Wii Homebrew Channel + Case Is Here 3
Also, my Evolve Black Katana case is here. It’s pretty cool looking, but the paintjob looks just a tad better than something I could do myself. It’s still pretty good. I give it 3 out of 5.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl + WiiKey = Bad Medicine 5
I bought Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I expected it to run on my drivechipped Wii (chipped for homebrew btw). Well, it’s the first Wii game that’s dual layer, and the WiiKey incorrectly assumes that all dual layer discs are GameCube multi-game discs. Great assumption, as it was true. Now it’s not. And unfortunately, WiiKey’s Website is showing the default RHEL test page and apparently has been for some time now.
Shit.
So Googling around, I found out that the WiiKey is compatible with the OpenWii firmware. Great! Except the sucky part is that OpenWii requires programming the chip directly rather than using a DVD. Not that big of a problem, I guess. The biggest problem I’m going to encounter in swapping my WiiKey to run OpenWii is the fact I have to solder on SMD chips and I don’t have good enough magnification (I could probably use a jewelers magnification thingy). Also my soldering iron tip is quite large and my soldering iron doesn’t really have a selection of bits for it with a finer point than what I have. Meh. Also I have to take apart the Wii again, which is an adventure in itself…
So… What am I going to do? I could just desolder the WiiKey and say “screw it”, but that defeats the purpose of it (especially since huge strides have been made in homebrew). So, I think I’m going to do this:
- Using this guide I’m going to rewire my WiiKey (yes, I’ll take pictures) and put a port on the back of my Wii which will connect to a modified parallel port cable.
- While I have the Wii open, I’ll take it apart the rest of the way and put it in a new awesome case.
- I’ll also install a switch on the Wii so that I can turn off the modchip if needed (this switch would be required because the diagram shows that the WiiKey requires power from the parallel port during programming, and I don’t want the possibility of shorting the Wii - so I’ll probably install two switches, one for programmer power ON/OFF and one for DVDROM power ON/OFF). This will avoid this problem from ever occuring again.
Though, like an idiot, I “quicksoldered” the thing to my Wii. In hindsight, it would have been faster to actually use wire, since I ended up tearing a trace off the drive and had to solder to the actual drive chip (luckily the “debug port” pins that were left on the drive are just shortcuts to the pins on the actual chip).
I’ll keep everyone posted with updates.
The Apple Cinema Display Saga (part 2: Take-Apart Guide) 8
If you missed part 1, you should go back and read it, so you understand why I’m taking apart such an expensive monitor.
Before I cut the end of the cable off, I wanted to know what I was working with. Maybe the cable was simple to replace. Maybe it was something that I could easily find. By following this take-apart guide, you’ll see, the cable is really simple to remove. The Mac mini and Nintendo Wii are much more difficult to open up (though not really that hard).
But a word of warning: After I took apart the monitor, and saw how easy the cable was to replace, I tried to locate one on the Internet. Nobody sells one. So, I went to an Apple store. Evidently, even though the monitor is easy to service, they send the monitor back to China and have the underaged children with small hands refurbish my monitor and they send me another refurbished one. There is a $120-$200 cost for this. Unless, of course, you take it apart first, in which case the refurbishment charge is $800 (for those keeping score, that’s $300 more than I paid for it). Even though the monitor is not under warranty, taking it apart is one of the Seven Deadly Apple Sins. So, don’t do it if you’re in the same boat I am. Unless you have a cable already, in which case, let me know how you got it! :)
So, anyway, on with the guide.
Tools
You’re going to need Allen wrenches. Just get a set. You’ll use like two or three. You’re also going to need a good Torx set. The smaller ones. I ended up using my Console Access Pro Toolkit because my other Torx set didn’t have a Torx bit small enough. You’ll also need a #1 Philips screwdriver, and another Philips screwdriver that is much bigger. The screw is weird though, I couldn’t get it to turn with any of my bigger Philips screwdrivers, so I ended up using a big flathead screwdriver to turn it. You’ll also need a knife or this same flathead screwdriver for prying purposes, and it would really help if you had a magnetic probe. You can get one at AutoZone at the counter where they sell the M&Ms and tire gauges, and you will learn to love it. Perhaps more than yourself or the Weighted Companion Cube.
You might also need a couple pairs of pliers to seperate connectors, but I didn’t (I did on my Nintendo Wii, however).
The Guide
You’re going to start with this:
From there, you need to take the white side panels off. To do this, grab your knife or screwdriver and use it to pry up the white panel from the top. They’re glued on with really strong glue, but if you open them like this, you’ll get them off (pull gently, but don’t be afraid to use a little force!):
On the side of the display with the power button, you’ll have to unplug a small cable. I just pulled the cable out of the socket since I could pull by the connector easily. If you cannot, use pliers. Do not pull by the wire!
Next, remove the base. It’s really rather simple, so I didn’t take pictures of it. Remove four Torx screws from the part of the base where it meets the monitor (you have to look for them a little). Then, you have to remove the big screws on the sides of the base that open with Allen wrenches. They’re silver. Can’t miss them.
After that, you’ll need to remove all of the little screws on the sides of the monitor. Not the two or three bigger ones - don’t mess with those yet.
Next, pull up on the bracket you just unscrewed and remove it. Then remove the topmost big screw on the sides of the monitor (top in relation to the monitor).
You’re almost there! You need to release these.. levers.. that hold it all together. Use pliers, a screwdriver, your finger (if you want it to hurt), or something else to pull the levers. They don’t come out very far. Here’s what they look like:
There’s one on both sides, by the way.
You’ll need to disconnect the status LED. The connector is taped to the screen, remove the tape and disconnect the connector.
Finally, use gravity to your benefit, and ease the screen out of the aluminum casing. You will have to feed the cable through the hole in the back, and you can’t do it at an angle (the screen will only slide out exactly vertically). You’ll end up with this:
From here, remove the tape and unplug the cable, if that’s what you took it apart for. You’ll probably want to mark what went where, just in case.
But, again, remember that even if you have no warranty, this will not be good if you need to order parts and aren’t an Apple Authorized Service Provider…
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The Apple Cinema Display Saga (part 1)
I own a 20” aluminum Apple Cinema Display. When I bought it, it was the best 20” widescreen you could buy. It’s still quite awesome. Except, the DVI connector is permanently attached to the monitor. Which wouldn’t be a problem if you were a normal Apple user in that you have a studio and keep your stuff in mainly the same place.
Well. I’m not. I go to LAN parties. I move my monitor two or three times a month. Lots of stress on the DVI connector. Finally, the DVI cable gave out. And, it’s not under warranty anymore (I was two days late getting AppleCare). And unlike every other manufacturer of hardware I know of, they won’t sell end-users repair parts. And it’s not like I can just go to a parts store and order a part. I have to pay Apple however much money they want for labor and then however much it costs for the cable. Which probably will end up around $100. For a DVI cable. That costs $2.
So, what am I doing? I’m doing the absolute geekiest thing: I’m soldering the $2 (free) DVI cable on to the attached Apple DVI cable. But, I did take it apart. It’s extremely simple to get it apart and replace the cable. And I’m hoping David from Galaxy Hardware Publishers can find a cable for me, just in case my solder job fails.
I’ll post take-apart pictures and a take-apart guide in part 2.