Here I am again,
I started the process of fixing my 2nd Wii U that had no video output,
I was unable to use UDPIH, it just didn't work.
So the next thing what I did was to open Wii U and saw it had the famous Hynix chip.
After that I soldered a Pico to the mainboard of the Wii U and I was able to
use the minute menu.
After grabbing the logs I tried to find the last log file with the (video) tutorial on this site (youtube), from hex to decimal but I was unable to find it that way.
Because I failed here I did this my way and because I was using a linux system I entered this command:
grep -r "media" /home/user/Desktop/Wii_U/logs/
That output gave me one log file, 35.log
After inspecting it more, I don't see the "Media Error" but other things...
See log file
Can you upload all the logs and the meta.bin file? You can create a zip and attach it to your next post.
Made a zip from the logs map.
It would appear the SLC cache is corrupt or not accessible. Also based on the logs the console appears to have an issue with an update that is corrupt.
Since we have limited information to go on, I would recommend trying to rebuild the MLC because you have Defuse installed in the console there is no risk. Rebuild the MLC, then pull the new logs and check them for media errors related to the eMMC.
As a reference, you were correct that log 35 is the newest log file.
I just did an MLC rebuild after that I dumped the logs and after that I tried to start the Wii u (Patch (slc) and boot IOS (SLC).
But it's not continuing.
This is the output of the serial monitor:
minute
Main menu
> Patch (slc) and boot IOS (slc) <
Patch (sd) and boot IOS redNAND
Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc)
Patch (sd) and boot sdmc:/ios_orig.img
Patch (sd) and boot sdmc:/ios_orig.img redNAND
Patch ISFShax and boot IOS (slc)
Boot 'ios.img'
Boot IOP firmware file
Boot PowerPC ELF file
Backup and Restore
Interactive debug console
PRSH tweaks
Display crash log
Clear crash log
Restart minute
Hardware reset
Power off
Credits
Mounting slc...
ancast: no patch file `ios.patch`, stubbing...
ancast: reading 0xdfd200 bytes from slc:/sys/title/00050010/1000400a/code/fw.img
ancast: ...00000000 -> 01000000
ancast: ...00100000 -> 01100000
ancast: ...00200000 -> 01200000
ancast: ...00300000 -> 01300000
ancast: ...00400000 -> 01400000
ancast: ...00500000 -> 01500000
ancast: ...00600000 -> 01600000
ancast: ...00700000 -> 01700000
ancast: ...00800000 -> 01800000
ancast: ...00900000 -> 01900000
ancast: ...00a00000 -> 01a00000
ancast: ...00b00000 -> 01b00000
ancast: ...00c00000 -> 01c00000
ancast: ...00d00000 -> 01d00000
ancast: done reading
ancast: decrypting slc:/sys/title/00050010/1000400a/code/fw.img...
ancast: fini
ancast: IOS image is prod 5.5.5+
ancast: failed to open plugin `slc:/sys/hax/ios_plugins/wafel_core.ipx` for pre-parsing!
ancast: failed to open plugin `slc:/sys/hax/ios_plugins/wafel_core.ipx`!
Exception 4 (DATA ABORT):
Registers (0x1031cd80):
R0-R3: 27f00000 65667301 ffffffff 27efffff
R4-R7: 27f00000 00000000 10149b33 00000000
R8-R11: 10164010 10164004 1016400c 10164014
R12-R15: 0000000a 1029cc70 10100994 10100b60
SPSR: 6000005f
CPSR: 200000d7
CR: 000530ff
TTBR: 101f8000
DACR: ffffffff
Abort type: Alignment
Address: 0x27f0001b
Code dump:
10100b50: e59a3000 e59f11ac e5932018 e0833002
10100b60: *e593201c e1520001 0a000012 e59f0198
10100b70: eb001723 e3e00001 e8bd8ff8 e5993000
EDIT: My bad I selected the wrong option in the minute menu. It had to be "Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc)"
Now I see the start up of the Wii U.
EDIT2: Logs dumped after setting up Wii U.
The Logs after the MLC rebuild and set up of the Wii U.
Is the Wii U working now?
The log files you provided are identical to the original log files. Are you positive you uploaded the new log files? If you did that means the console didn't log anything new, which is strange because during a rebuild of the MLC the log files are cleared at the beginning of the process.
Indeed the Wii U is working now and I thought the same, it looks like the logs are the same.
I just took the SD card and removed the previous log files, I ejected the SD card and inserted it back in my computer to be sure all log files were gone. Ejected it back and put it in the Wii U, plugged in the Pico in my computer (USB) and connected the power to the Wii U and pressed the on button, but the weird thing I now have is that it takes a long time the Wii U boots up, nothing happens and suddenly it just starts. maybe 30 seconds (didn't really time it).
Then I dumped the sys crash logs and again it looks like they are the same.
Try playing a game that requires an update to be installed on the Wii U. If there is a problem with the eMMC it should end up generating an error and the log file may get updated.
Alternatively you can also try doing a factory reset, which should clear the log files.
Well I did a factory reset, I tried some games I had here on disc but there were no updates it did.
After the factory reset the Wii U automatically shutdown. So when I booted it I immediately dumped the sys logs but there were 0 files on the SD card in the logs folder.
So I Booted the Wii U again and proceeded to set it up, afterwards I shut it down and booted again and dumped the sys logs but again no files.
Does this mean the MLC memory (Hynix) is OK ?
Although I have a NAND-Aid here, bought one from v10lator.
No it doesn't mean the eMMC is okay. Many of these failing Hynix chips degrade slowly over time. I have had a few of these consoles with similar symptoms that I rebuilt the MLC and used for a few weeks through a month or so and sure enough all 3 of them eventually ran into a system error because the Hynix chip was bad.
Now this doesn't mean your specific chip is problematic. However I would suggest further testing to validate it. At this point you can use the recovery menu and test the MLC as well. Which may shed some light on the situation for you.
In my opinion it's not worth testing the MLC memory because it has the Hynix chip and like you say it will degrade after some time.
It's maybe better if I solder the NAND-Aid on the motherboard, it's some extra work but if all goes well this console is "future-proof". ;)
Quote from: andlinux on Feb 04, 2026, 02:18 PMIn my opinion it's not worth testing the MLC memory because it has the Hynix chip and like you say it will degrade after some time.
It's maybe better if I solder the NAND-Aid on the motherboard, it's some extra work but if all goes well this console is "future-proof". ;)
I agree, replacing the chip with a NAND-AID is the best way to go. Its a permanent or near permanent fix. At some point the reality is all Wii U consoles will no longer work because these NAND chips have a finite lifespan.
I've been busy with this Wii U a whole afternoon, I soldered the NAND-AID to the board, inserted the SD card in the NAND-AID and booted with the Pico (defuse).
Then the weird things already started to happen, it booted in minute but I was only able to control the menu a few times with the serial connection and then nothing.
I switched over to the HDMI output and there was also the menu so I was able to continue from there with the push buttons on the Wii U.
I then tried to rebuild the MLC but it was complaining about the OTP, maybe I made here a mistake by putting the defuse_otp.bin on the SD card, although I changed it to otp.bin but that didn't work either.
After using an otp.bin from a previous dump of the system it did more. When the rebuild started the LED of the Wii U was still purple and not flashing... and it was as if the Wii U restarted, I heard the disc drive like when it boots up. On the picture you see what it puts out when it's going to start the rebuild.
The weird thing is that my raspberry pi is acting weird, the moment I plug it out and back in the Wii U restarts.
Is there also a way to check if the NAND-AID is installed correctly?
Are you seeing any information on the serial console output while trying to rebuild?
As for checking that the NAND-AID is installed properly. You can determine this by seeing if you can properly erase the MLC. When you go into the backup/Restore menu, go down to Erase MLC and select it. If the MLC erases properly you should see a message at the end that says "MLC Erase Complete"
For reference you can see this part in my video here (https://youtu.be/XgN_S1PgbGU?t=1448)
If the erase is successful, then what is the LED doing when you try to rebuild? If its not blinking Green or Orange there is likely a file missing on the SD Card and the rebuild cannot start.
I just tried it again and I think I found the problem.
Take a look at the serial output ==> screenshot
And in the defuse readme is this standing:
A successful de_Fuse looks like this:
```
[pico] Changed state: WIIU_STATE_POWERED_OFF -> WIIU_STATE_NEEDS_DEFUSE
Starting... 1152
Results:
Winner! 0xfb80
01
02
03
04
05
08
09
0a
0b
0c
0d
0e
13
14
15
18
1b
1c
1d
1e
1f
25
88
89
8a
...
```
- If the initial lines are not 01, 02, 03, ..., this means the DEBUG GPIOs are not wired correctly.
- If the final line is 0x1E and the error code is 0x00, that is an invalid SD card. Invalid SD cards seem to hang boot0.
- If the final line is 0x25, and 1e and 1f are in the output, this means the SD card was valid, but not flashed correctly (or otherwise failed to read).
- If the final line is 0x25, and 1e and 1f are NOT in the output, this means that the EXI CLK wire is not connected correctly, or there is an issue with the EXI data wire.
- A brief purple flash means that the custom boot1 has loaded, and glitching was successful. If it stays solid purple, then it has loaded fw.img from the SD card.
- A brief purple flash followed by a blinking orange LED means that fw.img was not found on the SD card root, or the SD card failed to mount.
"If the final line is 0x25, and 1e and 1f are in the output, this means the SD card was valid, but not flashed correctly (or otherwise failed to read)."
I have seen this in the serial output.
So I guess my SD card is corrupt.
Make the Defuse SD Card again. Seems something is corrupt or missing. I suspect corruption as evident in the screenshot you shared.
As you said I made the defuse card again putting the boot1.img on the card after that I removed the partition and made a 2GB (Fat) partition. Then I put the defuse files (wiiu folder, fw.img, otp.bin) on the card, started the serial connection and pressed the power button.
Again weird text characters. Unplugged it took my 1GB SD card and tried it with that but again weird characters.
Took the 2 GB SD card back and suddenly the text was normal but I still was not able to control the serial connection with my keyboard (yeah one press down and that's it), but all I did on the wii u was visible in the serial connection.
I went to "restore and backup" and selected "erase MLC" and the result is in the video.
I think I have to recheck my soldering work. It wasn't the result I expected.
Maybe that's the reason it's acting so weird now.
Defuse is starting correctly. The issue is with the NAND-AID. Check your soldering. The SD Card isn't being detected. Double check to make sure the NAND-AID is grounded properly. Just so you don't end up chasing a ghost, I recommend validating that the SD Card is working by checking it in a computer, especially if you have double checked your soldering and it all checks out.
Quick question: Do you know the values of the resistors R27, R28, R29 and R30 on the mainboard of the Wii U?
Quote from: andlinux on Feb 11, 2026, 11:04 AMQuick question: Do you know the values of the resistors R27, R28, R29 and R30 on the mainboard of the Wii U?
Those resistors don't matter if you have a NAND-AID Installed. That being said the values are around 22ohms.
I use the resistors to measure thru them, to be sure my connections are good.
3V continuity is good
GND is also good
D2 = 33Ω
D1 = 33Ω
D0 = 33Ω
D3 = 33Ω
CMD = 33Ω
Then the next is CLK, but here I'm lost.
If I measure on the NAND-AID CLK pad (new pcb) that trace goes to the R26 trace that's been cut oriented next to the Hynic MLC memory but it also passes the DSB pad and the DSB pad is connected to GND with a blob of tin so I also have continuity on the GND. See added picture. Is that normal?
Those measurements are all good. If you measure on left and right side of NAND-AID at trace R26 is there continuity?
As for your question, yes this is normal. The DSB Pad shorts the eMMC CLK to GND. This disables the eMMC on the console, so for example if you wished to access the eMMC again you would have to clear the DSB solder to open the jumper.
If I measure on the sides where I had to cut the trace there's no continuity.
PICA0034.jpg
I just measured all again and I thought I had found it, a bad connection to the ground,
it was like if the tin was floating above the pad, so I fixed that.
But when I booted the Wii U the blue LED was flashing and minute took a long time to start,
afterwards when i was in minute I tried to erase the MLC but again error messages.
Before I checked the soldering I took out the SD (MLC) and put it in my computer, deleted the partiitions and made one big FAT partition.
This one is real difficult one.
Edit: Do you know where the trace goes from the one that is cut?
PICA0035.jpg
I did some measurements but can't find it.
The trace for R26 that you cut connects the eMMC to the Wii U. Cutting it disables the eMMC. The NAND-AID intercepts this signal by connecting to this trace, so right side (closest to eMMC) goes to the eMMC and is disabled using the DSB on the NAND-AID. The left side intercepts the signals and transfers them to the SD Card on the NAND-AID so that it can be used as the replacement eMMC.
Are you still getting the error about sdhc error interrupt? When you try to erase the MLC. If so you may want to double check the SD Card reader on the NAND-AID.
I had 3 consoles with this error and 2 of them I fixed. The issue on one of them was one of the 9 pins on the SD Card Reader wasn't soldered completely. It wasn't something I could see even under a microscope but when I checked it with a multi-meter it was obvious.
The other one I had held the soldering iron on the SD Card ground pads too long and melted the plastic inside. So the fix for that was to remove the SD Card slot and replace it. It wasn't until I removed it that I was able to see why it didn't function.
The third console I still have and for some reason it just doesn't work with a NAND-AID. I spent weeks trying to diagnose it on and off, but I never figured out why the NAND-AID wouldn't work. One of the things I did do to test the console was use REDNAND, which did work. So it led me to believe there was something specifically wrong with the NAND-AID. This particular console I had a mishap when removing the first NAND-AID I installed in it after I realized it was defective. During the removal I ripped the capacitors off the board at R26-R31. Now these capacitors aren't supposed to matter, so having them missing wasn't the problem.
Yes, the errors are still there about the sdhc error when trying to erase the MLC. Tried it a few times.
I bought the NAND-AID that had the SD reader already preassembled, I thought it would be easier (less work) but I can see pads so I guess I can check those with a multimeter. Probably tomorrow.
If it's not a working NAND-AID I have to blame V10lator ;D
I'll keep you updated.
Quote from: andlinux on Feb 15, 2026, 01:50 PMYes, the errors are still there about the sdhc error when trying to erase the MLC. Tried it a few times.
I bought the NAND-AID that had the SD reader already preassembled, I thought it would be easier (less work) but I can see pads so I guess I can check those with a multimeter. Probably tomorrow.
If it's not a working NAND-AID I have to blame V10lator ;D
I'll keep you updated.
His version does allow for less work and easier installation. The design itself actually allows for testing after the SD Card Reader is installed and before installing the NAND-AID. Which the original version doesn't allow for. I want to clarify I am not suggesting the NAND-AID is at fault here. While its possible for it to be defective my gut tells me the console you have has the same issue (yet to be discovered) that my console has where the NAND-AID appears to be installed correctly but the SD Card cannot be formatted inside the minute menu.
When V10lator sold me the NAND-Aid he made a small mistake by the capacitor, he scratched some solder mask off but he fixed it by putting a blob of tin on it, so it was not something to worry about. He's a good man. Everybody makes mistakes, we are not perfect.
I just measured the continuity between the pads of the SD card reader and the pads on the PCB of the NAND-AID and I have continuity over all the connections. All the data connections have continuity and the GND also but the 3V3 was giving contact then not etc.
I was excited because I thought I found the problem...
So I checked it again under the microscope and it was a bad soldering at the 3V3 R10 component.
Soldered it again, used my tweezers to feel if it was holding it, tried to erase the MLC but again no luck. The same messages.
Maybe I can do some measuring when it's powered on but I have to be very careful not to short things.
I also tried another SD card, with no luck.
If you having the multi-meter on a ground point you shouldn't have to worry about shorting anything on the board or damaging it. Just make sure you do not bridge 2 points if they are small and your working with larger probes
Just did some measuring:
Between pads on the mainboard and the NAND-aid pads:
GND and D2 = 3.3V
GND and D1 = 3.3V
GND and D0 = 3.1V
GND and D3 = 3.3V
GND and CMD = 3.29V
GND and CLK = 0.95V
GND and 3V3 = 3.33V
But between pads on the NAND-aid and the pads on the NAND-aid:
GND and D2 = 2.3V
GND and D1 = 2.3V
GND and D0 = 2.1V
GND and D3 = 2.3V
GND and CMD = 2.3V
GND and 3V3 = 2.3V
I don't think this is normal behavior?
So further investigating...
the 3V3 to the R10 component measurement is giving 0.0Ω, that's good.
Now the GND from the mainboard to the NAND-aid is giving me 162.5KΩ, not good.
And the multi-meter is giving that as good continuity.
So I guess I have to make a better GND connection.
I had some problems before by soldering that GND to the GND of the capacitor because it's floating a little bit. Maybe getting a GND somewhere else.
Human error, I had to check it right away...
I soldered the GND from the NAND-aid to another GND point on the board.
Now this is the result:
MLC erase.png
:) :) :) :)
It took some time due to stupidity of me but finally it's working ;D
Here the progress over serial connection:
The start of the MLC install
Installing.png
Installing_progress.gif
Message at the end of the install
MLC_Setup_finished.png
Thanks again Tzirf for the assistance 👍
Nice job finding the issue. Glad you got it working!!!