Wii U: Is it safe for me to do this?

  • Thread starter Marcus96
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Marcus96

Marcus96

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Just to give a little background: I currently have the Wii U setup in my bedroom gaming setup, however I am thinking about moving it to the family room as it will get a little more use down there.

The problem is, with the only place that the Wii U will fit, is in place of the original Wii (as I still live with parents and that is the only place that they will tolerate the console to fit, as my farther doesn't want his Onkyo and Marantz equipment damaging). The issue is that it doesn't fit in that spot. However only by about 1 or 2 millimeters.

The main reason why it won't fit is because of the lips on the bottom of the console (which is where the stand clips in I believe). So what I though of was a little solution. The only way to avoid these lips are to remove the top cover from the console like this:

sPaqjSSEr66bZ6hX.medium


Just out of curiosity. Would this be safe to do? Nobody would be able to touch inside the console because there will only be ~1mm of space around the front plate of the console due to how tightly all of the AV equipment is packed in.
 
I'd think that would allow dust to get into the console much easier which isn't a good thing. Personally, I wouldn't do it.
 
I agree. Personally I value longevity of products, so finding ways to prevent dust build up and allow better air circulation/heat dissipation is more important than space consumption.
 
I'd give it as much space as possible, although you could keep it your way and just monitor the sound it produces. The Wii U has the benefit of being pretty much silent when treated right, so if it starts building up noise you know it isnt safe.
 
Yeah. It shouldn't really hurt to try it out. However it may become routine maintenance to clean/blow out dust, that is an issue I did consider. Even so, if it wasn't for those lips on the edge of the console, I would of already been good.

EDIT: Some other friends off here (College, Facebook etc.) suggested that I should just sand down the lips. However I do not fancy that idea because that will void me from using the stand functionality if I ever wanted to use it in the future. I will take a picture of what I am referring to in terms of the AV rack tomorrow.
 
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Why not use the stand then and set it up clear of the other boxes in the TV cabinet; maybe beside it instead. That way you will have plenty of space for ventilation and it will be more easily accessible for moving back upstairs if needed.
 
Unfortunately, everything in the TV cabinet is packed very tightly. There is literally not a millimeter of space between electronic devices in there and my dad will not accept anything standing on top of the cabinet.

As I said, when I get home, I will take a picture to show you what I am referring too.
 
That entire setup that you described sounds terrible. Electronics of all kinds build up heat in use and if they don't have sufficient air circulation, then they all could be damaged. Packing the Wii U into that tight space where you need to alter or remove the cover would only eliminate all possible proper airflow through the console, so I'd find another place to set it up if I were you.
 
MeanElf
I was meaning more beside the cabinet.
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Yeah, that will possibly work. On the floor aside the cabinet. This is what the current setup looks like below. Obviously fitting the Wii U in place of the Original Wii isn't going to work, so maybe that is another plan.

 
Maybe this? Should this be fine/safe instead? Any better for the console than removing the back cover?



Mind the mess btw? :embarrassed:
 
That is actually worse. Dust accumulates at the floor, and setting it there will cause it to go into the vents faster. Isn't there another way to add another area (table) so that you can put all of the gaming consoles in one place?
 
Yeah, I wouldnt put it on the floor unless you intend on cleaning the fan every week. :(
 
Classic
Yeah, I wouldnt put it on the floor unless you intend on cleaning the fan every week. :(
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I actually have my PS4 on the floor like that, and not a bother, even with two long-haired cats in the house. Okay, I live by the sea in a not so built-up area, which helps with the dust situation.
 
I don’t see the TV in the setup, but isn’t there a way to put the Wii U behind it? It is a small console and being black it will be easy to hide it there.
 
There's actually a fan vent hugging the carpet in that photo, on the bottom...it's probably unwise.
 
MeanElf
I actually have my PS4 on the floor like that, and not a bother, even with two long-haired cats in the house. Okay, I live by the sea in a not so built-up area, which helps with the dust situation.
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I'm more worried about air circulation. The PS4's vents, if set horizontally, divert air from the front of the machine to the side. Very efficient to the point where I leave my system on for 2-3 days at a time without any noticeable loss in performance. The WiiU's vents are lined up to the side and exit the same side. Ideally, you would want to put it horizontally because rising heat would damage the electronics because of poor air flow.
 
Marcus96
Thank you. :D There is also £1500+ of Monitor Audio speakers to go with that too. :D
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If your dad has got more money to spend on equipment, tell him to upgrade the Freesat HD box to latest model like the Humax HDR-1000S, that way your Wii U can fit. Also can save some more space by getting a Panasonic DMR-BWT740EB to replace couple of other players, that way you will have even more space for games consoles ;).
 
Saidur_Ali
If your dad has got more money to spend on equipment, tell him to upgrade the Freesat HD box to latest model like the Humax HDR-1000S, that way your Wii U can fit. Also can save some more space by getting a Panasonic DMR-BWT740EB to replace couple of other players, that way you will have even more space for games consoles ;).
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Cheers. ;) To be honest, that Freesat HD box was picked up somewhere in 2010. However since purchase he has only used it about 2 or 3 times (I believe the last time was somewhere in 2011 maybe?). Most of the time he just uses the built in Freeview tuner on his 8/9 year old Panasonic TH42-PX600U Plasma (despite it's age, it doesn't need replacing/upgrading as most stuff isn't HD, 95% of our media is still DVD and it still has the same picture quality as day 1!). :D
 
Marcus96
Cheers. ;) To be honest, that Freesat HD box was picked up somewhere in 2010. However since purchase he has only used it about 2 or 3 times (I believe the last time was somewhere in 2011 maybe?). Most of the time he just uses the built in Freeview tuner on his 8/9 year old Panasonic TH42-PX600U Plasma (despite it's age, it doesn't need replacing/upgrading as most stuff isn't HD, 95% of our media is still DVD and it still has the same picture quality as day 1!). :D
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Modern players upscale DVD movies to HD automatically. You can cut a lot of the devices out by simply being smart on where you upgrade.

I too have a DVD and a Blu-Ray player. The only reason why I don't get rid of the former is because the DVD player also serves as a surround sound device.
 
If you know someone with a plastic line bender heater thing you could make another quick top casing out of thin acrylic just to keep the dust out.

Kinda like this...

PA-RED-unit.jpg
 
Yeah, I was thinking if using something to cover the open console would work. On the top, not sides. :D

As for the players: The Blu-Ray player is used for movies and is connected through HDMI to the reciever. As for the Panasonic DVD/DVR Combo, it just connects into Scart to the TV (no surround sound), however this is only used for non-movie content, such as DIY and Gym Workout Tutorial DVD's (you don't need quality really for them tbh).

Freesat and YouView are not connected atm, shortage of antenna cables and stuff. I am sure he will sort it one day.
 

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