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

[themanuel]

I had not reported it because I wanted to verify if other people were having this issue before sending the developers off on a wild goose chase. Now that at least one other person has the issue, I can open one tonight. If it turns out that this is not really a dolphin issue, at least the BT passthrough wiki should be updated to indicate that even the Wii BT adapter is not perfect.

[mbc07]

There's no way the Wii Bluetooth Adapter isn't perfect for passthrough because that's the same chip the emulated games would talk to if running on a real Wii. I bet it's a Dolphin issue or perhaps another WinUSB issue. I remember when I was using the built-in Atheros AR3012 BT adapter from my previous WiFi card, it would work flawlessly on Linux but had weird disconnection issues on Windows.

TL;DR if possible, could you guys test this issue on Linux? Or if you only have access to Windows, perhaps try with UsbDk instead of Zadig, or try other Zadig options like libusbK...

[trihy]

Hi, probably a Dolphin issue.

Nsmb was always my game of choice to test Dolphin updates.

And always worked fine. until now. I guess it was broken some builds ago, but cant tell exactly.

Didnt update at all libusbk drivers. Im using zadig libusbk since passthrough was developed.

I dont use winusb or usbdk. Its buggy as hell. Last time I installed usbdk bugged my passthrough, was behaving erratic. And was a nightmare to uninstall. So wont install usbdk until they fix some stuff.

[themanuel]

(01-10-2019, 02:49 AM)mbc07 Wrote: There's no way the Wii Bluetooth Adapter isn't perfect for passthrough because that's the same chip the emulated games would talk to if running on a real Wii. I bet it's a Dolphin issue or perhaps another WinUSB issue. I remember when I was using the built-in Atheros AR3012 BT adapter from my previous WiFi card, it would work flawlessly on Linux but had weird disconnection issues on Windows.

TL;DR if possible, could you guys test this issue on Linux? Or if you only have access to Windows, perhaps try with UsbDk instead of Zadig, or try other Zadig options like libusbK...

I did not mean that the adapter itself is not perfect, but rather it's use for dolphin passthrough isn't, although it seems to be for most games.  I do not have a Linux setup but as part of trying to resolve this, I did test the other drivers that come with ZaDig and they all performed worse than libusbk.  Like, trihy, I have been using libusbk all along and also fell into the quagmire that is UsbDk, much to my chagrin.  Nevertheless, I'm willing to give UsbDk another try for testing purposes, as I now know how to recover from it, if it misbehaves.

What I'll do first, as trihy suggested, is to try an older version of dolphin.  If neither dolphin nor libusbk have changed, then the only other possibility would be for recent Windows 10 updates to have affected libusbk functionality in this particular application.

[themanuel]

Oh, by the way, even though it doesn't seem to be an adapter issue, I did order another Wii BT model, this time of the WLM-C43 type (as opposed to J27H002) for testing since it is so cheap on eBay and I wanted to have a backup anyway.

[trihy]

Both adapters behave exactly the same. Not sure about this bug. But I used both many months ago ad didnt notice any difference.

But its good to have a backup. This adapters burned out frequently on wii console.

ATM Im using the j27h0002 one.

C43 has another antenna design, but didnt notice any difference in reception.

[themanuel]

(01-10-2019, 05:12 AM)trihy Wrote: Both adapters behave exactly the same. Not sure about this bug. But I used both many months ago ad didnt notice any difference.

But its good to have a backup. This adapters burned out frequently on wii console.

ATM Im using the j27h0002 one.

C43 has another antenna design, but didnt notice any difference in reception.

Thanks for the feedback.  I'll report back here with my findings when I install it next week.

[Watermelon_Sandwich]

Hello everybody! I've been following this thread and created my own Wii Bluetooth module adapters, both the j27h0002 and the WLM-C43. All your input has been fantastic. I couldn't have done it without the OP and everyone's advice and input. But I have a problem with a few games. Just wondering if any of you guys can test and report back if you have the same issues:

1. When playing Wii Sports, it works fantastic when 3 Wiimotes are connected. But when I connect 4, after a few seconds the 4th one disconnects at the splash screen. I press A, it reconnects fine, then after a few seconds, it disconnects on the main menu (the menu of choosing which game you want to play). After pressing A, it reconnects fine, then after choosing a game (like bowling) when choosing how many players, it disconnects again. After pressing A, it reconnects fine - then it'll disconnect again when playing the game. After you press A, it reconnects and it stays connected all the way through.

2. Also, when 4 wiimotes are connected on Wiisports, all wiimote speakers have static sound. When 3 are connected, they work perfectly.

3. I've noticed the 4th wiimote disconnecting on the main menu on Wiiplay also. But once you're playing the game, the sound is clear and the 4th wiimote stays on.

Wii Sports Resort doesn't have a problem. All 4 Wiimoes connect well. Sound is great. Wii Party connects well also. NSMB works fine with all 4 wiimotes, but there's occasional static sound.

I've tried both adapters and both behave exactly the same. I've even tried connecting them with higher gauge wire (printer cable) and there was absolutely no difference at all.

I gave all my wiimotes a chance to be player 4 and the issue persists.

I've tried the Zadig 2.4 drivers, (WinUSB and Libusbk) and I've also installed USBDk - and have also tried uninstalling and installing each one to try isolate the problem. But all seems the same.

The only variable I haven't changed is my regulator (LM3940). Could it be that? I even connected a capacitor to the output to see if there was a difference, but it was the same.

I'm using standard Wiimotes (non TR).

I'm just wondering if you guys either know what's wrong or could test and report your findings so I can isolate the issue. Could it be a windows 10 issue? A Dolphin issue? Regulator? I mean if you have the same problem, then it'll most likely be software related.

Any input you have would be super appreciated

[mbc07]

UsbDk doesn't work for everyone (not sure why), but when it works it's the best solution for Dolphin's USB/BT passthrough (at least theoretically), as it supports isochronous transfers that WinUSB and libusbK lacks. I only tried UsbDk twice and it just worked here, but that was in the past with the Atheros AR3012. I have both Wii USB Module models laying around here but I still hadn't time to mod them (nor had ordered the voltage regulator yet) for Dolphin's BT Passthrough, otherwise I could gladly check this on Linux to see if it also happens there. Also, does that happen only with New Super Mario Bros? From the "problematic" titles I only own Skyward Sword...

[themanuel]

Last night I tested a Dolphin version dating back 6 months and another one from 1 year ago.  In both cases, the problem on which I've been reporting with NSMBW eventually surfaced.  However, it took much longer than on the very recent build I currently use.  I don't think the difference in time before the onset of the problem is necessarily related to the version of Dolphin, as much as it is to the fact that in each case I had to sync my wiimote again.  I suspect the problem takes a while to develop after the first sync, but once it happens the first time, subsequent disconnections are more expedient.  I did not bother to test this theory as the problem is there regardless, providing no incentive to use an older version of dolphin.

(01-10-2019, 12:14 PM)Watermelon_Sandwich Wrote: Hello everybody! I've been following this thread and created my own Wii Bluetooth module adapters, both the j27h0002 and the WLM-C43. All your input has been fantastic. I couldn't have done it without the OP and everyone's advice and input. But I have a problem with a few games. Just wondering if any of you guys can test and report back if you have the same issues:

One of the few games I've tried with 4 wiimotes is MKW and occasionally have had an issue where it's really hard to sync the fourth one.  I'll check Wii Sports tonight to see if I experience the same issue as you.  As you can see from the last several posts in this thread, there are multiple issues with BT passthrough, even with the Wii's own BT module.  It is to the point that I'm considering reverting back to emulated BT and trade-off wiimote accuracy for stability, but I still want to try a few more things before giving up on the promised land.

(01-10-2019, 12:22 PM)mbc07 Wrote: UsbDk doesn't work for everyone (not sure why), but when it works it's the best solution for Dolphin's USB/BT passthrough (at least theoretically), as it supports isochronous transfers that WinUSB and libusbK lacks. I only tried UsbDk twice and it just worked here, but that was in the past with the Atheros AR3012. I have both Wii USB Module models laying around here but I still hadn't time to mod them (nor had ordered the voltage regulator yet) for Dolphin's BT Passthrough, otherwise I could gladly check this on Linux to see if it also happens there. Also, does that happen only with New Super Mario Bros? From the "problematic" titles I only own Skyward Sword...

I'm not sure if your question was directed Watermelon or to one of the previous posters but is seems his problems are with Wii Sports and Wii Play.  I have experienced some 4th wiimote issues trying to connect MKW but they are rare and have been cured by simply reestablishing the BT pairings.  I don't discard this issue possibly having been caused by previously playing NSMBW, somehow.  

My next step will be to corroborate Watermelon's issue and to give UsbDK a try, despite the risk of wailing and gnashing of teeth with that driver.