Wii Key Fusion "3.0" Clone in a Gamecube

[FoxxOTG]

I have been wanting a Wii Key Fusion for my driveless Gamecube to get it back to life. I have seen info on getting the original WKF devices working on a GC with some serious soldering and modding needed which I am quite comfortable doing. However, I can only find WKF 3.0 Clones available for sale. Can anyone give me some technical and perhaps personal information pertaining to these WKF Clones? Are they really worth it? Will it work on my Gamecube as the original WKF did? This will be my very 1st Gamecube Drive Emulator replacement and I want to make sure it works. I NEED THIS TO WORK! If you follow my posts on the forums I have been doing my best to help with some fun fun Gamecube projects but that damn pesky "life" keeps getting in the way.

Please give me any personal and technical input and experience you may ave had with the WKF Clones, be in a gamecube or a Wii. I may wind up getting a Wii with a bad optical drive and slap the WKF Clone in as a fix so I can get back on track. I may even go as far as installing the hookup cables into each console and swap out which console I use the WKF in as I need it. Right now I can't progress with my Gamecube IDE-EXT project unless I get a WKF for my GC. I think my ViperGC modchip is causing some issues with Swiss and the IDE-EXT. As always any help is greatly appreciated.

If you have an original WiiKey Fusion for sale and a reasonable price, please PM me and perhaps we can work out a trade or deal (I dont mind paying via paypal if the price is right.)

Much appreciated everyone, cheers, beers, an bunny ears!!

[emu_kidid]

WKF clone should work just fine.

[FoxxOTG]

Would anyone be willing to link to a few URLs that have detailed information on hooking up a Wii Drive Emulator to a GC? From what I have put together via various sources, you dont need to hook up the original drive to the WKF modchip and can run entirely from the SD Card dongle. I know the WKF was designed to fit into the Wii's mainboard via a Flat Flex Cable (FFC, or Flat printed Cable aka FPC) which the GC doesnt have, obviously. Is there any information about the connector used on the Wii Mainboard/WKF? Perhaps a part number, that way I can in some way hope to make a "gender bender" that lets me go from the WKF FFC to a PCB that will mate into the GC in some way. I know a few members here have been looking for a quick and easy solution but that custom GC optical drive connector has been somewhat of a bitch to work with.

In my case I have dead optical drives so I can pull out the original PCB Connector and hopefully work from there. If I manage to make something that isnt too hard to make, or have odd parts that are not hard to get (connectors) I can put together a PCB design for anyone that would be wanting to pull something like this off that doesnt have intense soldering skill. Though that FPC connector may be a bit hard for most people to solder.

Does anyone know the layout measurements of the PCB Header for the GC Optical Drive Connector? I am wondering if there is a way to pull the connector off the GC Mainboard and put some kind of bastardized pin header in place that can be used to make a Gamecube to FFC Hood adapter for the WKF hookup.

If you have done this mod and have any advice, suggestions, and some GC Porn of your work, please share.

[liquitt]

Would anyone be willing to link to a few URLs that have detailed information on hooking up a Wii Drive Emulator to a GC? From what I have put together via various sources, you dont need to hook up the original drive to the WKF modchip and can run entirely from the SD Card dongle. I know the WKF was designed to fit into the Wii's mainboard via a Flat Flex Cable (FFC, or Flat printed Cable aka FPC) which the GC doesnt have, obviously. Is there any information about the connector used on the Wii Mainboard/WKF? Perhaps a part number, that way I can in some way hope to make a "gender bender" that lets me go from the WKF FFC to a PCB that will mate into the GC in some way. I know a few members here have been looking for a quick and easy solution but that custom GC optical drive connector has been somewhat of a bitch to work with.

are you serious? this is pretty much what the forums have been about for the past year or something.
please use the search function or simply browse through hardware and modding....seriously.

[FoxxOTG]

I have been doing my homework since my last post. But still no real answers. From what I gather the FFC is a 32 pin 0.5mm pitch. But I still have no resources on what kind of connector hooks to it. I will be browsing various part vendors like Molex to see if they have anything suitable. I see some generic hoosed FFC cables on ebay out of china, but I dont really trust them until I know exactly what the pin pitch & spacing is on the FFC. I also would like to know what the spacing is on the GC Drive connector is, from the images it looks like an offset 0.1" spacing, but because of the offset I dont think its possible to add in a pin header. I think I may just use my SMD tools to remove the connector from the dead GC Optical Drive and try to come up with some kind of witty adapter board. I am already collaborating with a few of my BSoD'ers on what the more practical approach will be.

I am not being lazy like most noobs, I am asking for measurements and part numbers, neither of which I have been able to find exact information on. You can sit there and tell me "Just use the search" which doesnt really help, or you could at least give some quick search terms that will get the info needed. Ive been all over the forums and Wiki, but still, doesnt have the exact info I would like. If and when I figure it out, I will post my findings so this also goes into the collective knowledge base that has already been a great help.

I noticed a few people have used some FFC Adapter Boards, I am having issues finding suitable ones. Any suggestions?

[liquitt]

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=416

this thread should have all the answers you need. it is btw the first thread in the hardware and modding subforums, stickied to the top.

[FoxxOTG]

Information overload, but in a good way. I have been spending more time on the Wiki and, well, this was the issue:
http://www.gc-forever.com/wiki/index.ph ... he_systems - the links for the FFC Breakout boards are broken. After soaking in all of the information from the previous topic you posted Liquitt, all the proper links to the FFC Breakout boards are (should be) there, which is just what I needed. Thanks Liquitt, I really appreciate it. Can someone repair those wiki links so this "Just fuckin' google it" scenario doesnt happen again?

I can post my progress, if you guys care. I wont be doing anything that hasnt been done and well documented by Ashens and others before. I do enjoy my tech porn, if anyone else is the same, I dont mind taking some pictures along the way. In fact if I can manage to get a second WKF for my other neglected GC and there is enough demand for it (and I can get BSoD back into production and all my tools and tech unpacked in a place I can properly record again) I wouldn't mind doing an in-detailed step by step how-to guide on this. Again, that is only if anyone wants/needs it. I only do these segments/videos by request, and I will expect people to line up to ask as many questions as possible so every tangible FAQ can be covered during the video.

Again, thanks for the URLs and the info. Please for the future, if you see me ask a question, its not out of laziness, I am genuinely asking because I can not find the information I need in order to make progress. I usually come across bad links, or lack of detailed info I need in order to design a PCB or circuit. I keep preaching about my show BSoD mainly because I think many of us here are on the same page when it comes to our hacktastic fun in general. I started the BSoD community mainly because I was sick of how much time people wasted with "Just use the search engine" or "Just fucking google it" with a rant about n00bz being lazy. I wanted a place where a community of us can ask questions and at least get some basic search terms to find the info we need. Its not that we are lazy, we just need a direction to go in that we otherwise couldnt see. Though as expected, we have come across the typical lazy internet pricks that have made many of us grumpy and cynical. Myself included. I think you also know where I am coming from Liquitt. Cheers, beers, and bunny ears buddy. Once I get settled back in ill pop back on IRC, though it seems the forums get a quicker reply than the IRC channel ;}

[liquitt]

whoa whoa whoa tl;dr - almost
cheers on that though

i'll move the topic to Hardware and modding though - and now get to work young padawan!

[FoxxOTG]

Heh, padawan, cute. Ive been into electronics engineering longer than some of the members here have been breathing ;} 20 Years and counting. Been into it since I was a wee lil tyke. God, that makes me feel so old...

I ordered a WKF, its on the way. I just need to procure the FPC Hood, good friend Molex should have what I need. I will get the proper breakout board I need from suggestions mentioned at the previous post you linked me to. In a way this is a bit tossing the idea together as a proof of concept, very sloppy. I was really hoping for something a lot cleaner, but hey, as long as the damn thing works! If enough people care I could possibly design PCB artwork that will let you pull the drive connector off the original GC Optical Drive, obtain the FFC connector, and solder them to a standalone PCB that makes for a very easy pairing and mating for the WKF, but I doubt it would really be worth the investment. The solder job would be too difficult for most people, unless the PCB was sold with a preinstalled FFC Hood. I dont see too much demand for this though. As usual, pester me enough and show me some interest and I will work something out.

I just may wind up doing an in detail how-to video guide BSoD style about this mod anyways. Once I get all the parts together. Ashens did a great job with his guide, but there is a lot left to be said on how to do fine pitch soldering, how to remove the GC Optical Drive connector, and a lot of tiny little details that tend to get left out when doing such a broad topic about a mod/hack like this. Plus I already have people asking me a lot of good questions about this that I cant seem to find solid answers to. Mostly about soldering and wiring techniques, and esthetic design.

I have been wondering, why wont the WKF work with IPL v1.0? I know there is a workaround, but I am just curious as to why the WKF wont work with their 1.0 firmware and the GC IPL v1.0. I have the hackers itch.... any info on that?

[megalomaniac]

you have got to be joking right??
what do you think ive been telling you about the other projects??

[liquitt]

you have got to be joking right??
what do you think ive been telling you about the other projects??

...

[megalomaniac]

you have got to be joking right??
what do you think ive been telling you about the other projects??

...

@foxx

[FoxxOTG]

You do realize i have pretty bad short term memory problems, and you should be well aware of my personal "life issues" at the moment (megaIOManiac). Cut me some slack buddy, right now I dont even have a home to call my own. I am trying to make due with borrowed space and borrowed time. I do have a ton going on right now and among that is a huge debt of medical bills I cant pay (among a ton of others). Right now I dont even have a desk for my PC, let alone have the poor thing hooked up and usable. Cut me some slack and quit being a pain in my ass. If I am asking questions it is because I genuinely need answers and not a pack of savage smart asses' like you are akin to being most of the time, which I honestly enjoy... If anyone here (or elsewhere) was asking questions to which I could be of any help, I would at least give them some insight while being the prickbag of information im known to be. I am going through a lot right now, none of which I am willing to get into via public forum. I am just asking for some patience and assistance. You can either help me out, or be a pain in the ass. Im used to people being a pain in the ass, but some direction into where to get the technical information I need would make it worth it. A lot of the information on the forums is not very easily accessible, and a bit of the info on the wiki is not entirely correct. Are you going to continue to chew me a new asshole, or try to help me out here? I certainly could use a new asshole! After all, I am not just doing this for myself, I am hoping to fill in some blanks, gaps and perhaps provide some new information and how-to information so people can also follow up on this without having the cluster fuck of scattered information I tend to find. Besides, I am just getting back into Gamecube dev stuff so I need a while to catch up on whats been going on while I strayed away from the console over the past 4+ years, which has been far too long to remember the last time I did any GC Hackery (Besides using my Viper GC Extreme to do cheat code hacking for LoZ, Mario Sunshine, and Metroid Prime).

Can we get back to the topic on hand? Ill let you know when my WKF arrives, and report how I've decided to hook it up. Mega, I noticed you had a topic about the WKF/WODE interfacing, id like to pick your brain about your PCB design sometime. I am not comfortable with cutting and soldering to an FPC, and a lot of respect to those of you that pulled it off successfully! That is not an easy solder job, however I would be more comfortable using the proper breakout boards.

My main concern with this topic is the fact that this is a WiiKey Clone, and I remember the drama WiiKey had with people cloning their hardware, which after all the official WiiKey was just a clone of another product. For some time WiiKey was not all to honest selling their hardware and soon their reputation took a major nose dive for the worse. I was just wondering if the WKF 3 clone was worth the cost and effort, or if I should have went with a WODE which is out of my budget range just to fix a GC with bad drive.

Anyways, thanks for the patience and help everyone. Once I can settle back in and start rebuilding my lab I will do what I can to contribute to the GC-Forever in what little ways I can. But as is seems I may need at least another 9+ months until I am back on my feet again with both an in-home lab/workshop and a source of income. One thing I am good at is making how-to videos on this sort of hacking. If that is of any help to anyone, and I can get my hands on all the bits and pieces I need, and there is enough request, I dont mind doing a how-to video the noobs can watch and know what to expect, explore their options, or even follow along step by step to get their WKF working in a GC. Heck, might even boost sales a wee bit, but lets not get to grandiose.

Happy Hacking Fuckers and once again, I appreciate the patience and assistance. I hope I can repay the community by adding more information to the already existing tomes. As for me, time to get shitfaced and try to get some sleep. Cheers, beers, and bunny ears!

[HomelandReloaded]

You could try http://microcontrollershop.com and then do a search on "FCC breakout" if you're still looking for one of these. Let me know if you ever find a FFC trimmer - I have to use a Norwegian cheese scraper.