USB Powered Wiimote + Sensor Bar

[Bighead]

I wanted to post this in the off-topic section but it wouldn't let me (says I don't have permission or something), so this is probably my second best option although it's not directly related to Dolphin. However, it will benefit me and my time using Dolphin in the long run. I could probably post this on a different forum on the web, but I'm sure there's some intelligent people here that can offer some advice.

Before I build these things, I'm looking for someone with a little bit of knowledge in electronics who can verify that my schematics for a USB powered wiimote and sensor bar are going to work correctly without burning up my wiimote or USB ports (after days, months, years?). Batteries for my wiimote and candles for a sensor bar are something I'm tired of going through. I don't want to turn on my Wii to activate the sensor bar just to play games on Dolphin. I know I could buy a ton of crap like a USB adapter for my wiimote, rechargeable battery pack, mod my Wii's sensor bar or buy a wireless sensor bar, buy more and more batteries, etc.. etc.. But I figured making my own components would be a lot more fun, cost effective, and I won't have to carve into my Wii's components.

I found a few schematics on the web for USB powered wiimotes, but there isn't much info on the subject and I didn't really like or trust some of the info I found. The most "popular" schematic I found used no decoupling capacitors and had no on/off switch. Other schematics always lacked something that I wanted such as a power LED or on/off switch, or had values I just didn't trust so I started from scratch. Anyway, the link is below this sentence.

USB Powered Wii Peripherals Schematics

For the wiimote, I chose to output 2.86V to the wiimote using an LM317T voltage regulator. This will supply slightly lower voltage than standard batteries (3V) and slightly higher voltage than nickel cadmium batteries (2.8V), so it sounded like a sweet spot. Everything looks good to me, but I always like a second opinion on things like this just to make sure. I like verification that all my component values are correct.

The sensor bar concerns me the most, which is ironic considering it is a much simpler design. The power light is what is throwing me off. I have the IR LED's in a series circuit and the power light/resistor parallel from that circuit. USB is limited to 5V @ 500mA, and I'm not 100% sure if this design will exceed that limit. I forget the math involved in calculating current in a series/parallel circuit. Adding the values up if they were in series would be around 420mA. Plus, at 1.28V per IR LED, the series part of the circuit exceeds the voltage by 0.12V, which I don't think should be a problem, or will it?

Any input will be greatly appreciated. If this stuff looks like it will work, I will build it and share my experiences, with some info for others on how to do it themselves.

[HawaiianPunch]

Why does the USB connection for the Wiimote use an adjustable regulator? I fear that if R1 and R2 are not perfect, the voltage will be off. Make sure you test the voltage before plugging it in, or get a fixed regulator.
As for the sensor bar, it looks dubious because there is no resistor before or after the IR LEDs. That may work fine in a circuit than can supply +1 A, but with a limited USB port that could be a problem. Test the current going through that before you plug it into the computer. As for voltage, the LEDs will just be a bit dimmer, you don't need 5.12V exactly. It's just that LEDs without a limiting resistor (especially IR ones) end up using a massive amount of current. Some devices pulse IR LEDs at over 1A, which would be a problem for the computer.

[Bighead]

I've done quite a bit of research so far, and found a topic in another forum with a few people who have successfully created USB powered wiimotes. This forum is <here>. The first guy throws a solid 3V into the wiimote, while the other has chosen 2.8V. Although two different versions of the same regulator, both of them used an LM317. Unfortunately my first design used a 310 ohm resistor that apparently isn't easy to obtain in carbon filter, or just plain doesn't exist. I got my original numbers from an LM317 resistor calculator, so I wasn't sure what was easy to obtain til I went to look for it. I'm gonna go with the 220/270 ohm resistor design and supply 2.8V. I wanted to try and get all my parts from Radio Shack or the Electronic Goldmine, so I had to adjust my design to what was available.

As for the sensor bar, a couple people have used 4 of the IR LED's from radio shack with success (Part#: 276-143). A few examples are <here> and <here>. Radio Shack rates them at 1.28V 100mA, but many have claimed that the actual voltage drop is 1.2V (for a total of 4.8V). USB should have no issue supplying 100mA, I seemed to have had a brain fart and forgot that current does not rise linearly in a series circuit like voltage does (unless of course the demand for it goes up). I was most concerned with the LED/resistor I had in parallel with the sensor LEDs because I haven't seen a personal project where anyone has attempted it, but I don't think I should have to worry. USB 2.0 can supply up to 500mA, and if that's not enough, I have a few 3.0 ports on my board that can supply up to 900mA. I'll have my multimeter ready just to make sure...

So here are my updated schematics that I think should work. Same link as before, might have to refresh if you viewed before and your browser caches. Also, here is the parts list of everything that I purchased. The power ratings on some of the resistors are kinda high for this application (really only need 1/8W), but I went with what I could get for as cheap as possible and without having to buy 100 of them each.

For enough parts for 5 USB powered wiimotes, USB sensor bar, and a cheap soldering iron + solder (mine is kinda shot)... $45.15 isn't too bad for the entire bundle, considering just the Nextronics USB sensor bar goes for $30-50 dollars!! And it's the same damn thing I'm trying to make for as little as $10-15 bucks. I could have spent less if I had a good soldering iron, didn't want on/off switches and lights, and didn't want to go for fancy wiimote covers. But meh, its a project that will be fun when it all arrives.

[HawaiianPunch]

Well, everything looks good, just don't forget to check voltage and current before you plug anything in.

[Bighead]

I finally got all the stuff I ordered, put together my sensor bar, and a couple of USB powered wiimotes. Everything works great, so I figured I'd post an update here with a few pics. The wiimote covers are kind of a hack job but meh, they meet my goals. The quality of the pics are a little low because they were taken with a camera phone.


The IR LEDs are housed in a connector from an IDE cable I chopped up, with a small piece of stripboard on the back so I could solder them in place. After that, I used electrical tape to cover up the bare wires. I mounted the IR LED's on the bottom of my monitor with a lot of that mounting goop used for hanging posters. It took quite a bit, but I did a pretty good job of keeping it out of sight. I just kept the "sensor bar" as a wire that I can adjust later if I want to play with the range or if I change monitors in the future.


It's not very aesthetic, but this little switch turns my sensor bar on and off. It works and has a little power light, that's what I was aiming for. I housed it in a little plastic box that held the motor in a broken gamecube controller that I had laying around.


This is the first one I made for myself, and it came out ok but not great. But again, it works so that's all I care about. Got about 20 hours into it so far so I think it's gonna hold up. I ran the hole for the wire through the back which fits perfectly between my fingers.


This is the one I made for my brother (lol at the pink cover), but he didn't mind cause he didn't want me to mod his cover. He holds the wiimote a little differently than me, so I ran the USB wire in the top right. He loves it.


This one I made for one of my friends. He wanted the wire to come out of the bottom even if it meant modding the wiimote itself. I cut a small slit for the cord on the bottom of the wiimote and ran the wire out. I could have picked a better place to solder in the power wire, but it was already made when he said "run it through the bottom no matter what".


Here is all of them together. Each board has a little bit of a different layout, depending on how I cut it and how I felt like assembling them. Because a lot of the lead holes were connected and I was cramped for space, I had to run a few ugly wires for grounds, and a power wire for the LED on the middle wiimote. Component layout is definitely not one of my stronger attributes. I used a lot of tape where the wires meet the covers for some strain relief.


Finally paired up with a USB hub, all three wiimotes can be connected through a single USB connection on the Wii. The one I'm using here is self powered, although it might be safer to use one with an external power source. Self powered hubs can only supply 100mA per port. The wiimote itself consumes 80mA when connected, and the LED I just HAD to have, consumes 30mA which exceeds the max by 10mA. I doubt it will be a problem though, I'm hoping the hub limits it to 100mA and supplies just a little less juice. Most of my Wii gaming is on Dolphin anyway.


And for the heck of it, here's my schematics that used to make these toys. Everything works in USB 2.0 ports. The wiimotes seem to like the 2.8v output, displaying 4 bars of "battery" power when in connecting mode.

Well there it is, my Wii USB powered solution. It was fun to make, and even more fun to play with! I have to eventually make 2 more of them for my other wiimotes, I'm just out of USB cables at the moment.

[mhjyskjxhlk256]

so this is probably my second best option although it's not directly related to Dolphin
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Me too!how could us can solve this problem?
led spot light

[ulao]

For the best possible usb bar this is what you will want.

Yes this is basically 4 boards but done so on purpose ( two per side )

3 led's, 1.2V per led --> 3.6 V ; that leaves 5 - 3.6 for the resistor ---> 1.4 V
20 mA through led's and resistor 1.4 / 0.02 = 70 ohm
3 led's per string would be a good balance between efficiency and susceptibility of USB power and I still suggest you angle them out 45 deg.
This is going to give you a nice bright solution with no possible over current.

[jeromess]

Everything looks so fine.you are do the great job!

[Bighead]

It's already been almost 2 years since I posted this!? Time sure flies...

I am updating this post just to say I have had my white wiimote plugged into my computer running 24/7 for almost 2 years now, so this circuit is definitely safe and will not damage your wiimote even if never turned off. So to anyone who stumbles onto this post with the intention of making a USB powered wiimote (more technically a voltage regulator circuit), I assure you this will work for a long time. Even my sensor bar is still working just fine, but is now attached to much bigger screen.

I use my wiimote + classic controller with GlovePIE for emulators and use the wiimote as a mouse and remote for VLC Media player. For anyone interested I created some scripts for GlovePIE that supports wiimote, nunchuk, and classic controller with adjustable modes for digital/analog swap. I use it regularly for when I play PS2, SNES, Genesis or the like, it was made specifically for emulators.

Look for them at this page:
http://bhemuhelp.co.nf/wiiscripts.html
Or check out my post on the GlovePIE forums here:
http://glovepie.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2471&p=5318#p5318

This little gizmo is definitely worth it's weight in gold. I know there are now USB adapters sold, but it's a fun project to do yourself if you're into this sort of thing, and for about 24 bucks you can make enough for 5 wiimotes. I can only imagine the number of batteries I would have went through by now.