board every week. Probably a million people still do. "The government has gotta step in!" Ahhahhahahahaah, broke man needs commie government laws to make him feel better!! Pick them up and sell l them online, stop complaining you schlub!

[@echonomad94]

he’s seriously speaking like one of those politicians, that “care” for the earth

[@NRVxM]

Batteries not included lol

[@frankcrenshaw158]

Lets of screws

[@lucapianella]

"Simple circuitboard"

[@robbuechner3647]

I'm looking at one sitting next to our t.v. that hasn't been used in 2 years...

[@sausagesizzle2932]

Wii fit more like Wii 💩! 😂

[@ImClassix]

Sausage Sizzle 😂

[@ephraimt1]

I should have watched the video first.

[@shaneyork300]

Eph Payne I looked at my phone seconds ago, Ben's new video said 2 hours. I go straight to the comments and I see a lot of them say 14 hours ago. What the heck is wrong, Ben's new vid says 2 hours but the post say 14 hours!!! Something is wrong with KZbin, I've check my phone it's good. So aggravating, if this was a competition I wouldn't stand a chance! Sorry to vent on your comment Eph!!!!!

[@shanerector4577]

Damn got beat again on 1st

[@tbbw]

Just four scales more or less.

[@starfirex5042]

The only benefit of scrapping the pad out would be to modify the steel core and turn it into a cheap little flat tv mount! Keep up the good videos Ben!

[@deethedeeplorablemorand2327]

Hay Ben, Even Your fails are cool ...I saw many of those when I was scraping , left 'em behind back then but always wondered about it , because I did some computer scrap in those days, really not so long ago..............best wishes and God Bless...............Dee................

[@vikdjkrebs8933]

Solo destruirla, para generar más basura 🙄

[@Sam-fp8zm]

cex buys them for 10 bucks

[@kevinerickson2595]

👀

[@richardburgess5215]

Dont want to pick up any of those

[@geoffupton]

that is disgusting! just a plastic box! grr

[@conradoberrospe2406]

Plis 1 pc o 1 laptop mandame Saludos desde Uruguay jajjaaa

[@shaneyork300]

CRAP FOR SCRAP!!

[@Babbel4ever]

Nice iam the first Greet from Holland

[@p_1xer286]

A waste of money I wont do that

[@MD4564]

Yeah wtf Nintendo

[@komerwest9520]

Total consumer rip off. lol