My Wii just blew up!!

[scrotty]

I should know when to leave things alone but I just couldn't help myself!!

I had a Cyclowiz fitted and then changed to a WiiKey. No problem there. Everything worked fine both times. I was then sat with a Cyclowiz doing nothing and what with the news of the impending update, curiosity got the better of me.

Rather than use one or the other, I decided to go with the dongle method as it looked pretty neat and simple so I duly dismantled a serial lead and set to soldering and drilling etc.

The install couldn't have gone better - very neat and tidy. I made my WiiKey dongle and plugged it in - again everything worked just fantastic. I didn't have an enclosure big enough to fit my Cyclowiz into so went to Maplin today and picked one up. Put everything together and plugged it in but no joy. I assumed I had got the programming switch in the wrong position so duly flipped it and then...


FLASH, BANG, SMOKE !!!!! :eek:


Oh dear. I unplugged everything and strted to dismantle the console with very shakey hands. I lefted the DVD unit and saw to my horror a large scorch mark on the plate beneath it and also a degree of melting on the DMS chip. Not looking too good so far.

Other than the burn marks, nothing seemed out of place so I put the unit back together and plugged it in. All seemed well as it booted etc but then I thought 'seems a bit quiet' and realised the drive wasn't spinning. It seems that everything else works - news, weather, internet etc but the drive doesn't want to play.

I checked the fuse that people have been having problems with and that has survived so I'm now stuck with a very smelly, very useless Wii - unless anybody may have any other ideas? I'm guessing not but I may as well try any suggestions - what's the worst that can happen? :rolleyes: I haven't found the cause of the explosion yet as I haven't opened my Cyclowiz dongle but I'll just remember not to plug it in again! I just want to get my drive spinning again first.

Pity really, I was just getting into Rayman and them pesky rabbids. Oh and before anybody asks, no the unit will not be up for sale :cool:

[V99]

Sounds like you've fried your drive. You were foolish to change the modchip so many times.

[EpochCT]

You can still play VC, no?

[scrotty]

Sounds like you've fried your drive.

Yeah, smells like it too!!


You were foolish to change the modchip so many times.

Like I said, I ought to know when to leave things alone but it's just not in my nature. I prefer the actual getting things working bit rather than actually using the console for what it was intended!!

[Steve-O 2006]

probably cheaper to just put it on Ebay as a non working wii with a problem with the DVD drive and use the money you get from that to go towards a new wii... you probably had a short in the dongle and its fried a load of components on the Wii...

[scrotty]

you probably had a short in the dongle and its fried a load of components on the Wii...

Well, I've just opened the dongle and to be honest, I can't find anything that looks remotely like it could be a short. Now I'm puzzled as to what's gone wrong. :confused:

[handles26]

My Wii died a few days back and I had only removed 5 screws. Didnt even get it cracked open. I think the Wii is not up to par with what we are used to as Nintendo standards.

I took it back to the store and got my money back instead of sending it back to Nintendo due to me stripping the two triwing screws.

It might be wise to wait a bit to mod these things untill we get some better failure numbers on ones that have not been modded.

[whackawookie]

you say you were using the dongle mod. Did you make sure you had the switch running to the proper location? Maybe you had the switch wrong and once you flipped the switch it blew

[Lok1]

Sounds like you may have burned out the spindle motor in the drive. It may be replaceable if you can find the part number and order one, or maybe find a broken wii. Good Luck!

[scrotty]

you say you were using the dongle mod. Did you make sure you had the switch running to the proper location? Maybe you had the switch wrong and once you flipped the switch it blew
The switch was wired to the same points as I has previously conected it - only diffrence being it worked last time!!

You can make out the damage on this photo.

http://mrnick.bpweb.net/images/DSCF0062.JPG

[coadyj]

news flash, cyclowiz destroyes wii.

Heres what you do.

Buy a new one. change the drive, bring it back.

[bodyhead]

I wish you had filmed that.

Aside from that, I'm sorry that happened to you.

It looks like it's pretty messed up there. It looks like your video chip is so angry that it's got a huge vein poking out of it's neck.

It looks like that green wire is your culprit. Did your switch accidentally connect that with a power wire? how about with a ground? I'd love to know what happened here. Did you have the dongle wired correctly? Maybe you reversed the polarity?

Can you get a bigger version of that picture? From that one it looks like two of the IC pins might be bridged.

ALSO: the cyclowiz doesn't destroy wiis, sloppy newbs soldering destroys wiis. (I destroyed a few solder points myself)

[ej76623]

heh at least your cool about it, unlike other newbs that got pwnt... they didn't read the fine print...

... "USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!"

[*StoneCold*]

I checked the fuse that people have been having problems with and that has survived so I'm now stuck with a very smelly, very useless Wii - unless anybody may have any other ideas? I'm guessing not but I may as well try any suggestions - what's the worst that can happen? :rolleyes: I haven't found the cause of the explosion yet as I haven't opened my Cyclowiz dongle but I'll just remember not to plug it in again! I just want to get my drive spinning again first.

That part made me laugh, an explosion, you made it sound like it was a bomb.

Thanks buddy, i needed to smile today:) sorry about your wii though :(

[scrotty]

It looks like that green wire is your culprit. Did your switch accidentally connect that with a power wire? how about with a ground? I'd love to know what happened here. Did you have the dongle wired correctly? Maybe you reversed the polarity?

Can you get a bigger version of that picture? From that one it looks like two of the IC pins might be bridged.

The IC pins are clear - just a bad photo. Also, everything follows through to the letter as far as connections go. If it was down to stupidity, I'd hold my hands up to it, but for the life of me, I can't spot anything. The fact that it worked previously using the same connections makes it all the more baffling.

Any one know where I can get a Wii (cheap!!)?

[bodyhead]

Well, I don't know where you can get one cheap but it does look like some of the initial hype is dying down somewhat. In Memphis, (where I have never seen them in stock anywhere) I saw 14 at Sam's wholesale 2 days ago.

[apexi350z]

news flash, cyclowiz destroyes wii.

Heres what you do.

Buy a new one. change the drive, bring it back.

I hope you are joking.. it's only $250 console, no need to risk going to jail for this. If they have your record (credit card, address when returning, etc), then they can track you down. I suggest NOT going to this route.

[zosh]

You can make out the damage on this photo.

http://mrnick.bpweb.net/images/DSCF0062.JPG
It is very obvious that the damage was done by the top 2nd connector to the chip. This is one of the two points the Cyclowiz uses for updating (marked "S", your green wire). You could now show us the rest of your installation, especially where the white wire (the "X" point) goes. My guess is you got the "update" wiring wrong.

[EpochCT]

I hope you are joking.. it's only $250 console, no need to risk going to jail for this. If they have your record (credit card, address when returning, etc), then they can track you down. I suggest NOT going to this route.

This is what people usually do with bricked PSPs, it screws over the retailer but it works.

[cravavr3]

Be interested in seeing the cyclowiz, , as well where point X was wired would be nice as well

[Steve-O 2006]

The switch was wired to the same points as I has previously conected it - only diffrence being it worked last time!!

You can make out the damage on this photo.

http://mrnick.bpweb.net/images/DSCF0062.JPG

hhmm proper fooked ;)... No wonder its not working :p

[scrotty]

Not to worry - I've sourced myself a replacement and will be picking it up in the morning. :D

The decision now is, do I wait for the Cyclowiz update to surface and put that in or do I put in the WiiKey. Don't think I'll bother with the dongle this time - once bitten and all that!! Plus the kids ain't half given me some grief :(

[scrotty]

Be interested in seeing the cyclowiz, , as well where point X was wired would be nice as well

The Cyclowiz is in what appears to be mint condition. There is absolutely no sign of any damage - not like the the shrapnel spattered mess that was once a Wii!!!

As for the other point on the board, there wasn't too much to see there - much the same as the other solder points, clean, tidy, no excess wire etc - and the point I had previously had the switch wired to on my initial install. I've stripped the board down now so can't get a picture of the point 'as was' but I'm still none the wiser as to what exactly went wrong.

Just glad I'm in a position to afford to replace it and that I've been able to find a shop with some stock left!!

[scrotty]

It is very obvious that the damage was done by the top 2nd connector to the chip. This is one of the two points the Cyclowiz uses for updating (marked "S", your green wire). You could now show us the rest of your installation, especially where the white wire (the "X" point) goes. My guess is you got the "update" wiring wrong.

http://mrnick.bpweb.net/images/wii.jpg

The chip wiring looks a little rough as I've had to wangle it about a bit to try and get a clear shot but to my eye, I reckon I got the colours right.

[zosh]

It's hard to tell without seeing your whole wiring. But if the colors haven't been changed somewhere in between you frecked the wiring pretty good. The white wire should go from the board's X point to the cyclowiz' T point, with a switch in between. You got a white wire on the cyclowiz' G point, not at its T point where it is supposed to go. The rest of your wiring is thoroghly mixed up as well.

As far as I know there's quite some voltage between where the green and the white wire leave the drive board. I'd say you wired it up wrong and in the moment you closed the circuit with the switch it fried the cyclowiz and the drive's controller chip.

Yeah, well, from what I can tell ... you blew it. Sorry.

[AceMilo]

What's the orange wire on the wii board next to the A point? You shouldn't be soldering anything to that point. That was probably the problem.

[burnzy]

following the trail of damage it seems to lead to the green wire?

[scrotty]

The white wire should go from the board's X point to the cyclowiz' T point, with a switch in between.

Not according to my instructions - G-G, V-V and X goes to T via switch. The green wire is point S (the one that's blown to fook!!)

http://mrnick.bpweb.net/images/install.jpg


What's the orange wire on the wii board next to the A point? You shouldn't be soldering anything to that point. That was probably the problem.
That is used on the WiiKey install - hence it not being shown on the Cyclowiz shot.

Anyway, got me a replacement Wii today, dropped in a WiiKey and I'm back up and running. Won't be bothering with changing until something better comes along :D

[zosh]

Not according to my instructions
Sorry, my fault, I misinterpreteted the instructions. The wiring looks okay, considering it obviously toasted the cyclowiz pretty good. Hard to say what's the cause then. Maybe measure the cyclowiz through, if you still got the wires attached to it you should notice any bridging.

[fever]

i blew my wii uptoday.... i managed to repaire it was so glad how did i know the pen had a metal end

[pl3x007]

i blew my wii uptoday.... i managed to repaire it was so glad how did i know the pen had a metal end


now this... is funny...

what age are you?

also someone was saying that its not cyclowiz's fault because some kid has tried to install it, WRONG, its cyclowiz's fault for encouraging kids to install the goddam thing with the "SIMPLE WIRE INSTALLS" and "EASY QUICKSOLDER" they blow the images up so the points look really big and the kids buy em, they get a triwing at same time, they open up and say WOW THEY ARE SMALL... but they have already bought everything, so they try it anyway...

just some stupid marketing scheme, suppose it aint as bad as maxconsoles marketing lol

anyways glad ya got yer wii sorted, if u had the choice between a wiikey and cyclowiz, WHY THE HELL did you even think of trying a cyclowiz...?

[fever]

because the store i used didnt have any instock.... it was a plastic pen its ment to be all plastic lol. i dont take them part and look at them....

anyway i am 23 as of last week.... i was never any good at electronics lol.

i was trying to press the power button while the wii was opened up to see the mod light lol.


yea and i totally agree thats how it was... there so small they say there the easyest mod ever to install lol. my dad has been a elecly for over 40 years and he had trouble with the size he had to do a quick solder

[astroboiii]

if you would like to send me your dvd-drive board that would be SWEET =D

what you say ? (I'm screwed as well lol)