WiiFree Easy Connect review, Special thanks to the WiiFreeEasyConnect.com team 15th of July 2007

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"Okay so they could have chosen an easier name, but the WiiFree Easy Connect does something some people want, add quicksolder to your WiiFree."

Introduction

The WiiFree Easy Connect is a product inspired by the WiiFree team and other like them. Due to the fact that (WiiFree) code is freely available it is very easy to create your own Wii Mod-chip. Some people however still prefer a quicksolder install. Me, well I have to say that personally I truly believe that a wired install is the best but my preference is not important in this case.

The WiiFreeEasyConnect is simple in design, a bit of PCB that holds the quicksolder pads and a flatcable connector, a bit of flatcable to connect both PCB's and lastly a small PCB which holds a PIC socket and 2 leds. The idea is of course to quicksolder the quicksolder pad and then route the flatcable from the drive to the outside of the Wii. There you connect the PIC board, which you can glue/tape (with double sided tape) to the back of your Wii, with WiiFree or similar code loaded to the PIC.

Who would buy this product; Mainly people who prefer to use the opensource/free solutions but also feel the need for quicksolder. Again I am not a part of this group however it is an interesting product.

The Review

Packaging
In my case the WiiFreeEasyConnect units (I received two samples) came without packaging, taped to the backside of the envelope. Although I am unsure any packaging will ever be supplied I believe this is not the case (which is understandable as it would only make the product more expensive).

Inside the envelope were two parts, the flatcable and the two PCB's which were still attached to eachother (I had to separate them by hand by bending them).

So no packaging is provided. Understandable as it is not needed and keeps costs low.


Build Quality (+use)
Let's start by saying that the flat cable is of high quality. I've bent it quite heavily; As I have all of the chip on the outside of my Wii I was able to do some really strange things to it (not all planned, but great tests none the less).

As for the quicksolder PCB, the build quality is quite nice. Though the solder pads are not very tight on the PCB (I was able to partially pull one off while not putting all that much force on a wire I had attached), they are on the top, side and back of the PCB which is good. They are however VERY close together making it harder to install the unit (see “Installing” below). The PCB is however also very thin which is good seeing as it has to be placed in a small space underneath the drive.

The PIC PCB however could use a little work eventhough it is also of generally good quality. My main two concerns with this part are, one, that the PCB is of the same thickness as that of the quick-solder board. This means it can take some stress (as it can bend), however also makes it feel like it can't really take a beating which it would get when removing your PIC. And two, the PIC socket used is a standard one (see pictures) which is holds tight to the PIC making it hard to remove. That combined with the first comment makes me feel they could have better gone with a PIC socket with a lever (like on the more expensive programmers). You will remove your PIC a few times for upgrades and you want this to be easy. Right now that is not the case (don't get me wrong, removing your PIC works, but you really need a pair of tweasers to remove the PIC while holding down the PCB at the same time so it won't break or let go of the double sided tape).

Lastly, but this is just a minor issue, they might have considered different color LED's (two LED's are on the board like supported by the WiiFree) as now it is hard to make out the signals. The WFEC team also might have thought about positioning them differently to make signals clearer, but that is also dependent on how you place your unit on your Wii.

Installation
As usual I am unable to tell you how exactly a chip performs during install. As I use my module system I do not re-open my Wii and I do not quick-solder it. As this is THE main function of this product I've still tested the feature, however not inside the Wii but on a bit of test print. I have to say that I found it relatively hard to solder this unit. I was quite surprised it was relatively hard, as the solder pads ARE made properly (also covering the sides and even a small part of the bottom of the PCB), however I think the cause is the fact that the pads are very close together requiring a very small soldering iron tip (or a lot of patience).

Compatibility
Although this is a space normally filled with information about the chip's performance in this case that would be useless. I can however say that all home-brew chips that I was able to test (WiiFree Yaosim, Wiiskas) worked, so in theory you can indeed put all chips on there provided they are made for PIC 12F629 and have the same pin-out as the WiiFree.

Extra
Recently a new version of the WiiFree has been released which includes support for a small screen. I have contacted the creators of the WFEC (WiiFreeEasyConnect) however have yet to hear from them if they will launch a second version / remake of their product to add support for this development (not elaborating on how they would add support). With the current version of the WiiFreeEasyConnect this new feature COULD be available if you make your own extension for the WFEC in which you could insert a 16F*** needed for the screen. You would also have to find your own power source for the screen (which could be USB or a wire to the 5V power source on the drive board).

Conclusion

In conclusion I think we should ask one question: “Is quick-solder added to the WiiFree in an easy and proper (quality) manner?”. My answer, good attempt with an O.K. result. The WFEC has taken the idea's of many homebrewers and put it in their product resulting in “cheap” quicksolder solution for all. There are a few points however that I would have personally done different; a different PIC socket, thicker PIC PCB (to simplify PIC flashing) and slightly more space in between the solder pads on the quicksolder board. There are however good points such as the fact that the solder pads are on the top, side and bottom of the quicksolder board and the flatcable can withstand quite a beating.

As for future prospects, you will of course be able to use the WFEC forever (you can program it yourself with any kind of code; though due to the thin PCB and tight PIC socket you don't want to do it too often), but what with new developments? Well, the WFEC is designed around current WiiFree design and thus if something radically changes you will not be able to use the WFEC anymore without modification.

Overall rating for the WFEC opensource Wii drive-chip hardware
Discription	Rating (out of 10)
Design Boxart, manual and product appeal	N.A.
Hardware Hardware design, durability and features	6.5
Product future What this products future looks like	stable
Features (Built in) extra features of the unit	LED's Quicksolder board for WiiFree 12F629 Flatcable connection

I hope you all enjoyed my review and found it useful.

-Simon van de Berg

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