How-to: Lengthen the Nintendo Wii Sensor bar cable for use with a Projector.
Cory Maddox @ 6:34 pm November 21st, 2006This is a rather simple guide, but no photos right now.
Required tools
1. Scissors
2. A lighter (key item)
3. Speaker Wire
4. Tape or something to cover up the wire once you have spliced it.
Step one: Cut the sensor bar cable wherever you would like to splice in additional wire.
Step two: Strip enough of the wire so you have access for splicing.
Step three: With the lighter, carefully burn the coating off the wire so you are able to splice it. The wire is enameled, so without doing this step the cable will not work at all.
Step four: Splice the speaker wire with the sensor bar cable.
Step five: Set up your sensor bar with its now extended cable at the base or top of your projector screen, and off you go.
For those of you who do not feel comfortable doing this with your one and only sensor bar you can pick up another one from the Nintendo shop for just $10.
November 21st, 2006 at 7:58 pm
It would be so cool if the sensor was simply a wireless rig…. ohh well
November 26th, 2006 at 4:52 pm
Thanks, works great. I used 16 gauge wire. You really do need to burn the original Nintendo wire, I tried without and it didn’t work. After burning it, I couldn’t tell the difference between the orange and red cables so it took me two times (I had a 50/50 shot!).
February 2nd, 2007 at 11:06 pm
thank you so much my wire got rippped apart some how and i could not get it to work with out knowing the lighter trick you saved me 10$
February 13th, 2007 at 7:21 am
thank you
July 8th, 2007 at 5:46 am
Cheers couldnt get it working till i read this!
August 8th, 2007 at 2:41 am
My cats chewed through my cable, tried to splice it, but didn’t know about the coating. All works now, thanks!
October 30th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
A rabbit chewed through the sensor bar wire - you saved me $$$…
I’m off to preordre - Rayman Raving Rabids 2!
December 18th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I install home theatre systems for a living and we do very nice custom homes. my run was 40ft and used cat 5 I couln\’t figure out how to make it work untill i read this thank you very very much
August 1st, 2008 at 11:20 am
Wow…how ironic…most people here just got their cables chewed up…
But it worked!! Now I can finally play Brawl! Woohooo thanks alot =D
September 5th, 2008 at 11:29 am
As if 2 days without my Wii wasn\’t bad enough, I was looking at paying £20 for a wireless sensor bar. (My cable was also the victim of kitten chew). Who would have thought enamel coated copper wire was thwarting my attemps to splice the darn thing together. You\’re a genius man. Thanks for posting this message, my life is once again complete.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Ah! Yeah, my rat chewed through mine - thanks for the lighter trick!!! you saved my day of playing hookie haha
December 28th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
woohoo my damn cat did the same thing and thanks to you I can Wii again
April 17th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
worked for me too - after we used the lighter. Now, I’ve gotta cat proof it.
May 31st, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Thanks alot…We are moveing the Wii to a component closet, with all of our other devices, so that nothing is set below or above the TV. All of the wires are ran thru the walls , into the attic, and then down to the component closet…about 45 feet. Lets hope it work that far!!!
November 12th, 2010 at 7:12 am
Thank you. My problem was a cut wire and a requirement to splice it. I stripped the wire back far enough to splice. Then I stripped more wire to ensure the right colors were being spliced together. I then used electrical tape to ensure separation of the spliced wires. It worked the first time. Thank you again.
November 20th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Son had a mouse chew his, I stripped the gray jacket back to find two nylon strings and two stranded wires that looked uninsulated - days of winding coils with enameled wire came back to me that maybe the wires are varnished - yep and your page here verified I was right. Burned the varnish off, slid a heat shrink tube on, put some tiny solderless splices on, crimped and slid and heated the tubing and it looks professional and the Wii is back to working (although I hate those things, gimme outdoors anytime over a video box).
December 28th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Skip the bar and simply put two candles in frond of the tv. The wii remote uses infra red. Candles work great.
August 29th, 2011 at 8:20 am
Thanks so much for the tip. I used a pair out of an old Network Cat5e that I had to splice the wire up and put some heatshrink around it. Whole repair took less than 15 minutes and it works flawlessly. Thanks again.
December 6th, 2011 at 7:29 am
You can also pick up a few batteries and it emitters and make your own wireless rig pretty cheap. Also any kind of led lights will work placed on either side of your tv projector.
October 18th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
thank you my kids will be so happy
December 5th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Thank you so much for the tip about the lighter! Couldn\’t get it to work until I found this tip about the coating. After that it worked perfectly!
December 27th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Worked perfect in my Theater!!!! Amazing instructions- life is now good!!!
January 8th, 2013 at 10:10 am
Thanks for the lighter trick! I couldn’t figure out why a plain splice didn’t work. Saved me a trip to the city and the hassle!
January 12th, 2013 at 11:40 am
Like a charm!