d2lite Review

Written by Brakken
October 2008

Introduction

Welcome to another ISO-420 Certified Review written by the infamous Brakken (me). This time around I'll be reviewing the installation and usage of one of the latest Nintendo Wii modification chips to hit the market. I would first like to start off this review with a big thanks to both FoundMy.com and VGCRepairs.com. FoundMy sent the chip for review and VGCRepairs helped in other ways which I will discuss during this review.

The D2Lite has been created by the same Team who has created the Wiikey, D2CKey and D2Pro modchips. Unlike the DC2Key this chip only requires a few wires to be soldered in. Unlike the D2Pro which comes with it's own firmware on the chip the D2Lite comes blank which should make the chip completely legit in some countries that think modchips are evil.

Features

Supports all known chipset versions: DMS/D2A/D2B/D2C/D2C-2/D2E
Just 5-9 wires required for installation
Region free loading of Wii and Gamecube original imports
Fully updatable via DVD
Multifrequency Ringpiece Oscillators (MRO) for optimum performance, even with problem drives
Selectable drivespeed
Automatic Region Detection
Recovery Mode

Contents

Unless you've ordered some wires or solder with your d2lite all you're going to get is the chip. At first glance the chip is rock solid and doesn't look like some 11 year old made it in some slave factory in Asia. The points, resistors and LED's are all soldered on in a very professional manner. Also, the chip is fairly small, but the points are large enough for you to easily solder wires onto them.

Installation

Installation of the chip should go smoothly, unless you totally screw it up like I did. I spent hours trying to solder the chip into place. I was without a magnify glass and after a few minutes of staring at the tiny IC legs on the D2E console I was working with left your head spinning - or at least mine. After I was able to get the IC legs soldered on the Wii DVD-ROM drive was actually funny. Eventually, I shared a scan of my install with VGCRepairs an affiliate of FoundMy and the store owner was able to locate a solder splash on the DVD-ROM ribbon cable connector. I tried to remove the solder with some desoldering braid, but ended up just pushing the solder further into the connector.

After I did this the drive wouldn't respond at all. I was at a loss, but VGCRepairs offered to "fix" it for me. So knowing I would more then likely screw up the connector trying to clean it without a magnify glass I packaged up the console and sent it to VGCRepairs. I was expecting not to get the console back for a few weeks since they were fixing it for free, but the turn around was only a week (which included shipping both ways). I got the Wii back and it worked perfectly. I felt a bit ashamed as I thought of myself as a solder master, but my ignorance got the best of me in this situation. Add in the fact I haven't soldered anything in a while didn't help the situation. I should of taken my own advice and practiced before installing. Anyway, after the solder was cleaned the Wii's DVD-ROM drive worked fine. A++ job from VGCRepairs!

Usage

The first step to using the d2lite is to configure it's default region. You do this by inserting an original game from your region. To do this, just insert the game and let the Wii detect it. Once this is done you will need to download, burn and run the v1.0 ('Puddle Jumper') firmware DVD. This firmware will allow you to use import games on your Nintendo Wii. Insert the disc, and if you have your Wii still apart you will see both LEDs light up and stay solid for a few seconds then turn off. Once they've turned off eject the disc. Now you're all set to run import games on your Nintendo Wii.

Is that all? Nope! There happens to be a "hacked" firmware floating around that will let you boot your legal backup collection of Nintendo Wii and Nintendo GameCube games. To install this firmware, insert the disc, wait for the lights to turn off, then insert an original game from your region. Once this is done you can play your legal backups and keep the originals in a safe place so they aren't damaged by use and/or misuse. One last thing is the Configuration Disc for the d2lite which will allow you to configure the Region Patcher, set your Single Layer Disc Speed and Dual Layer Disc Speeds. Simply download the disc from d2lite's homepage, burn it, go to the disc channel, insert it and let it run. Then you can configure the settings.

Conclusion

While the chip is easy to install in DMS/D2A/D2B consoles, you'll be finding that for the D2C/D2C-2/D2E DVD-ROM IC's you'll need to solder onto some IC legs. These legs are extremely small so take your time and use a magnify glass! Make sure, like I didn't do, to check for solder splashes before turning on the Wii. This can be done by scanning the DVD-ROM board. Other then those issues, the chip works as advertised with problem games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Brother's Brawl booting and playing perfectly. With so many chips on the market it's hard to choose which one to get, but if you get this one you won't be disappointed.

Negatives

Chip Comes Blank
Waste of Media to Flash the Chip
Must Solder onto Tiny IC Legs (for D2C/D2C-2/D2E) consoles
Official Firmware only boots Original Imports

Positives

Rock Solid Chip
Recovery Mode from Bad Flashes
Configuration Disc
Moderate Installation

Links

Official d2lite Homepage
FoundMy.com - North American Distributor

-=[ d2lite Review Discussion Thread ]=-

Product(s) were received from the website above. ISO-420 will always link back to whomever sent the product(s) *respect*, but please remember that the reviews are independently written by our staff and are not subject to alteration by whomever supplies us with the review product(s).