I want to get a Dolphin Bar, but...

[nintendo_nerd]

I have some friends that inform me that they have the official MayFlash Dolphin Bar adapter, but no matter what modes they use, no matter what USB ports they swap to, the sensor bar refuses to work. He was on Windows 8, now on Windows 10 and it doesn't work. So I'm doing a two part question, so to speak; one, why does it work for some people and not others, despite being "advertised to work as is?" and "Should I get it if so many people have had bad luck with it?" I don't want to waste money on something that won't work on my machine, and I badly want to play Wii games on here; trying to configure games that use motion on a 360 controller is a PITA. So, what I want to know is, is it worth it, or should I just not get one at all? 

Once I do get one, is it a pain to set up? So many questions and doubts are rushing through my head right now, I just don't want to get buyer's remorse, thank you for your time.

http://www.amazon.com/Mayflash-W010-Wireless-Sensor-DolphinBar/dp/B00HZWEB74/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8&tag=donations09-20

[ExtremeDude2]

Borrow one?

[nintendo_nerd]

(11-06-2015, 11:09 AM)ExtremeDude2 Wrote: Borrow one?

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that has one, but are my fears substantiated though? Are they are reliable as people say they are and are they hard to configure? That's what I want to know. 

[mbc07]

I still didn't find anyone using the right settings (DolphinBar set to Mode 4, Continuous Scanning enabled, Wiimotes set to "Real" in Dolphin 4.0-2241 or newer, preferably the latest development build because 4.0.2 does not work with it) having problems other than the IR LEDs occasionally burning out due overvoltage if you do long play sessions (latest firmware claims to fix this, but knowing DolphinBar inners I'm skeptical about this "fix")...

[nintendo_nerd]

(11-06-2015, 12:17 PM)Jhonn Wrote: I still didn't find anyone using the right settings (DolphinBar set to Mode 4, Continuous Scanning enabled, Wiimotes set to "Real" in Dolphin 4.0-2241 or newer, preferably the latest development build because 4.0.2 does not work with it) having problems other than the IR LEDs occasionally burning out due overvoltage if you do long play sessions (latest firmware claims to fix this, but knowing DolphinBar inners I'm skeptical about this "fix")...

I don't find that very consoling, I mean, I guess it could be worse, but is it worth the risk of spending money to get one? I mean, I assume that it has some kind of warranty for it, I'd hope.  Does the Dolphin Team recommend it over most other Bluetooth adapters? I'm very tempted to get this, but given my specs, I don't know how many Wii games I can actually play on this. Ugh. 

[mbc07]

In case you're on Windows and have -TR Wiimotes (that are troublesome to pair in Windows, working only with Toshiba BT Stack and specific BT adapters), then yes, I personally recommend it. Also, as someone who owns a DolphinBar that got burnt LEDs, if you have soldering skills it's damn simple to fix the bar. Other option is replacing a pair of resistors (which are damn cheap) to others with appropriate value as soon as you get your unit (that'll make your DolphinBar "burn-proof")...

[nintendo_nerd]

(11-06-2015, 01:12 PM)Jhonn Wrote: In case you're on Windows and have -TR Wiimotes (that are troublesome to pair in Windows, working only with Toshiba BT Stack and specific BT adapters), then yes, I personally recommend it. Also, as someone who owns a DolphinBar that got burnt LEDs, if you have soldering skills it's damn simple to fix the bar. Other option is replacing a pair of resistors (which are damn cheap) to others with appropriate value as soon as you get your unit (that'll make your DolphinBar "burn-proof")...

Unfortunately (and this is really sad for me to confess), I don't have soldering tools, and I've never properly learned how to solder; I know, that must pathetic XD Anyways, that part where you mentioned LEDs can burn out, yeah, so I'd likely be SOL after a time. Is there any way I can possibly avoid having to sloppily replace the LEDs or transistors? I really want to give this adapter a chance, I want to play Wii games the proper way without having the thing crap out on me. I take it having it plugged in all the time, constantly searching for Wiimotes would royally screw it over too, right? Ugh, so conflicted. >.<

[mbc07]

(11-06-2015, 02:43 PM)nintendo_nerd Wrote: I take it having it plugged in all the time, constantly searching for Wiimotes would royally screw it over too, right? Ugh, so conflicted. >.<

Well, on v5 firmware, they changed DolphinBar behaviour in order to prevent this. IR LEDs will only turn on if there's actually at least one Wiimote connected to it. No Wiimotes Connected = No IR LEDs enabled. However, long play sessions would still occasionally burn the LEDs after some time. Although I haven't tested, putting a resistor directly in the USB cable may prevent the possible burn out, however by putting the resistor directly in the cable it would affect the entire bar, not just the LEDs, I don't know if it'll work...

[nintendo_nerd]

(11-06-2015, 03:18 PM)Jhonn Wrote:

(11-06-2015, 02:43 PM)nintendo_nerd Wrote: I take it having it plugged in all the time, constantly searching for Wiimotes would royally screw it over too, right? Ugh, so conflicted. >.<

Well, on v5 firmware, they changed DolphinBar behaviour in order to prevent this. IR LEDs will only turn on if there's actually at least one Wiimote connected to it. No Wiimotes Connected = No IR LEDs enabled. However, long play sessions would still occasionally burn the LEDs after some time. Although I haven't tested, putting a resistor directly in the USB cable may prevent the possible burn out, however by putting the resistor directly in the cable it would affect the entire bar, not just the LEDs, I don't know if it'll work...

Could you define a long play session? More than 60 minutes at a time? Well, that shouldn't be a problem, I don't have the best hardware and I don't want to put a huge strain on my hardware (provided I can run more Wii games), that being said, it sounds like most of the issues are neutralized.  Still, I don't know jack squat about soldering, I really don't lol. 

Damn I must sound like a fool, hemming and hawing at whether or not to get this despite my inability to solder >.>

[mbc07]

Well, mine was one from the first batches, I usually played for around 2 to 3 hours per day at that time. IR LEDs from one of the sides got burnt in around one month...