Wii now has trouble reading many games

[VICMODEM]

I know this is a long shot.

 

But my Wii now has trouble reading many games, especially Gamecube games it seems. Maybe because they are more worn-out. The only "out-of-the-ordinary" thing I did with it was leave it constantly on with Super Mario Galaxy 2 inside for almost an entire year. But to be honest I don't see how that could've damaged it in a way that it is now extremely picky about which games will work. I don't know anything about how optical drives work. Does the laser become weaker with use?

 

What I am asking is what is wrong with my Wii (and why) and how can it be fixed?

[metarog]

Try used a cleaning cd if you have one. One of mine had some issues reading games and that helped as any dust on or near the laser affects it.

[Rick Dangerous]

Don't leave anything one for two years straight. Go get another minty Wii off Craigslist for $60-$80 bucks or send you Wii into Nintendo for a repair for similar dollars.

[Keatah]

Semiconductor lasers do indeed wear out. As well as the detectors. Not to mention drifting tolerances of the A/D & D/A circuits.

 

While digital logic gates do wear too. 4.5V and 5V can both be logic high. So any drift and wear is simply buried. That's why they seem to have such long life.

[VICMODEM]

Well guys I put a new laser in my Wii, I don't remember when, maybe last year. But the console still does not work. The console acts similarly, but seems even less functional with this new laser in it. I wonder if I bought a defective laser, or if I broke it while installing it, or if the problem isn't even the laser. But if it wasn't the laser, why would the two act a bit differently, make different sounds?

 

I read that laser diodes are very sensitive to static electricity, so I wonder if I fried the new one while installing it.

 

What do you guys think?

What do I need to invest in to protect electronic devices from static electricity? Is one of those wristband thingy all I need?

[Keatah]

Does the laser become weaker with use?

Yes they do. And the manufacturers have it down to a science. Some are built for 5000 hours, others 50,000 hours, or longer still.

[Keatah]

What do I need to invest in to protect electronic devices from static electricity? Is one of those wristband thingy all I need?

 

That, and a mat and spray and other wires and things to ensure a good grounding.

[Flojomojo]

Keatah, is this where we talk up emulation via Dolphin?

[Keatah]

We could. Better'n farting around with wonky hardware.

[krslam]

Wiis aren't worth fixing, as they can be had at thrifts & yard sales for $15-25 complete with cables & a controller or two.

[Gamemoose]

Wiis aren't worth fixing, as they can be had at thrifts & yard sales for $15-25 complete with cables & a controller or two.

Truth. I saw some dude scarf up 3 complete (console, controller, psu and bar) at a thrift. Then he checked his phone to probably guess how much he'd be able to flip them for as not long after he put the systems back on the shelf. Place was selling them for $35 each.

[Rick Dangerous]

I am all about saving old consoles when possible; repair, etc.

 

BUT in the Wii's case...they will never be cheaper. Get one off Craigslist in practically new condition; there are oodles of them out there that grandma got for Christmas in 08' and only used to watch netflix a couple of times.

[homerj]

Yeah I see Wiis for $15.00 - $25.00 pretty regularly. At those prices when one of my Wiis finally dies I figure Ill just replace it instead of going through the time & trouble to have it repaired.

[boxpressed]

I have about five Wiis that I just accumulated over the past few years. As cheap as they are, I had no qualms about softmodding. I have a Wii for Wiiware/VC games on SD and one for Wii games on a USB. Haven't had the time to investigate softmod for GC yet.

[Shawn]

Haven't had the time to investigate softmod for GC yet.

 

Nintendont is pretty simple. It will have you covered for all your GC needs on the Wii.

[VICMODEM]

I purchased another pickup for my Wii, installed it and now the console works again. We'll never know if the previous one was dead on arrival or if I broke it. The ESD preventive measures I took were to remove my socks, sit on a wooden chair and touch the chassis of the console before handling the pickup.