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How to Make a Wii Sensor

The Nintendo Wii comes with a number of components in the box, one of the most intriguing, but easiest to replace with homemade materials is the Sensor. This is the long plastic bar that sits across the top of the TV, and is an integral component for the Wii's IR camera installed in the front of each remote. If the wire becomes damaged, or the device stops working, you can easily replace it with a few simple household components.

Things You'll Need

4 to 6 infrared LEDs
6-inch-long perforated board
Soldering iron and solder
Wires
Battery pack or connectors
Electrical tape
Small box or DVD case (optional)
2 or 4 candles
Matches

Instructions

Homebrew Sensor
- 1
  Lay out the perf board with the longest edge facing you. Attach half of your LEDs in a row to the bottom left edge, and the remainder to the bottom right, making sure they are as far apart as possible.
- 2
  Flip the perf board over. Twist and solder the lead of the left-most IR LED to its neighboring LED. Repeat with the all of the other LEDs, leaving the furthest-out and furthest-in leads loose at both corners.
- 3
  Attach a wire to the inner-most leads at both edges. Twist it on to the LEDs, then solder it in place.
- 4
  Solder a wire onto the left- and right-most leads. Make sure your wires are long enough to reach the battery.
- 5
  Complete the circuit: tape or solder the wires onto the battery pack or battery. Attach one lead to each end of the battery.
- 6
  Place the finished sensor array inside a small box or a DVD case to make it a little more attractive. Just make sure that you cut holes in the side for the IR LEDs to shine through, and place the LEDs as close to the edge as possible.
- 7
  Place the replacement sensor in front or on top of the TV, where the original sensor bar used to be.
- 8
  Unplug the battery when you're not using the Wii.
Candle Method
- 9
  Light all of the candles.
- 10
  Place half of the candles on the left-most corner of your TV or below, on the TV stand, and place the remainder on the other side of the TV or stand.
- 11
  Power on the Wii, and open the settings panel by clicking the Wii icons on the lower-left corner.
- 12
  Scroll to "Sensor bar position" and click it. Choose "Above TV" or "Below TV" depending on where you placed the candles.

Nintendo Wii