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

10-13-2020, 11:39 AM **#481**

(10-12-2020, 05:38 AM)Deam Wrote: Hey everyone.
This thread has been very informative - to the point that I recently just soldered my second Wii module. I do have a quick question regarding people's experience. Basically, is the Wii bluetooth module very sensitive to EMI/interference? The reason I ask is this:

- In my living setup, the computer is actually behind a 65" TV. I made the first adapter using the first gen Wii bluetooth module. It worked fairly well, but Wii remote audio was poor and syncing sometimes didn't work so well. Having gotten frustrated, and also thinking that I used too long of a cable (nearly 3ft) in an attempt to have the module/box in front of the TV. I have a lot of stuff on the same TV stand, the TV, Computer, PS4, receiver large centre speaker, Harmony Hub, etc. Lots of radio devices.

- Today, I made a second module with a much shorter cable, though that causes it, at best, to dangle just below the TV.

While syncing, wii motion plus, etc. is all fine, Wii remote speaker audio is still inconsistent. If I am line of site and close, it works very consistently. But even if I move a few feet back, it starts to cut out or get crackly.

Is there some way to add an Antenna wire to to the module? Unfortunately, using a USB extension cable just reintroduces the original issues, in that the audio quality diminishes. d

The fact that it works when close and line of sight suggests the wiring is fine, and I just have a lot of interference in that area. I just don't ever recall the Wii being this sensitive to interference or range issues.

Just to follow up, I've tried using various USB3 extensions, keeping it line of sight, etc. What's most confusing is sometimes it works perfectly, initially, for a few minutes or so, and then it starts to crackle or cut out, with nothing being touched or changed.

Abbie Doobie · 10-22-2020, 09:45 AM **#482**

Hello!

I have an update for anybody looking to purchase a board. I've launched a website to host their sale: abbiedoobie.com

The direct paypal invoicing system felt a bit uncomfortable to me. I already pay for hosting, so generating a basic site made sense.

Currently I ship to anywhere in the US, as well as France. If I don't support shipping to your country/region, please reach out via the contact form

I've also seen a question about cost, and I like transparency, so here is the breakdown:

$10: Raw items - includes V2 board and bluetooth adapter
$15: Test/Package - I spent about 1 hour with each complete assembly verifying the produced board (soldering job), testing in Dolphin, and packaging it up.
$XX: Portion sent to DacoTaco for designing the board. Not mentioning specifics, as that's his business imo

In total I charge $40, plus $5 for shipping within the US. I've reduced US shipping cost to $5 via the website (originally $10). I hope to reduce total cost a bit more if/when more of the boards are purchased. Might buy a larger quantity. Will probably spend a bit less time verifying each board; I think my QA time was overkill. That will depend on if people continue to buy them of course. So far I have sold 7 of them.

**DacoTaco** · 11-07-2020, 10:40 PM **#483**

FYI : i created a v3 of the board, which as always can be found on EasyEda.

what has changed :

moved the module header to the left so that the antenna hangs over the board (improved range)
removed the ground plane underneath the module. this so less ground is near the module sucking in signal strength
add optional pull down resistor for the sync button
moved some general components around, the exposed usb connections are on the right now.
added text to show what soldering hole is what of the module (so it doesn't get confused and soldered incorrectly)

pictures in attachment.

11-09-2020, 07:00 AM **#484**

I have built the adapter (thanks for the diagram!) and I hear the windows chime that indicates it found new hardware. However, it is looking for a driver that I do not seem to have.
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you very much!

**DacoTaco** · 11-09-2020, 04:07 PM **#485**

what does the device manager say?
what version of windows?

Abbie Doobie · 12-02-2020, 09:22 AM **#486**

In case anyone is interested in the newer version, I have a pre-order for V3 (with pulldown resistor and adjustments made to increase range). Permanent price is a tad lower than V2, and there is also an additional discount for purchasing during pre-order period: https://www.abbiedoobie.com/product/dacotacos-bluetooth-adapter-v3/

12-10-2020, 04:51 PM **#487**

I've created my own bt usb mod. It's recognised by the system

Bus 002 Device 002: ID 057e:0305 Nintendo Co., Ltd Broadcom BCM2045A Bluetooth Radio [Nintendo Wii]

I've enabled passthrough and paired my remotes. But they don't seem to want to say paired after i've exited a game. I'm using the latest build on ubuntu 20.04

any suggestions?

12-12-2020, 05:58 AM **#488**

(12-10-2020, 04:51 PM)variables Wrote: I've created my own bt usb mod. It's recognised by the system

Bus 002 Device 002: ID 057e:0305 Nintendo Co., Ltd Broadcom BCM2045A Bluetooth Radio [Nintendo Wii]

I've enabled passthrough and paired my remotes. But they don't seem to want to say paired after i've exited a game. I'm using the latest build on ubuntu 20.04

any suggestions?

Picked up a dongle off amazon one of the reviewers had reported as working with passthru. It was really cheap so I gave i a go. IT WORKS! Parings are remembered! I really wish I knew why my modded one didn't.

One thing i did notice when doing a continuity test with my solder points, if i touch the positive and the negative on my 3.3v regulator (same board others have used) and it give the tinyest of "blips" (not quite a full out beep or tone) but then stops like a millisecond later. Wondering if that could be the source of my problem with the modded chip.

01-06-2021, 05:41 PM **#489**

Hello, I've been a long time user of Dolphin and recently have gotten around to soldering my own Wii Module. I am currently having an issue with my Wiimote not pairing in-game though, and was wondering if somebody could point out something I'm missing? I'd be happy to provide any logs or pictures if necessary. These are the steps I've taken:

- Soldered the chip exactly as the original diagram in this thread specified and I've had Windows recognize it as BCM2045A with no hiccups or stability issues.
- Replaced and installed the driver with libusbK 3.0.7.0 through Zadig successfully.
- Enabled Bluetooth Passthrough within the controller settings in Dolphin, and used my sync hotkey as "S",
- Can boot into game with all those settings enabled, I do not get any errors about no adapters found.
- I have also forced adapter within the config file using the exact VID/PID listed on the Wiki page.

But when in-game I click "S" to start pairing, it says "Scanning for Wiimotes", and while also pressing the red sync button at the same time on my genuine Wiimote, nothing happens.

I would love an explanation as for why I can't get this to work, as so many of you have seemed to get it running flawlessly, and any help would be greatly appreciated!

01-14-2021, 11:34 AM **#490**

Hey guys. I've been using Dolphin for a while now, but I'm just now wanting to make my own bluetooth module following this guide. I've got a lot of experience with soldering. My only question though is what AWG wire should I use? Does it matter? I used 22 AWG to wire a usb port to the voltage regulator, but I'm still waiting on the bluetooth chip in the mail so I haven't wired that yet. I'm afraid 22 AWG might be too large based off people saying the chip pads are really small. Should I use smaller wire or is 22 AWG fine? Thanks!