Wii Internal Memory Card Mod

[SIZE="5"]Wii Internal Memory Card Mod[/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]THE LATEST VERSION OF THIS GUIDE IS AVAILABLE HERE[/SIZE]

This guide explains how you can mount a Gamecube memory card INSIDE your Wii, so that it does not need to be plugged in or visible from the outside. This was the next logical mod after my Internal Wavebird Receiver Mod and it now means both of my Gamecube flaps stay closed 99% of the time!

You will need:

• Gamecube memory card
• Triwing Screwdriver
• Phillips Screwdriver
• Some good thin wire
• Soldering Iron
• Solder
• Wire Cutters
• Electrical Tape or similar

Guide:

1. Take apart your Gamecube memory card. Official cards have 2 or more triwing screws, but my 8mb unofficial one used 2 philips screws.
   
   
2. Once the screws are removed, carefully slide the plastic up to expose the memory card's circuit board, then remove the circuit board from the plastic moulding.
   
   
   
3. Cut 12 lengths of 5cm wire and strip 1mm from each end. I used multicore wire but most wire types will do as long as they are small enough.
   
   
4. Add a small amount of solder on to each of the large pads at the end of the memory cards. The solder should pool nicely on to each pad.
   
   
5. Solder a wire onto each of these pads. I personally found it best to tape the memory card board to the table to stop it from moving around while soldering.
   
   
   
6. Carefully take apart your Wii, all the way down to removing the motherboard from the base. Don’t worry about removing the Bluetooth or wireless modules. You will need access to the underside of the motherboard you it is necessary to remove the heat sink. I used the following guide to make sure I took it apart correctly: http://www.informit.com/articles/art...?p=677908&rl=1
   
   
7. Now solder the other end of each of these wires to the corresponding point on the motherboard. Geepee thankfully already drew out a nice diagram for this, and I checked that it was correct using my multimeter.
   
   
   BEWARE: The previous diagram shown here showed the pinouts from a top down view of the motherboard, obviously you will be soldering with the motherboard face down, so adjust as necessary. Thanks again to geepee for updating the diagram with a more accurate picture. See my picture for a clearer idea.
   
   I added a little extra solder to each pin to help my wires stick. Here's what mine looked like for reference:
   
   
   
8. Cover the back of the memory card with electrical tape, then place the memory card in the middle of the 4 heatsink screws (make sure it is in the middle so not to block the screws).
   
   
9. Tape the memory card in place with some more electrical tape. I also taped over my soldering on the board just to be safe.
   
   
   
10. Finally put your wii back together and test.

Tips + Troubleshooting

• Check for solder bridges after soldering
• Cover the soldered area with electrical tape to stop shorts
• If you wish to use your external memory card on occasion then the simplest way to do this may be to add a switch between the +5v pin on the memory card and the motherboard. I have not personally tried this myself but I think it should work.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions and you may repost this guide where ever you like as long as I am given credit.

Nice guide. I did this to mine a while back but havent gotten around to the wavebird yet.

lol, thanks for the credit on that picture...I never even realized I drew it wrong...woops, I'll have to change it tonight when I get home from work.

Good Job on the guide

Originally Posted by geepee

lol, thanks for the credit on that picture...I never even realized I drew it wrong...woops, I'll have to change it tonight when I get home from work.

Heh cool, I was too lazy to make one myself and your picture is essentially correct but just flipped.

Very nice guide. Thank you for the post. I might try this since I'm going to open up my Wii for the wiikey anyway.

Awesome! I want to try that!
This may sound like a stupid question, but I have a wireless GC controller (it's a gamestop mini). Could a similar mod be done for the controller's receiver chip so that it's all internal and not sticking out of the wii? The wires in the receiver are red, white, blue, and yellow.

yep good mod, i will do this but for my sd card adapter for make backups with wiikey, intead of makind the pcb becuase i dont have gamecube memory card, i will connect the sd connector directly to the board.

thanks for the mod
thanks for the idea

Originally Posted by eprom

yep good mod, i will do this but for my sd card adapter for make backups with wiikey, intead of makind the pcb becuase i dont have gamecube memory card, i will connect the sd connector directly to the board.

Would that work? I'm a little confused.
If you did that, how would you insert/change SD cards in the adapter?

Originally Posted by Happsai

Would that work? I'm a little confused.
If you did that, how would you insert/change SD cards in the adapter?

It's called magic, duh

Whats the point in doing this. To me a permanent memory card seems kinda stupid. What happens when it get full???

Yea... aren't you the guy that broke your Wii doing the wavebird mod?

This is just one more thing to worry about going wrong, even if you install it correctly it could lose connection sometime in the near future causing headaches. Just plug a memory card into your wii and don't bother with this.

Originally Posted by Sepioth

Whats the point in doing this. To me a permanent memory card seems kinda stupid. What happens when it get full???

Put a card in slot 2 and copy some save files from games you might not play anymore onto it? I played my GC quite a bit, and I think I only ever filled my memory card once.

Originally Posted by jagojago

Yea... aren't you the guy that broke your Wii doing the wavebird mod?

This is just one more thing to worry about going wrong, even if you install it correctly it could lose connection sometime in the near future causing headaches. Just plug a memory card into your wii and don't bother with this.

If soldered correctly, I highly doubt it's going anywhere.

But you never know for sure.

Anyways this mod is cool if you have time to kill and don't mind opening up your wii again if it screws up.

Originally Posted by babb_z

Nice guide. I did this to mine a while back but havent gotten around to the wavebird yet.

Ditto.

Nice guide though.