rear usb port for qoob pro

[animalchin]

i'm new to this forum, but i've been reading them for a while and learned a lot from the info here, so i thought i'd give a little back with this tut. please note that i did this by trial and error, it was my first attempt and i documented it with some blurry photos. don't flame me for the quality, it's plenty good enough to see what i'm on about.

sorry if there's already been a tut for this procedure, i couldn't find one.

i was never really happy having the pcb with the usb port from the qoob pro chip visible on my cube, i didn't like faffing about underneath the cube with it in the modem slot, so i decided to make a new port in the rear of my gamecube for easy access when flashing my chip.

when i opened the gamecube to find a decent location, i was amazed to find a little "shelf" of pretty much exactly the size of the pcb. sit the pcb on there and draw around the outline of the socket with a permanent pen. this shows the location of the hole, although it will end up needing to be bigger than this.

You will need:

gamebit tool to open the gamecube
permanent pen
dremel type tool
craft knife
super glue (gel type is best)
a bit of electrical tape


here's the location from the inside of the rear panel, which clips off easily once the lid is removed:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/01locationofhole.jpg

also a close up view of the marking out:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/03markingforhole.jpg

here is a picture of where the pcb will be located:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/02locationofpcb.jpg

the usb cable has a plastic section on the end, the hole will need to be the right shape and size for this little section to fit in so that the metal parts make full contact, like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/07usbplugfitment.jpg

use the dremel to cut out the part you marked out originally, then carefully use a craft knife to tidy up the hole and make it the right shape and size for the plug to fit.

the finished hole:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/05finishedholeclose.jpg

and a view of the back panel overall:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/04finishedholemain.jpg

before you glue the pcb into place, you need clearance for the ribbon, so put it into position and mark off the bit that needs removing so the ribbon can go into its slot:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/08ribboncut.jpg

this section is easily cut out with the craft knife, but be careful not to break the shelf off the panel with too much force! (yes mine started to give way a little and had to be glued back on!)

make sure that the lead comfortably plugs into the pcb through the hole before doing any gluing. when you are sure you are ready, use some superglue to stick the pcb down, i recommend you let it dry with the lead plugged in, so it doesn't slide a little over to either side:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/09gluedinplace.jpg

next, plug the ribbon in, clip the rear panel back on and carefully route the ribbon back to the chip. i used a little tape to keep it from interfering with the lid mech.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/10ribbonlocation.jpg

et voila! a neat usb socket on the back of your cube! as long as you used plenty of glue, the lead will pop in and out whenever you need to use it and the pcb will stay put.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/11externalview.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/animalchin/01locationofhole.jpg

i hope this tut is of some use to somebody!

[Manp]

nice :)

[nigecube]

Very nice, I've just perfomed this on my Cube.

This helps those of us who do not want to mount the Qoob PCB externally, yet still want to keep the socket underneath free for a GameBoy Player adaptor

[MangoGrey]

very good

[free]

good work

[element72]

when putting in the flexi should i make sure not to scratch it? and bend it too hard?

[animalchin]

yes i would be careful with it as a rule. you can bend it no problem, and a neat fold (but not too tight) helps it change direction. it's flexible but it hold its shape well, and this mod allows plenty of room, so you may need to fold it back on itself a little. caused no problems with mine and i've used the usb a few times since. i've put it further out of the way now since i put two wavebird receivers in there too, and still no problems, so as long as you are careful it will be fine.

[dethbunny]

I did this so that I could do the "rear-USB" mod and have it look a little more like the GameCube was born that way. I don't have a camera, so I'm sorry but my 1337 ph0t0sh0p skillz will have to suffice. When I can get my hands on a camera I'll try to update this with real pictures.

You can re-shape the USB board to be a little smaller - most of it is blank space with no traces. The PCB is a solid material, but it's no match for a Dremel heavy-duty cut-off disc. Those things will go through the board like a hot knife through butter. (It's not boasting, it's a warning. If you follow in my path, be careful.) Anyhow, brace the USB board against a solid surface to make sure it doesn't move. If you're going to clamp it in any way, be sure to put some foam rubber around it to keep the clamp from damaging the board. After you're sure it won't move on you, proceed to the cutting.

http://www.dugnet.com/dethbunny/images/qoob-usb.jpg

Cut away the PCB below the USB connector all the way back to the first gounding points, as I've shown above in the "artist's depiction." You don't want to damage those solder connections, because they take the brunt of the forces when you connect/disconnect the cable.

Once you've gotten the board shaved down to size, it's time to mark and cut the back panel. As animalchin pointed out, Nintendo even gave you a little shelf to work with. Follow his directions, but make your hole just large enough for the metal connector on the board. By shaving away the PCB, we're bringing the daughterboard out - so the hole won't need to be big enough for the entire cable to come in.

Mark the outline of the connector, then drill a few 1/16" holes inside your marking. Then use a craft/xacto knife to remove excess plastic until the metal USB connector fits. When you've got it, the metal of the USB connector will be just shy of flush with the plastic on the back of the GameCube. You'll be able to snap the cable in all the way without making a hole bigger than the USB port itself.

Once you've got everything to fit in place (be sure you shave away the right lip of the "shelf" so the ribbon cable can fit!) I recommend using hot glue to hold the daughterboard down. It won't damage the electronics, it's a solid base, and it's still somewhat "removable" should you need to take the Qoob back out at a later date.

I know, more pictures would be very helpful. Take these as modifications to Animalchin's directions, and I think you can understand it. If you have any questions, though, go ahead and ask. I'm sure there are things I could have stated more clearly, especially considering the lack of photos.

[animalchin]

excellent idea mate. would love to see some photos.

[dethbunny]

As soon as I get a camera, I'll get on it.