Plug and play drive replacement adapter Idea

[MetroidPrime]

Ok, now I get the "Lid switch with no DVD drive" part. Finally I understand that switch!
(one down, one more to go)
Do I still need the "WKF/WODE switch" (top left corner) also?

Thanks a million!

[megalomaniac]

the wii eject button is used to trigger iso loading or iso eject for WKF....
this eject button does not exist on GC....so the pin29 switch is used to simulate the wii eject button

[MetroidPrime]

I see.

So that means "WKF/WODE" switch is not needed in my case?
I just need the "LID" switch with no DVD drive (not jumper wire).

(Just making sure I understand, as I am wiring this board as we speak)

[megalomaniac]

yes its needed....
you need it to simulate a wii eject button that does not exist on gamecube

[MetroidPrime]

OK, thanks again

[yamaharacer]

...use 1.3

you will have issues with 1.4 and 1.5
if i remember 1.1 and 1.2 work also but the problem is there is no wbfs GC title support, so stick with 1.3 only


i never had a chance to document 1.0 behavior...

still doesnt work. when I put in a dvd apears an error. update is 1.3


ok it seems that I have got an other misstake. It looks like my wiikey fusion only boots up when I use an NO instead of an NC switch. witch NC nothing happens. With NO it works. Does anybody know what I may did wrong?

[megalomaniac]

dafuq??

you better pull out your multimeter and reconfirm the type of switch you are using...
...also double check the wiring of the switch to ensure you have the wires soldered to the normally closed side of the switch...
dont assume you have the switch soldered correctly based on the chineese label / packaging for your switch..



also if by a snowballs chance in hell that you have everything wired properly and you are using for a fact a normally open switch....then dont touch anything, dont pull anything apart, leave everything as is and step away from the GC...
open your favorite irc client and log into #gc-forever irc channel immediately

[yamaharacer]

I dont have any switch inside at the moment. i have two kables pin29 and ground. when I start my gamecube while put them together nothing happens. also after disconnect them and push them together one more time. everytime there is a ? in the menu.

but when I start my gamecube without connect them. I get also a ? in the menu when I put them together for e short time I get the linux screnn and everything works without putting them back together.

first I tried it like you I dont have a NC swich here so I used a relais and a NO switch to get things done. but nothing worked. so I realised what I write above.

[megalomaniac]

You should really consider using a proper setup with a normally closed switch...
since you do not have a normally closed switch, it is difficult to validate your results and observations...

You may have a special issue which shockslayer reported he needed 1.9v also to make this work.
If you must use the relay, then here is the configuration for temporary testing only...
Please use a multimeter to validate if your 87 or 87a is normally closed to 30 when the relay is denergized...and a tact switch is between GC + in and the relay..when you push the tact switch the relay coil will energize and move to contact from the closed ( gnd ) to the open (1.9v) position...
Only allow the open contact for 0.5 to 0.75 seconds...
Anything more than 1 second will also result in error

[megalomaniac]

I just need to find a NTSC mobo first and over here in PAL land they are not that easy to come by.

I prefer to play NTSC games for the native 480p support and although this setup should be able to handle NTSC games on a PAL mobo

thats an interesting point...
i never realized this to be an issue....
since i only have one PAL title, Doshin the Giant...and everytime i tested it previously with a xeno only, i actually had component cables connected....and video looked fine...

now on to the bad news:
over a year ago during Doshin compatibility testing with only a xeno, i kinda forget that my monitor seems to handle PAL video over component input...i dont know how correct the display is, but it seems like it might be correct....and it appeared i would be limited to only using a monitor or tv that can handle PAL....and just to try it out, even composite video showed in the wrong mode...but, wait a second....hang on just one minute...slap me across the face....xeno and qoob have the ability to force NTSC/PAL video mode...


now on to the good news:
so i tried Doshin again and sure enough, i have NTSC signal coming out on composite and component...


then i started wondering about how WKF handled Doshin:
i loaded Doshin into my SD card and BLAH!!!!
WKF does allow out of region titles to be played even with all the fusion configuration menu settings turned off...the problem is, only the titles native video mode will be displayed....the only workaround at that point is to use swiss to force the mode.


...and what about the the region dip switches on the WKF?
im not sure if this has been posted before, but from my quick dirty testing, the position of those switches does not seem have any affect what-so-ever on the gamecube for DVD nor SD...



so maybe if an out of region gamecube cannot be found, a modchip or swiss could provide the solution??

I would rather stay on the safe side when building this new setup because once that MEGAdrive is soldered it ain't coming back off.

Bardicus posted in his portable worklog that he was able to transplant the MEGAdrive after his mainboard died...

all you have to do is heat up one pin at a time so the solder becomes soft at both top and bottom sides...then pull the pin out...do that a few dozen times and you own your board again....

[megalomaniac]

hmmm....for a follow up, i think ill have to do some more qoob testing....
i wonder if a few wild turkey / jack daniels ideas could possibly work out....

[MetroidPrime]

Ran into a few problems myself...
Soldering this thing is more difficult than I first thought.
Too small for me to be successful I'm afraid. Pins are too damn close and f*cking tiny!
I understand the concept and design, but underestimated the D.I.Y. part.
I don't think I fried the WKF, the light stays blue, not flashing though. SD card in slot.
Always Got the Gamecube error:

"An error has occurred. Turn the Power Off and check the Nintendo GameCube Booklet..."

The GC worked fine before (in its original condition w/DVD drive).
After trying to correctly solder and un-solder it 3 times already, I have to take a break before I ruin everything. I'm so damn pissed right now. I think it was either a bad GRD somewhere or the pins were not properly connected. I removed the all the pins from the mobo and tried to solder them again the second time around (one by one) and got the same error.
Third time same thing. Could not get to the WKF menu or loading, the GC would get the error after 5 sec of power on.

I will get back to it after the weekend, or I'll just buy a mobo w/adapter installed from Mega.
(if its still available)

[yamaharacer]

@mega
I have changed my setup and soldered a NC switch inside. still didnt work. after that I soldered the 1.9V line to the NO pin of the switch. still didnt work.

after a few minutes of testing I recognized that it works. but not in a determinated time. I have to push the switch several times until the logo apears and I can start the game.
Thats at using the wiikey fusion.


With dvd it still doesnt work. I put out the SD card, put in a game/backup the disc starts spining and the laser tries to load something but nothing happens after a few seconds I get a red error message which says I should read the manual.
I have already tweaked my laser befor installing the wiikey fusion. so normaly games should load.

[megalomaniac]

dont forget: it is very typical to come across errors with a WKF / Wode due to a small learning curve and getting use to WKF/Wode normal operation.


i would hate to make such a bold statement like this but: you can almost be 100% guaranteed as long as you solder on the board, you will have the right connections for power, gnd and data...
please ensure to follow the recommended install instructions as stated before ( remove the dvd port and pins, then solder in each pin one by one )

now with such a bold statement having been made about power gnd and data being correct..then any problems that are most likely to occur would not be port replacement related..but the typical errors that have been documented many times from portable worklogs or install guides or even youtube videos...

a few reasons for WKF / WODE errors:

1. ffc cable not inserted properly
the cable could be a little crooked, not inserted into the connector all the way, the blue tab facing wrong direction
improper cable connection can cause intermittent problems or iso loading problems, or disc read errors

2. sd card slot must be connected to WKF with sd card in the slot
without sd card in the slot the WKF will default to try reading from dvd. and with no drive connected or no disc in the drive = error

3. pin 29 switch
must be normally closed ( no exceptions ) and must be connected to pin 29 and GND.
holding the pin29 switch too long will cause errors

4. at boot up, blue LED should be off on WKF
only after pressing pin29 switch will this blue LED flash then turn of again
if the blue is constantly on, then check pin29 switch
if blue led never flashes after pressing switch, check switch or check FFC cable from WKF to port adapter
if blue led flashes and no iso is loaded, check lid switch or check FFC cable from WKF to port adapter

5. drive does not spin up, does not spin up properly or cannot read DVD disc
remove SD card from slot before power up
use WKF firmware 1.3
check ffc cable
check 5v power to drive insert
check lid switch
no xeno drive = original DVD only
xeno drive = dvd backup only ( no original dvds ...still investigating this )

6. if you dont know where to begin troubleshooting:
to verify the MEGAdrive board is properly installed: remove the WKF/Wode and connect the DVD drive directly to the mainboard using the port replacement and dvd insert. the GC will function as any typical "non-modified" console.
if everything works as normal, then any problems observed are not a result of the MEGAdrive modification..
if any issues are observed, then check soldering...


before trying to remove and resolder the MEGAdrive, try some troubleshooting first to determine if any of these normal issues can resolve the problem..ill try to add more when i can think of anything else...

[megalomaniac]

the light stays blue, not flashing though. SD card in slot.
Always Got the Gamecube error:

"An error has occurred. Turn the Power Off and check the Nintendo GameCube Booklet..."

sounds like a switch issue

@mega
after a few minutes of testing I recognized that it works. but not in a determinated time. I have to push the switch several times until the logo apears and I can start the game.
Thats at using the wiikey fusion.

With dvd it still doesnt work. I put out the SD card, put in a game/backup the disc starts spining and the laser tries to load something but nothing happens after a few seconds I get a red error message which says I should read the manual.

sounds like a cable issue from WKF to port adapter...first get the WKF to boot correctly with no issues, then add the dvd drive after you confirm WKF is 100% working..

[yamaharacer]

already messured every point. and every point of soldering at the dvd port has connection.

[megalomaniac]

already messured every point. and every point of soldering at the dvd port has connection.

just something for everyone to keep in mind:
measured every point from where?
from the port replacement itself to the drive insert
or
from the mainboard to the DVD drive?

big difference in results depending where you test...just because the port replacement to the drive insert has proper continuity does not mean a signal is properly connected to the mainboard during soldering...

-----------------------------------------------

i suggest you remove the WKF and FFC cable...

connect the FFC cable from the drive insert directly into the port adapter...
blue tab on the ffc cable port adapter side will still face the memory card slots with the cable contacts facing the heatsink...you will still need the 5v cable soldered to the drive insert...
test your DVD functionality...(it should work as normal...just bootup GC and disc should read as normal)

then report back the results

[yamaharacer]

I dont get it. I have messured from the bottom of the motherboard directly to the drive board. And everything seems correct. No bridges, nothing. I also tried it only with the dvd drive it starts spinning and after 2 seconds I get the same error which says I should read the manual.

What do I need to solder for using only the drive? do I need pin 29 NC? do I need WKF pin on the adapter?



Edit:
I give up. I am only wasting my time for something that I think will never work.

[megalomaniac]

What do I need to solder for using only the drive? do I need pin 29 NC? do I need WKF pin on the adapter?

with questions like this, maybe i was not clear enough on the installation requirements to cause you such confusion...i suggest at a minimum you at least take photos and post your installation...maybe i can see something out of place ...

[MockyLock]

hmmm....for a follow up, i think ill have to do some more qoob testing....
i wonder if a few wild turkey / jack daniels ideas could possibly work out....

As i see you would do some more QOOB testing, and since i saw you often try ripping method with all devices you test, maybe you didn't try ripping with Qoob ?
In case you didn't, this is the method I use:

Make sure PC Lan card IP is 192.168.1.100 (your GameCube IP is automatically set to 192.168.1.32).

Load Internet Explorer and type in 'http://192.168.1.32/DVD' . It will open a window allowing you to save the file. Rename it when saving. Don't use FireFox!
Once it's ripped, add the .iso extension manually
Average of 600KB p/s

I've ripped all my games this way for the SD Gecko testing.

[megalomaniac]

thanks for the info, but does cleanrip not work with qoob for some reason?
...and not to mention, this option would only be available for those few with a BBA...

im more than confident ripping via lan will function as normal since qoob does not even detect the WKF with the setting off and no sd card in the WKF slot....only after getting the qoob menu to initialize and inserting the SD card then booting original IP will the WKF be accessible

[MockyLock]

I've never tested Cleanrip.
And didn't thought that there were so few with BBA. I bought it only for this purpose ^^

[megalomaniac]

i will be posting a how-to guide on removing the dvd port in a few days....
keep in mind, my technique may appear shocking or very aggressive...
but realistically, i believe this will be the easiest removal and desoldering method for anyone using basic (non-specialized) everyday tools

[Diminuendo]

does it involve bull-nose pliers? Sounds like my non-certified dentistry video.

[megalomaniac]

does it involve bull-nose pliers? Sounds like my non-certified dentistry video.

hmmmm...no...i was thinking of using fire