YAP64- Another Portable N64

[XCVG]

Dead, N64 Died

See YAP64/2

Yet Another Portable 64

***Cost So Far: $6***
***Current Status: Fried, project on hiatus***

***SUPPLIES ARE NEEDED***
-PSone screen (yeah right)
-TI regulator
-squishy tacts
-controller

Right now I have to get a screen. If anyone has a PSOne screen that they are willing to sell that would be great. I'm looking high and low for any screen- pocket TV, game screen, even portable DVD players if the price is right. Neither the local pawn shop nor any of the thrift stores I went to had anything. Not even a sorta-working pocket TV. Oh yeah, and I have to find some batteries. And build a case. But I need a screen before any of that. I've built an LM317 circuit to power the 3.3V line. Have to find a heatsink. I have a few around here somewhere. Oh crap. I need some more heatsinks too. To cool the N64. Probably going to buy some stuff from DX. Does anyone here think using a videocard cooler would work/be cool?

Buildlog of today:
I was bored today, so I got my partially-disassembled spare N64 out of the closet. It's the beginning of Yet Another Portable 64 adventure! I've found out some interesting things about the N64. Right now it's disassembled. Bare board, no shielding. I don't have a picture, but the expansion and cart slots are currently off. Jumper pack is partially trimmed.


Not much to look at here. Just an N64 board with shielding on. Move on, nothing to see here.


Exposed board. NUS-CPU-05. AVDC-NUS video chip. Not RGB moddable. That's okay, composite is good enough. This is my first portable, it's not gonna be 1337 in any way, shape, or form. The N64 is surprisingly simple. There's a lot of traces but they are very easy to see. As long as you don't touch the "core" area, it looks pretty trimmable. But I'm not going to trim it. It's too valuable to risk that. Plus I don't have a bandsaw and my xacto sucks. The other thing that jumped out at me was the capacitors. There is not a single one of those big-a** electrolytic caps, only very short little metal-can caps (forgot what they're called)

It worked at that stage. I don't have any pictures, but I've trimmed a jumper pack and removed the expansion port. After I removed the expansion port, the cart slot fell off. It's not soldered at all. The contacts on the expansion port slip over the pins, or something. In any case I've got some soldering to do. I might as well relocate the cart, since I have to do a crapload of soldering anyway.

***Questions***
1. Anyone have a screen? To sell to me? Cheap?
2. Are the inner holes where the cart slot pins go connected to anything?
3. Can someone give me an expansion pack for free? I don't want to wreck my other one. Okay, cheap is good enough.
4. Do I write too much?

*NEW IDEA*
What if I put a door over the jumper pak? That way it can be completely inside and trimmed, but I can put in a standard expansion pak.

[XCVG]

Reserved for future use.

[bacteria]

There's a lot of traces but they are very easy to see. As long as you don't touch the "core" area, it looks pretty trimmable. But I'm not going to trim it.

Traces switch between the top and bottom of the board through the holes; which makes the process of trimming far from straightforward, as often the path you might choose has a component directly underneath; so trimming means finding a path that you only have traces on both sides and preferably as little rewiring as you can get away with.

You can easily remove the silver shielding of course, just leave a little on each side and you are fine.

After I removed the expansion port, the cart slot fell off. It's not soldered at all. The contacts on the expansion port slip over the pins, or something.

That's normal and well documented.

Are the inner holes where the cart slot pins go connected to anything?

See your above comment.

Can someone give me an expansion pack for free? I don't want to wreck my other one. Okay, cheap is good enough.

I have a stack of jumper paks doing nothing but no spare expansion pack. If you need jumper paks let me know.

[XCVG]

I'm kind of afraid to trim it. I was really shaky (not literally) when I x-acto'ed the jumper pack, and I don't really feel confident doing it on the N64. Does anyone know a better method for cutting PCBs?

By what you said I'm assuming the holes that the cart slot go into are just to hold it. I should test with my multimeter to make sure.

I don't need any jumper paks, I have two unused ones. I have one expansion pack but it's part of my "main" N64, so I'm not touching it. But I have an idea, see post 1.

[Life of Brian]

Does anyone know a better method for cutting PCBs?

Band saw? I've chopped up an Atari 2600 that way. There's something liberating about taking a power tool to a circuit board and knowing it will still work afterward. The same goes for using a Dremel or similar rotary tool.

The N64 mobo is so easy to cut, though. I use a box knife, and it usually doesn't take much to cut it. Usually, I only have to score about three times on each side and I'm able to snap stuff off without any problems.

[bacteria]

I use a dremel with a metal cutter to slice through a motherboard; although if you need to cut a very accurate line (as I had to recently), a craft knife in the places concerned works fine.

Make sure though after trimming a board you give both layers of the board you cut are sanded so you don't get any shorts from neighbouring traces.

[XCVG]

Would a bigger/heavier/stronger knife be better than an x-acto? I don't have a bandsaw, so maybe I'll try the Dremel method. I probed the holes and they aren't connected. That's okay, I was planning to relocate the slot anyway.

[XCVG]

Well I haven't got much done. I have to wait until monday to solder stuff at the school robotics club, they have very nice soldering stations. I have a 3rd party controller that may or may not work. The console refused to recognize it but it could be a cable issue. I've started to reverse engineer it, but like I said I'm not sure if it actually works. I ripped the expansion slot off so if I decide to add rumble I'll have to hardwire. Oh well. I may have to buy a new controller. I only have four controllers, all official. Need to get some squishy tacts too. And some heatsinks. Argh, so much stuff to scavenge/buy.

I wonder how the guys (and 2 gals) at robotics club will react as I manically tear apart an N64. Probably shock, maybe anger. Most likely they'll laugh at me (PORTABLE? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!).

EDIT: Checked TI, and they are completely out of all PTH08080 and PTH08000 regulator modules! They won't have more until MAY! I can't wait that long! Attempting to find an alternate power solution.

[eurddrue]

which one do you need?

[thewise1]

Hmmm, I haven't been here that long, what did you portableizers use before the ti thing was discovered?

[eurddrue]

WELL Bacteria used a walkman car adaptor once, and daguuy has a link on here to something else.

[ShockSlayer]

EDIT: Checked TI, and they are completely out of all PTH08080 and PTH08000 regulator modules! They won't have more until MAY! I can't wait that long! Attempting to find an alternate power solution.

Whoops! Sorry!

I've got a few if you need one.

Oh, and try looking up lm317t. You can find one at your local radioshack, unless its one of those radioshaq-fu types.(aka they SUCK!)

[bacteria]

WELL Bacteria used a walkman car adaptor once, and daguuy has a link on here to something else.

Yes, but it only worked on mains and with the jumper pak.

[eurddrue]

Oh, and try looking up lm317t.

Yeah! that's the one that daguuy reccomended in his short n64 portable guide.

[XCVG]

I have an LM317. It's a linear device like a 7805, only adjustable. So it'll work if I mount it to the main heatsink and use a gigantic battery.

I don't really care which TI card, either a PTH08080 or PTH08000. If you can send me one that would be nice (just don't try to rip me off). PM me.

Argh, still gotta wait until Monday. Might try coaxing my dad into buying me stuff. Birthday is coming up, but I need some computer parts. So this project is out of my own pocket. Going to post some wanted ads at school. Must clean up workbench and pack project parts. Find heatsink. Stop talking like this.