Topic: Wii Fit Balance Board Not Working

So for the heck of it, I decided to try out Wii Fit Plus for the first time in years, mostly to see how Wii Fit Plus would rate me overweight, normal weight, or underweight, now that I am down 30 pounds (to 160 pounds) from a few years ago. But I have to play it on my Wii U, because our Wii was fried back in 2016 when lightning struck our house.

But the issue I have is with the Wii Fit Balance Board. I swapped out the batteries with fresh ones and made sure that the contact points were not corroded (they weren't), but the Balance Board simply won't power on, much less sync with the Wii U. The power indicator light does not come on, or anything, even when I press the power button.

According to iFixit, the probable explanation is that the battery compartment is bad. Does anyone else have any ideas as to why the Wii Fit Balance Board won't power on, and if you do, what do you suggest I do?

@astrofan1993 I'm hoping I can assume that when you say "sync", you mean that you've pressed both the sync button on the board AND on the Wii U, otherwise it won't connect at all.

Other than that, make sure that the game is in the console AND running, before you try to switch on the board.

Perhaps all of that is needless to say, but still: better safe than sorry, I always say.

And here's a couple of other pages with tips, and a video on how to repair a Balance Board, if it should come to that:
(most answers are about the Wii, but the steps are the same for both the Wii and the Wii U)
http://www.fixya.com/support/t3358729-wii_fit_balance_board_t...
https://www.gamespot.com/forums/nintendo-fan-club-1000001/myt...
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a...
https://www.quora.com/What-do-you-do-if-your-Wii-Balance-Boar...
As you will find out, most answers come to similar conclusions, so that could tell you something,
unless it isn't working at all anymore, in which case, this video might help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqr7ykzL3wA

I posted the video as a link, so that it goes to the actual page where you can read the description, which might add something to the video itself. I think it's safe to say that if none of these things work, it's probably as good as dead, and you might have to look for a replacement Balance Board.

@ThanosReXXX Yes, I did make sure to press the button on both the Board and the Wii U. The issue is that the Board won't power on at all, even with new batteries.

Mmmm that sound like you had leaking batteries or something (i only discovered there was a wii fit u when i did the same 1,5 years ago)... time for switch fit ... still do the ski jumping every year on januari 1st...

@astrofan1993 So, you did not only sync it simultaneously on both the board and the console, but also not before the game was actually running? That is pretty crucial to the board being detected and powering on. I also have a Balance Board, and mine also doesn't power on without a game. If I press the power button on the board without the console being on, the blue light shortly flashes, and it immediately switches off again.

Well, what you could try, if you feel confident enough in doing so, is open the Board up, and see if any of the wires/contacts are damaged or corroded. Any leakage from batteries doesn't necessarily have to be exclusive to the battery compartment, so you'll only ever find out, if you look inside.

To be able to exclude any damage, you could perform a test by inserting new batteries while it's opened up, and then use a tension/volt meter to test the contacts and see if they actually do conduct power to the board.

Also, you could attach a rechargeable power pack/battery pack to the board, which can also be plugged into a mains socket directly, to see if that works. (you could do that without opening up the Board)

If all of that still yields no result, then the Balance Board is simply done for, in which case you might want to start looking for a replacement.

Any way, good luck. Hope you find a solution.

@ThanosReXXX The game was running at the time, and I attempted to sync it with the Wii U. It simply won't power on. I'll have to try the volt test next, and if that fails, a rechargeable battery pack.

But if all else fails, I guess I'll need to find a replacement. Just don't know where I would be able to find one. I would prefer a physical retailer, like GameStop or Best Buy.

@romanista And for the record, the old batteries were intact (surprisingly enough). They did not explode or leak at all. So I doubt it was a leaky battery.

@astrofan1993 I can understand that. What state/city/town are we talking about? I usually look for the known game shops, if they are anywhere near you, but that's not always the case, and sometimes, they simply don't have certain items in stock.

I understand you don''t like/prefer web shops, but even so, I'd still want to offer you a good alternative, which is a company called Lukie Games. They are predominantly a game shop for used items, consoles and games, but most of their articles are either checked or refurbished, so you always know that you're getting something that works and they also offer a warranty on all their products, and they have a 90 day return policy.

They don't have a physical store, but besides them having a web shop you can also call them for inquiries.
Here's their website: https://www.lukiegames.com/

I did also find these pages:
https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/wii-balance-board
https://www.sears.com/search=wii%20balance%20board
I don't know if there's an option to have items sent from one store to the other, or if you can order from the web shop and have it delivered to a store in your area, so you can pick it up at a location near you, but you could always ask if that's an option.

So even when you push the button on the back of the board, there's no blue light? And you're sure there's no battery corrosion at all?

You could try sanding the contacts just in case, but you might just want to buy another one if that doesn't work. They're not difficult or expensive to get a hold of these days. Heck, many retro game stores have stacks of them they can't sell.

@ReaderRagfihs Even when I push the power button, no blue light comes on at all. And the contact points for the batteries looked fine. I'll try to use rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab, but if that doesn't do the trick, I will have to explore other options to fix this problem, up to and including getting a new Balance Board altogether.

@ThanosReXXX And I don't know if it's possible, but I would prefer something brand new, or as close to brand new as possible. I've heard some horror stories about refurbished hardware, and I would like to avoid that at all costs.

@astrofan1993 Don't believe everything you hear. I've bought several pieces of refurbished hardware, including a Sega Dreamcast, and they still work to this day. Does depend on who does the refurbishing of course, but if it's the same company that sells it, you should at least get a valid warranty on any device.

But regardless of that, the links I gave you offer several option for both refurbished AND new Balance Boards, so you're good to go. But you better order one sooner than later, stocks will probably not be too big anymore.