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Backlighting a Pokewalker (or a Wii U Fit Meter)

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Yep, you read that right. I'm going to backlight the Nintendo Pedometer that was more commonly known as either the Wii U Fit Meter or the Pokewalker, depending on which system you got it for. The hardware internally is a bit different on the two models but they are similar enough that I can test my backlight method on one and easily transfer it to the other.
Wii U Fit Meters are just over $2 USD a pop whereas Pokewalkers seem to go for around $30 or more. So I think practicing on a Wii U Fit meter is a good idea.
For this install, I used a cheap Aliexpress backlight kit that was cut to size. The specific kit was this: www.aliexpress... but if you watched until the end, you'll know that these panels are too thick so I don't recommend them.
Hopefully peeling the reflector on your unit does not result in removing the polarizer as well, but if it does, those kits do come with replacement polarizers.
Here is the wiring diagram: i.imgur.com/Ta...
And, well, that's it. Those kits come with everything I used. The big problem is the 1.25mm or so gap that the backlight panel introduces. even though the panel is only 2mm. I think we may need to make more modifications to the shell or create a spacer to fill the gap. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears but I think I can create a cheap and easy to install/make spacer from FR4. I'll report back on that one.

Опубликовано:

25 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 124

@Woode2nd 2 года назад

2 years have passed and it's crazy to think the PokeWalker still doesn't have an actual backlight mod kit. Your work here with the DMG backlight mod shows that it can work, and I expected to see more backlight mods for the device by now. I want to attempt this myself, but rather than the DMG backlight mod, I'll try using the backlight kit for the Pokemon Mini, it looks to be the same size screen as the PokeWalker. I'll be sure to update if the Pokemon Mini backlight works better than the DMG one you used.

@makho 2 года назад

the problem is that the soldering is difficult and you need a custom spacer anyway. That makes the demand extremely low from a manufacturing perspective. It's doable but barely practical. Good luck and please share if you do make one

@angelsaucedo2231 Год назад

its a 10 year old niche item

@Woode2nd Год назад

@@angelsaucedo2231 and the Pokemon Mini is a 20 year old niche item, yet got a backlight mod. The PokeWalker is arguably more well known and popular even. What was your point?

@angelsaucedo2231 Год назад

@@Woode2nd that no one is going to spend effort on your niche item. How was that so hard to understand?

@georgejpg Год назад

@@Woode2nd What's YOUR point? One niche thing getting modded doesn't mean that ALL niche things should be expected to be fully moddable. The Mini is the outlier, not the standard. If you want it done, do it yourself, that's the only way you can expect it to happen.

@arejaybee 3 года назад

Just got a pokewalker and this is so inspiring. I'm so tempted to give this a shot

@PLATESWEEPER 4 года назад

Its time to backlight a pocket pikachu

@makho 4 года назад

Oh shit, good point

@imclearingit4149 3 года назад

i hope one day, someone reflashes the WiiU Fit meter thing with the Pokewalker firmware

@makho 3 года назад

slightly different hardware so it's not directly possible. Perhaps with some tweaking of the software itself though.

@LostParadise_ Год назад

It may be a hack way to "fix" it, but maybe they make an automotive o-ring gasket that can fit perfectly in that gap. You'll definitely sacrifice whatever water resistance the thing had though. Additionally, maybe you could sand and polish away the aftermarket screen. That being said, it'll probably FUBAR the backlight.

@makho Год назад

Conveniently there was no water resistance to begin with! I've been meaning to mess around with some timex watches to see if I can do a thinner backlight but that's a very low item on my to-do list. O-ring could fill the gap between the housing halves but the buttons would still need spacers. It might be a better idea to try carving out the room needed from the housing itself but I was too afraid of ruining the finish to try that myself.

@emmettturner9452 3 года назад

Hello again, Makho. Somehow, I missed this video but I'm extremely glad you made it since I just found out my Pokewalker LCD is broken. I just found my SoulSilver DS card in one of my random DS units so I went to put it back in the case and found that my Pokewalker screen is bleeding LCD goo. No cracks... just screen rot. If it isn't glued in too strongly I'll be transferring the screen from a Wii U Fit Meter. :)

@Semaze 3 года назад

When I was younger, someone I used to hang out with scratched up the front of my pokewalker. Sad times.

@murata.9762 5 лет назад

Really cool video 👍 You should try backlighting a Dreamcast VMU!

@RealMineKD 3 года назад

Even though I will probably not be trying this myself, this is still an amazing video xD And if I ever were to try this myself, I would know where to look. So for that as well, thank you very much :D Have a good day!

@PrayashLand 3 года назад

Would you be willing to make a tutorial like this for a tamagotchi?

@KRAIDMEN 4 года назад

Oh shit lmao surprised you don’t have that much followers, just came here on a whim. +1 sub

@ulissesschifflercarneiro3993 Год назад

Dude, this is SO AWESOME! Congrats, my man! Incredible achievement!!

@4real961 5 лет назад

Kinda want to put a poke walker shell on a Wii U fit thing to troll my friends

@julianlindsay4000 4 года назад

Yeah, i am probably going to backlight older tamagotchis haha. Also I have always wondered if there was a way to figure out how to make them work with certain bootlegs. I don't understand how it works exactly though.

@NoOne-mn7so 3 года назад

This was 9 months ago but I'd love to see that process. Hope it went well for you if you already attempted it.

@cyndacat76 4 года назад

this is awesome! you should put the wii u buttons inside the pokewalker just for the cool colors, the backlight is sick tho

@makho 4 года назад

I've considered it. I still need to backlight my actual pokewalker and not just a Wii U Fit Meter though. I've got nearly all of the parts but I'm still working out a better spacer method. What I came up with works but I'm not happy with it.

@robert_wolf6989 4 года назад

I've literally thought about doing this. Dropped the idea for a while but can't believe this was posted a week ago! It's crazy that someone recently just figured out a way to do this. Cuz I Wana use the pokewalker again its just too dark when I decide to go on walks. Please make an update for this I'm all eyes! Or make a video on how to add LEDs to the Nintendo DS lite as I was able to put a small LED inside one with clear buttons unfortunately it'll only illuminate the stylus and R button. I'd like to make all the buttons glow with LEDs I've burned out two motherboards trying to figure out how to do this. Any suggestions on how many LEDs I can add or how? I got clear buttons and a black housing shell.

@makho 4 года назад

I do have plans on making a follow up. I'm just working on refining the technique =) I have a pokewalker in parts on my desk *right now*. As far as adding LEDs to a DS Lite, I see no reason why you can't just tap into one of the LCD voltage rails, or even the cartridge bus rail. Just make sure you use the appropriate value resistors or you might put too much strain on the internal voltage regulators. Of course, if you need maximum brightness, I see no reason why you can't add your own voltage regulator powered directly from the system battery (though you'd need to add protection as the DS Lite internal battery does not have low voltage cutoff -- the system handles that). As far as how many LEDs you can add, I asked a friend and he said "there's no limit unless you're a pussy" so there's that I guess. You'll run out of physical room before you run into other limitations.

@makho 4 года назад

re: LEDs, see this also brockward.net/2018/07/19/look-at-this-stupid-thing/

@robert_wolf6989 4 года назад

Tbh I'm not very educated as far as voltage or how to use a voltage meter not where to apply the wires. Like I said I burned out two motherboards just trying to figure out where to add one LED. I'm flying blind here haha

@makho 4 года назад

@@robert_wolf6989 Most electronics are extremely forgiving, as long as you don't bypass the built in protections. Speaking of, your other two motherboards might have blown their fuses and that can be fixed somewhat easily if you can solder on replacement fuses. I don't have any specific recommendations, but learning how to use a multimeter and what specifically you can find out with it will help you tremendously. I'm not trying to be condescending either, but you might want to view some LED tutorials. There are some nuances (that frankly I barely understand sometimes) that aren't immediately obvious and can result in letting out the magic smoke if not accounted for. The most important one is calculating the appropriate size resistor so that the LED does not draw too much current. The biggest concern with LEDs is that they will draw as much current as possible -- even if it means they will burn out.

@robert_wolf6989 4 года назад

When you say LCD voltage rails do you do you mean either top or bottom screen. And the LEDs I used are 3V I believe so what kind of resistors should I use and how many? If I plan to use 9 LEDs

@AlexsaurusRex 11 месяцев назад

I keep thinking about this video

@Angultra 5 лет назад

Awesome work, looks slick with a backlight

@erik19borgnia 3 года назад

NICE VIDEO! I probably will try this when I get my hands on one of those.

@JohnZombi88 11 месяцев назад

Now it makes me wonder if it's possible to flash the rom from the Pokewalker to the Wii u fit meter's board. They seem perfectly compatible

@makho 11 месяцев назад

The hardware appears to be different. I'm not sure the details but there have been more efforts to reverse engineer these things in the last few years and people far smarter than I have said it's not possible. At least not 1:1.

@omega-xis1943 4 года назад

Awesome mod! I was also thinking about moving my pokewalker, but with a rechargable battery (3d printed custom case to fit the stuff in). Only problem is I don't understand how the soldering works on the battery contacts. Ever thought about doing something like this?

@makho 4 года назад

the battery already lasts for ages on this thing, even with the backlight. The Wii U Fit meter I did is still on the same battery from when I posted this video (though, admittedly, it does not get used as frequently as a pokewalker would).

@IggyJoe5 5 лет назад

What a cool video!! You won a subscriber

@arionex 3 года назад

This was an experience

@narcxso 3 года назад

*Daaaaaamn, this looks cool af!*

@SutekiRedux Год назад

I am wanting to mod a Tamagachi with a backlit screen, however I cannot seem to find thinner backlight screens, or ones similar to what you used here. Do u know where i could find some thinner ones? i dont have a whole lot of hardware tech knowledge ill be honest, so any advice helps

@makho Год назад

I'm working on a similar project for a different device and I'm in the same boat right now. If I ever find something I'm happy with, I'll probably make a video about it.

@hawkfeather6802 6 месяцев назад

What kind of resister is it? I recently saw a dmg backlight kit with 2 resisters already on it.

@ALv88PIK4CHU 2 года назад

Hey, have you found a better alternative to the backlight panel or is the one linked on Ali express still the best for this? I really wanna do this mod!

@makho 2 года назад

I haven't really touched this mod, unfortunately. I'm sure there are alternatives but I haven't tried anything beyond what I showed here.

@ALv88PIK4CHU 2 года назад

@@makho Got it. Thank you so much I really appreciate the replies!!!

@demi6765 3 года назад

This is very cool

@zainhartgame 2 года назад

great mod, will try in my vpet 20th digimon😊

@Shimashimatchi_ 2 года назад

This is AMAZING!! Could you try to back light mod a tamagotchi connection sometime? :3

@8bittoaster Год назад

Have you worked on a Pokemon Pikachu 2? Interested in it myself.

@makho Год назад

@lemonlolxd 5 лет назад

this is so cool

@SuperLuigiGuy64 5 лет назад

Wowie Zowie 0.0 cool stuff. Imma try this.

@Semaze 3 года назад

When are you going to do a lipo mod for your pokewalker?

@makho 3 года назад

but why?

@Alizudo 4 года назад

My Pokewalker recently stopped turning on, even after I got a new battery. How do I fix one of these?

@makho 4 года назад

I have no real experience diagnosing issues on these things. Is there any visible damage or corrosion?

@Alizudo 4 года назад

There doesn't seem to be; certainly isn't any on the battery slot. I don't have the weird 3-pronged screwdriver needed to open it up entirely so I can't say "no" for certain, but the batteries themselves have never corroded on me so I don't think that's the issue

@Lavenderblood111 4 года назад

@@Alizudo dude that sucks.

@ghostellaandghostvortex1549 2 года назад

I'd like to give this a shot but problem is I'm to much of a wuss to deal with wires

@makho 2 года назад

this is not a beginner friendly mod

@-Gothicgirl- 5 лет назад

Will you buy and test the gba sp Ips display mod?

@makho 5 лет назад

Yep

@rog-nividiadigimon9354 3 года назад

commission for backlighting a digivice this way?

@makho 3 года назад

I don't take commissions but I bet something similar can be done.

@pokemonoruns 3 года назад

Wow that's amazing. Where did you get the panel from?

@makho 3 года назад

Check description

@pokemonoruns 3 года назад

@@makho Ok. By any chance, are you planning on doing these or was it just an experimental experience?

@makho 3 года назад

@@pokemonoruns I mean, I don't do commissions if that's what you're asking. I did plan on backlighting an actual Pokewalker at some point (and not just a Wii U Fit Meter and then sticking a pokewalker on the back) but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm still trying to find a way to get it to fit flush without using 3D printed spacers.

@Elfking94 2 года назад

Would be cool if you could mod the wii u fit to be the pokewalker

@makho 2 года назад

the hardware is different enough that this is extremely unlikely.

@iRoC29k 2 года назад

Would 3d printing a spacer work for the small gap?

@makho 2 года назад

Yeah and it's what I did later. I made spacers for the buttons too but I was just unhappy with having to make case modifications.

@gamercow4297 2 года назад

I'm want see you turn kamen rider zio ridewatch into working digital watch

@homeroko2286 4 года назад

do you know if is there any replacement generic display for pokewalker?

@makho 4 года назад

I wouldn't be surprised to find the LCD used in another electronic somewhere but until then the cheapest method I know of is to salvage Wii U Fit Meters for parts.

@XBlaziX 2 года назад

I was thinking of doing this, how much does the backlight affect battery usage?

@makho 2 года назад

probably significantly but that wii u fit meter worked for over a month before I forgot to keep checking it.

@sarahelizabeth7714 2 года назад

Can you backlight a Tamagotchi? Like the original ones?

@makho 2 года назад

Possibly, I may attempt if I stumble across one

@monkeyladagain 2 года назад

Would it be possible to 3d print or possibly just make some sort of liner to bridge the front and back panel to keep it sealed, and to prevent it from pushing on the screen? I'm also curious whether or not you've ever thought about doing something like this with the Pocket Pikachu 2?

@makho 2 года назад

To both questions, sure but whether it's worth the effort is another question entirely.

@monkeyladagain 2 года назад

Ironically enough I just joined the discord searching Pokewalker and noticed you'd posted a gif with what appears to be a 3d printed spacer. So I suppose my question was a bit redundant

@monkeyladagain 2 года назад

@@makho I took a look at the Pocket Pikachu 2 (Japanese version), and it appears like there would be no easy way to backlight it. The screen itself seems to have two silicone stands with conductive material at the top and bottom ends in the middle of it, that connects the pins on the board to the screen itself. There's a gap, but it's just barely too thin for the Pokemon Mini's backlight kit to fit underneath.

@makho 2 года назад

@@monkeyladagain EL panels are a lot thinner

@partypiggaming9344 Год назад

@@monkeyladagainLate reply but what discord did you find that 3d model in? Most disscusion on this mod ive seen all just refernce this video.

@carlsong5182 Год назад

🎉🎉🎉🎉

@minerbloxer6471 4 года назад

The thumbnail

@ALv88PIK4CHU 2 года назад

How many ohms is the resistor?

@makho 2 года назад

Just whatever came with the kit

@brim4452 3 года назад

How'd you get the pokewalker internals on your meter?

@makho 3 года назад

It's in the video

@alejandrogutierrez3789 3 года назад

Can the wii u pedometer work without the wii fit game?

@makho 3 года назад

not really, no

@clammy77485 Год назад

give me the pokewalker please now

@valac5460 4 года назад

do you know how to reset a pokewalker without a ds? i mean like reseting the bios of a pc ?

@makho 4 года назад

you can only do it through the game on DS

@valac5460 4 года назад

@@makho no way by getting a big magnet? or maybe short the part where the innformationn is on..?

@makho 4 года назад

@@valac5460 I don't understand why you want to do this. The Pokewalker is useless without the game anyway so why not just reset it through that? No, you cannot reset it with a big magnet.

@CresentMoon18 4 года назад

What tri wing screw driver size did you use

@makho 4 года назад

In this video, I used a cheapo kit I found at walmart. I recently picked up an ifixit kit though and it's honestly a lot better.

@CresentMoon18 4 года назад

@@makho but do you know the size like a Y00 or Y000

@RGmodsitalia 5 лет назад

Hi buddy, why don't add a polulu step up converter inside that thing? It should manage better the battery life, otherwise it won't least so much!!

@makho 5 лет назад

The power usage is already so low that even after the mod, it still registers as 0.00 mA on my meter. I don't think a voltage regulator (if I could even fit one) would help.

@RGmodsitalia 5 лет назад

@@makho i agree with you, if the voltage is so low it doesn't require such an improvement. I use to add it on the pockets for customers because the batteries problem, so I guessed that only on this poke Walker mod could help since you use the same kind of backlight(but you have cutted 2 leds in the process transforming it in another thing!). Anyway, if my thoughts were right the polulu one could fit (barely) on that thing since is the littlest step up I have ever seen and ever installed. Great project Makho, see you on the discord channel!

@MuckGeeFently69 4 года назад

Any recommendations for a thinner LCD screen??

@makho 4 года назад

None that I know of. I keep meaning to make a followup to this video with those 3D printed parts I designed and with an actual Pokewalker.

@MuckGeeFently69 4 года назад

Nice! I'll be waiting man, great vid either way👌🏻

@RealMineKD 3 года назад

@@makho Might I ask about the current status of that?

@makho 3 года назад

@@RealMineKD I made the parts a long time ago, printed, tested, installed successfully. Subsequently lost the prints and motivation. Now that I have a 3D printer again, I suppose I can try again. It still probably won't be any time soon though.

@Samuel-ko9uv 3 года назад

@@makho Oh please do so! I would absolutely love to see a follow up. I've looked about a year ago and couldn't find anyone who attempted this, I just found your video and I'm soooo hyped to try this out on my pokewalker

@connorrogerson7675 4 года назад

Do you think a WiiU fit thing could be repurposed as a pokewalker?

@makho 4 года назад

Probably not. The internals are not identical but they are pretty similar. Someone smarter than I would would have to dump the firmware for these devices to know for sure.