How to wire a Wii's Bluetooth Module to a PC USB Port

[anatomi]

Do we have a rough ETA on the adapter?

EDIT: Not that there's any rush! It's a very interesting project and the prototype looks really good.

[Armada]

(01-14-2017, 09:22 PM)anatomi Wrote: Do we have a rough ETA on the adapter?

EDIT: Not that there's any rush! It's a very interesting project and the prototype looks really good.

There's no ETA until the final designs are done.

[McDrive]

Hi all,

Based on this thread (thanks to the OP!), I decided to create my own USB enclosure for the Wii's BT chip. First of all, I realized I had a KlikAanKlikUit (Dutch) TPC-200 module lying around (for switching home appliances through a pc). So I wanted to reuse its enclosure. Of course you can buy these types of boxes at any good electronics (online) store if you don't have anything you can reuse.

   

The enclosure already has a battery compartment for 2 x 1.5V AA, so that made it easy to perform some tests prior to ordering the voltage regulator (which, by the way, is dirt cheap, mine cost me 50 eurocents). I soldered all required wires to the chip, while leaving USB +5V unused since I was going to use the AA's for power. I used a small patch of double sided adhesive tape to stick the chip the base. For the sync function, I installed a standard pushbutton. It fits nicely in the location where the USB B-type connector used to be. The remaining hole I used to accommodate the USB cable.

   

   

After receiving the voltage regulator (LD1117V33), I just hooked it up to the battery compartment. This saves from having to mess around with the original soldering and is a straightforward procedure. I used one of the PCB mounting holes to secure the voltage regulator. Of course the battery compartment is now no longer usable, but it's no longer relevant either.

   

The module works like a charm! I used USB passthrough before with a CSR based chip (König) but couldn't connect more than 1 Wiimote and responsiveness was suboptimal. With the Wii's WML-C43 in place, the experience is virtually perfect for the games I tried. I played Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 and Super Paper Mario, while my girlfriend played Animal Crossing. Control feels like the original Wii and the Wiimote's BT audio sounds the same too! The only issue I have with the setup is that syncing Wiimotes seems to be a bit of a hit & miss thing at times. What I do is press the Sync button in Dolphin, then the Sync button on the Wiimote and finally the Sync button on the BT enclosure. It took me several tries to get a second Wiimote connected, but it worked eventually.

   

Of course this enclosure solution is not so compact as a dongle with a dedicated PCB design, but it's tight enough for me. All you need is some modest soldering skills and patience.

[leolam]

That's pretty nice! Just FYI, you don't need to press the Sync button twice (in Dolphin and on the adapter), since you're just triggering the same HCI event that tells the game to begin syncing remotes twice (which the game will ignore).

[McDrive]

(01-15-2017, 02:30 AM)leolam Wrote: That's pretty nice! Just FYI, you don't need to press the Sync button twice (in Dolphin and on the adapter), since you're just triggering the same HCI event that tells the game to begin syncing remotes twice (which the game will ignore).

OK, thanks! I'll keep that in mind next time I try syncing.

[ccutrer]

(12-16-2016, 01:27 AM)Armada Wrote: Here is the first functional prototype board:



Next we're going to make some changes to the design, primarily giving it a USB A connector, moving some components and make some adjustments for a 3D printed casing. Then we will get a quote from an automated assembly partner and we can hold a fundraiser to see if there is enough interest to produce a large batch.

Looks great. I'd definitely be interested in buying one.

[zebranco]

If put to sell in amazon style to the dolphin I bought it I liked the project I would take it all right
Amazing

[DeJaVu]

Hi all,
First i have to say its a great thing you got going on here, so i couldnt pass by and made one of these puppies for myself.
Built it with Wii Bluetooth Module J27H002, and it shows in device manager as a generic bluetooth adapter.
As i dont have a Wii Remote atm, i opted to test the adapter with a ds4 and a bluetooth headset.
It pairs both of the devices ok, but on the DS4 i get 15+ms lag(with Orico bt4.0 adapter i have i get 1.2ms) and the headset has sound but it is very choppy(i guess its related to the lag).
Has anyone of you that made it and have it working fine with Wii Remotes, tried with other device(or can try it out) get similar results as me?
Is this normal behavior and the adapter is optimized for use only with Wii Remotes, or did i get a faulty Bluetooth Module?

[trihy]

Probably ds4 is a bt 4.0 compliant product and needs a better dongle.

Wii bt module is 2.0/2.1 compliant and 10 years old.

[DeJaVu]

(01-28-2017, 07:00 AM)trihy Wrote: Probably ds4 is a bt 4.0 compliant product and needs a better dongle.

Wii bt module is 2.0/2.1 compliant and 10 years old.

Built another one just to be sure, and it has the same issues as the first dongle.I guess it couldnt be that 2 modules are faulty(from same seller though so who knows)
I was thinking along those lines too, to be exact no EDR support might be the culprit...

Can someone try with theirs and let me know if they exibit the same behavior?
Will be very grateful to have my mind at ease, as with chinese new year celebration going on atm, the wii remote is 1+ months(probably more like 2) away   , would hate it if i would need to re-order the modules and wait another 1+ months