WiiDual / GCVideo discussion

[citrus3000psi]

It might be possible, but I don't know. The wii mini's firmware isn't 480p capable. So a solution was never looked at.

[andykara2003]

I’m getting my Wii modded with WiiDual and I want to have it output RGBHV via VGA. Would I need to have a cable custom made for this?

Also, would I have to ask the modder to specifically wire up the output socket for RGBHV - or will that socket be RGBHV capable by default?

[nmalinoski]

I’m getting my Wii modded with WiiDual and I want to have it output RGBHV via VGA. Would I need to have a cable custom made for this?

Also, would I have to ask the modder to specifically wire up the output socket for RGBHV - or will that socket be RGBHV capable by default?

My understanding is that the Wii AV Multi-out, as on most consoles, does not have pins dedicated for separate horizontal or vertical syncs; so, if you want RGBHV from the AV Multi-out, you will need to hijack two pins used for something else (D-Terminal data pins, probably) and you would need a custom cable wired to use those pins for horizontal and vertical syncs, and that cable will likely only ever be usable with your specific console (Or any that have that specific customization applied).

If you would prefer compatibility with off-the-shelf cables and are okay with a non-stock look to the back of your console, it's probably possible for the modder to find a vent or cut a hole to run a DE-15 dongle, so you can use a regular DE-15/VGA cable for video and a regular Wii AV/S-Video/Component cable for audio.

[citrus3000psi]

There are two tiny jumpers on the board when shorted will send H/V to the datapins. Retro access should be able to make a cable for you.

[andykara2003]

There are two tiny jumpers on the board when shorted will send H/V to the datapins. Retro access should be able to make a cable for you.

Brilliant thanks! So am I right in saying that the installer would have to do nothing differently to their usual install apart from short those jumpers? In this case, would it be obvious to the installer where the jumpers are - i.e. is there something in the documentation that I could point them towards?

[the Goat]

There are two tiny jumpers on the board when shorted will send H/V to the datapins. Retro access should be able to make a cable for you.

Brilliant thanks! So am I right in saying that the installer would have to do nothing differently to their usual install apart from short those jumpers? In this case, would it be obvious to the installer where the jumpers are - i.e. is there something in the documentation that I could point them towards?

No it is a bit more complicated then just shorting the correct jumpers. Existing components need to be removed from the motherboard for the channels being used for h-sync and v-sync. They are marked in the install instructions.

[andykara2003]

Not sure which is correct now! The goat - from your sig you're obviously an experienced installer, but Citrus is the creator of the board so I would think he would be the first to know :/

[the Goat]

Not sure which is correct now! The goat - from your sig you're obviously an experienced installer, but Citrus is the creator of the board so I would think he would be the first to know :/

My post was in agreement with Citrus'. I was just including some details he left out.

[andykara2003]

Not sure which is correct now! The goat - from your sig you're obviously an experienced installer, but Citrus is the creator of the board so I would think he would be the first to know :/

My post was in agreement with Citrus'. I was just including some details he left out.

Nice one :) So just to be clear am I right in saying that absolutely everything the installer needs to know for modding for RGBHV is included in the instructions?

Also, is there any advantage in going for an NTSC Wii over a PAL one for this (I live in the UK).

Lastly does getting a black Wii pretty much guarantee that it'll be a revision that's moddable?

[citrus3000psi]

The goat is correct other components need to be removed. The RGBHV is a semi unsupported feature. As cables don't really exist and I never did the install docs

R58 and R56 Need to be removed before shorting the H/V jumpers.

R55 & Q7 is needed for CSYNC going to the datapin which is already in the install docs.



Yes all black wii's will be compatible.

[andykara2003]

Thanks Citrus, very good of you to post this here. I can understand why you didn't add documentation - as you say, everyone who does this has to order custom cables so it's very niche.

I just had a thought - I use an NEC XV29+ a 600 line version of the NEC XM29 that only has a D-sub 15 connector for input. This obviously accepts RGBHV but it also accepts 240p RGB as long as you use a sync stripper. Does this mean that the monitor will likely accept straight 480p RGB without needing to generate full RGBHV? In that case I could just get the modder to do a standard install and just get a cable made up to get the mod's existing RGB to the correct pins in the D-sub 15 plug. Does anyone know if this would work?

I realise this is a very uncommon use case and that I should post this question in the NEC thread, but seeing as this relates to Wiidual as well I thought I'd throw it out there. .

[fernan1234]

Out of curiosity, why do you need RGBHV specifically? Would RGBS via DE-15/VGA not work for you? I got a custom DE-15 cable from RA wired for RGBS that goes into an Extron VGA switch.

If for some reason you absolutely need separate sync, you could still just use the regular RGBS with an Extron RGB box that can separate the sync for you.

edit: typed this as you posted why you're looking for this. I thought the XM29 takes RGBS. If needed a sync stripper can be added to your cable.

[andykara2003]

Out of curiosity, why do you need RGBHV specifically? Would RGBS via DE-15/VGA not work for you? I got a custom DE-15 cable from RA wired for RGBS that goes into an Extron VGA switch.

If for some reason you absolutely need separate sync, you could still just use the regular RGBS with an Extron RGB box that can separate the sync for you.

edit: typed this as you posted why you're looking for this. I thought the XM29 takes RGBS. If needed a sync stripper can be added to your cable.

Fantastic, thanks! To be honest, I'm not very knowledgeable on this - but in this case is it a given/likely that the monitor will accept 480p RGB, knowing that it accepts 240p RGB? I'm guessing that the answer is probably yes. (Coincedentally I will be using an Extron RGB 203Rxi as a VGA switch)

Also, are you using the that custom cable with wiidual specifically?

[fernan1234]

Also, are you using the that custom cable with wiidual specifically?

Yep, outputting RGBS (can also do RGsB).

[andykara2003]

Nice one - great to know I don’t have to go down the RGBHV route - thanks all.

[andykara2003]

Apologies for the double post. I’m just about to get WiiDual installed on a new Wii. Are all chroma issues sorted now, and are there any other pitfalls that would warrant holding off until firmware 2.5? (I won’t be using GBI). I’ve taken a look back through the thread, but can’t work out whether I’d be jumping the gun getting the mod done now, especially considering I’m not technically minded enough to be upgrading the firmware myself in the future.

Plus, is there an eta on 2.5?

[fernan1234]

The latest WiiDual firmware fixed the remaining chroma issue for WiiDual users. No need to hold off. If you got your kit recently it should come with it, otherwise it can be flashed during install.

[andykara2003]

Great news & thanks for all your help :)

[thebigcheese]

I've been holding off for 2.5, but only because I've already installed the mod and I really don't want to take it apart more than once again. But it's been quite a while now, so maybe I should give up and install whatever the latest is...

[Konsolkongen]

If flashing the firmware with the mod installed, would you have to power the console while flashing?

[thebigcheese]

If flashing the firmware with the mod installed, would you have to power the console while flashing?

Yes. It's not hard, it's just a bit of a hassle, so I'd like to do it as few times as possible.

[Unseen]

Yes. It's not hard, it's just a bit of a hassle, so I'd like to do it as few times as possible.

Rejoice, you'll probably only have to do it once for the next firmware release. Afterwards, running a DOL file with the updater is enough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaCBVKwzyhQ

(or so I hope - if the flasher firmware gets damaged due to a bug, you'll have to dig out the screwdriver once more)

[Konsolkongen]

Neat! Will it work for Wii too?

[Unseen]

Neat! Will it work for Wii too?

The console-side updater is basically just a specialized image viewer, so it should work. I haven't compiled it for Wii yet though and also haven't tested it because dismantling a Wii is such a pain.

[thebigcheese]

Awesome! Then I will continue to hold off until that update comes

[Ikaruga11]

So we can update the firmware with an SD Card now?

[Kez]

So we can update the firmware with an SD Card now?

Not now but soon, as long as you can run homebrew on the GC (which there are a bunch of simple ways to do).. and you will need to do a manual update to add this functionality.

[Syntax]

Always been a little confused as to why gcdual and wiidual cannot update via wifi. Dchdmi updating is painless, and wii even has wifi access.

Still happy that a new method is just around the corner.

[nmalinoski]

Always been a little confused as to why gcdual and wiidual cannot update via wifi. Dchdmi updating is painless, and wii even has wifi access.

It's not that simple; sometimes the basic functionality is the priority.

I think the Wii is an interesting use case; I can't imagine that the WiiDual would be able to directly tap into the Wii's WiFi hardware; but I have a few ideas. For starters, the update mechanism could be like the UltraHDMI's (where a specifically-constructed frame acts like an unlock key to put the board into flashing mode, and then the new firmware would be flashed by encoding into subsequent frames, which are then read by the HDMI board, decoded, stored in RAM, and then validated before the board flashes it and reboots; not unlike what was demonstrated here for the GCDual), or it could be attached to the USB bus like a peripheral (which would require a new board revision to support the USB connectivity).

Then, the updater software could be shipped as an installable .wad, which would be able to connect to the network and download new versions. If a new revision of the WiiDual comes out with USB connectivity, the updater could try to detect the board and flash that way, or, if not, offer to try the frame-encoding method.

Another alternative would be to find somewhere to mount an external port so you can attach a JTAG programmer without disassembling the console; would be even more convenient if the WiiDual hardware supported programming via USB (because then you'd just need to mount something like a Mini-B USB port somewhere), but I'm pretty sure it doesn't.

[fernan1234]

For the latest custom GCVideo firmware on the WiiDual (2.4c.2?), what else would be left to improve on? It already fixed the two chroma problems, and also included a pixel averaging toggle. Is there anything in the upcoming official 2.5 for GC hardware that would be needed on WiiDual's custom firmware?