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Diy Wii-Mote Modification

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---- DO IT YOURSELF ENTRY --------- PURPOSE: To create a do-it-yourself rewired Wii remote to function using a switch witbigger buttons for individuals with disabilities. This DIY allows individuals with disabilities to use the Wiimote by not having to press the small buttons on the remote but rather use the buttons that have been rewired—A button, B button, the directional pad (up, down, left, right), and the home button. Step 1: Gather and set up soldering equipment. Step 2: Disassemble the Wii remote: (1) remove batteries (if installed); (2) remove the four triangular head screws (for best results use a miniature flathead screwdriver); (3) open the case with the miniature flathead screwdriver by releasing the pressure clip at the front part of the case; (4) remove the circuit board. Step 3: Remove the Nintendo external port: (1) secure the circuit board by clamping on a base or the edge of a table; (2) use the heat gun to heat the soldering points inside (illustrated in the instructions) and then yank out the port—the heat gun should be held close to but NOT touching the circuit board; (3) using pliers grab the Nintendo External port (avoid burning your fingers); (4) pull the External port once you see all the target solder points liquefy; (5) after removing the port let both the port and the circuit board cool for a couple of minutes. Step 4: Drill Holes For The 8P8C Female Port. To mount the 8P8C Ethernet Female port onto the circuit board you will have to create three holes. Securely clamp the circuit board. Line up the 8P8C Female port with the circuit board so that the pegs of the Female port are close to the edge. Make two small guide holes in the circuit board using a hand drill. The center of the holes should coincide with the center of the plastic plugs of the 8P8C female port when properly lined up. Increase the holes’ diameter incrementally until the holes’ fit the plugs. Test your holes by plugging in the 8P8C female port. Next make a third hole with its center aligned with the center of the rows of pins of the 8P8C. Increase the diameter of the hole until the two rows of the pins of the 8P8C could fit the hole without touching the sides of the circuit board. Then using a Dremel Rotary Tool grind the sides of the hole until all of the pins of the Ethernet Female port pins fit without touching the circuit board. Step 5: Solder Wires onto the 8P8C Female Port. While wearing safety glasses solder the wires to the 8P8C female port. To begin, cut 8, 28AWG (or smaller) wires to about 8 inches in length (these will be cut down to a shorter length later). You can also use 28AWG ribbon cable as a substitute. Peel 8 wires from the ribbon cable, 8 inches long. In total. 8 wires should be soldered to the 8P8C, one for every pin. Unsheathe the wire about 1/4 inch on both ends. Then solder one end of the wire to the 8P8C taking care not to bridge any pins on the 8P8C. Then use 1/16 inch heat shrink tubing to make sure that no short-circuiting occurs. Step 6: Mount the 8P8C female port. Attach an Ethernet port to the circuit board with the wires coming through the hole towards the top of the circuit board. Make sure to put in the 8P8C on the bottom of the circuit board. Step 7: Solder the wires onto the circuit. To begin, first designate what Wiimote button goes with which cable in other words, the cable designation on the 8P8C. This table will be useful when making your External Connector Box. 8P8C port and button number association: 1 A-Button, 2 B-Button, 3 Home, 4 Up, 5 Down, 6 Left, 7 Right, and 8 Ground. While keeping track of which wire being soldered to which button in relation to the Ethernet port, solder all wires to the contacts indicated. It is important to solder to the correct side of the button contact. Cut the wires so that the wires run along the edges of the circuit board as far as possible. Extra wire will make it difficult to put the case back together, and could disable the buttons on the Wiimote. Step 8: Grind the Case. The newly installed 8P8C port is larger than the original opening on the bottom piece of the Wiimote. In order to reassemble the Wiimote the opening must be made larger to accommodate the 8P8C port. While wearing safety glasses, clamp the bottom piece of the case. Using the Dremel Rotary Tool slowly grind away the case's plastic until the circuit board lies completely flat against the case. Be sure not to grind the tab that holds the battery case in place. If you do grind the tab, simply superglue a thin piece of plastic in place of the tab. This should be sufficient to give the battery case something to grab onto. Once the 8P8C fits in the Wiimote case where the circuit board is pushed in all the way, you will see that the battery case will not close. In order to fix this a small part of the 8P8C will have to be grinded with the Dremel Rotary Tool. Step 9: Assemble the Wiimote. The Wiimote is finally ready for assembly. To begin, place the buttons in their original slots in the top case of the Wiimote. Then lower the circuit board in place while using miniature flat-head screwdriver to maneuver the wires. Depending on the diameter of your wires you will probably have to make a few modifications to the top of the case to make enough room for the wires. Once the circuit board is flush with the top case bring in the bottom case. Making all of the parts fit within the small space available on the Wiimote will require a lot of patience and finesse. But don't be discouraged, it is possible to fit everything within the Wiimote. Once everything fits in place, tighten the triangular-head screws back on the case. Finally put in the batteries and try out your Wiimote. If your Wiimote doesn't work make sure to try it out with brand new batteries before disassembling it. Step 10: Assemble the External Connection Box. In order to operate the modified Wiimote with external buttons an External Connection Box needs to be created. The external connection is box is simply a project box, available at any RadioShack, with and input 8P8C Female Connector and a number of output connectors for varies user devices. Only passive, normally open, pushbuttons can be used with the modified Wiimotes. However this type of button comes in a wide variety of forms featuring different connector types. Customize your case based on pushbuttons available to you. For this Connection Box, the author used two individual pushbuttons with 3.5 millimeter mono plugs, and a directional pad with a DE-9 Serial connector. The insides of the Connection Box were wired so that the Blue and Yellow buttons, be the A and B buttons, the brown button is the Home button, and the directional pad be the Cross Buttons. TOOLS: 1 Wii remote (from Nintendo), 8P8C Female Port, external connection box (project box) available at Radioshack, 28AWG (or smaller) wires, 1/16 inch heat shrink tubing, clamp, miniature flathead screwdriver, heat gun, pliers, hand drill, Dremel Rotary Tool, wire cutters, safety glasses, and super glue. SKILLS REQUIRED: Advanced ability to assemble and disassemble electronic devices and knowledge of soldering techniques. AUTHOR: CATEA. TITLE: Wiimote Modification for Persons with Disabilities. WEBSITE: Instructables. REF: http://www.instructables.com/id/Wiimote-Modification-for-Persons-with-Di....

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08/29/2011
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Diy Wii-Mote Modification