Do we have room for another N64P? (t64 WIP)

[blaze3927]

shame about the psp analog stick, sure the feel is lame to some and the resistance is tripped but it can be bought easily in bulk for $5 each.
btw i got it working in a horipad mini and regulara psone controller but im too swamped with work to post pics right now

cbuttons or c stick? that might be a use for the psp analog stick, convert it to digital and use it as the c stick (space saver compared to tach switches)

[dragonhead]

bumptastical? hows the progress on this sucker?

[sonic4freedom]

I agree. I would love to see some progress.

[eagle5953]

Check his profile - he hasn't logged in since April 12.

[limpport]

Well that's no good. I hope something hasn't happened to him

[thewise1]

Don't worry guys, I've heard that when someone isn't on the internet for a while, something bad hasn't happened to them.

It doesn't make sense to me but hopefully that boosts your spirits.

[technoman]

i just hope he come's back

[nevermind1534]

he PMed me on the 12th, saying that he was very busy, might be a while before he can get any more progress (PM about the pokemon game I sent him for a flash memory feasibility study).

[stuntpenguin007]

I know you haven't been on in a while, but if you show up again, If found something that might interest you.

My analog sticks keep breaking so I fitted a controller with a pic and programmed it to convert the PSX analog output to mimic the N64 quadrature encoder.

[blaze3927]

that mod required a pretty big circuit board, the entire thing did not fit inside the n64 controller. That particular mod wouldnt be viable in a tiny nintendo 64 portable

[stuntpenguin007]

I think your referring to the original prototype board that guy made.



He made it a lot smaller by not even using a breadboard. It fits inside the n64 controller.



The wires that come out of it are for reprogramming the pic / updating code without having to tear it apart each time.

edit: Check out this thread. http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3574.0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Another member of that forum open sourced his project that does the same thing, but with an atmega8.

[metalcookie]

I hope he comes back soon with an update. His progress has inspired me to go back into the world of portablizing and out of the dark depths of potato launchers.

[OzOnE]

Hi, all.

Sorry if I'm hijacking slightly, but our project is directly related to Kibble's. (Mods: Please move this post if need be.)

I just had to post about this. This is a really cool project, and something I've wanted to do for years...

I'm still working on a PCB layout for a custom board, but it will also contain an FPGA. This will allow it to work like Marshall's cart emu (I've been helping him with some of the code - it's for "homebrew", of course)

(I trust Marshall's project isn't any big news to most people? - it's on about three forums, and on YouTube now).

The FPGA can also replace the video and audio DACs - it will output RGB / composite and stereo sound directly from the FPGA! (PIF emulation should be working in the near future). I've already tested the RGB video DAC part on a PAL N64, and it looked great (on a 14" TV at least).

The RGB output should work on ALL versions of the N64 RCP (including PAL consoles). The audio stuff will be straightforward (he says), but I haven't tested this yet. The use of the FPGA will completely do away with the +5V supply too: you just change some resistor values to adjust the video brightness etc.

I'm having trouble with Eagle though. I didn't think I was doing too badly, but then I saw Kibble's project - not fair!
Kibble - do you really route everything manually? I don't think I'd have the will power for that as it always looks untidy when I manually route. How to do connect the polygon fills to the chip pins?? Do you know how to "lock" an area of routes so they are never disturbed afterwards?

A sudden realization just hit me when I saw that Kibble is using the small connectors for everything: why not make everything "modular"?
This would mean just a bare N64 (CPU / RCP / RDRAM / PSU), but with all the cart slot, PIF, and digital video / audio signals made available on connectors...

That would make the main N64 board a fair bit smaller, and allow people to choose either a standard A/V board (containing the original DACs), PIF board, and standard cart slot. OR, connect up to the FPGA cart emu board which will also generate RGB / composite and eventually connect directly to the controllers (save-game stuff to be done later).

The PIF boot will be patchable on-the-fly, so should work with most NTSC / PAL games, although you might still need an original PIF / CIC for certain games which haven't been fully CIC patched yet (Rare stuff? I can't remember).

The cart emu board could fold behind the N64 board so people can position the CF slot where they want to (for portables.)

So, Kibble - are you interested in working together with the PCB stuff at all? I definitely want to get a board manufactured, so I don't mind paying for it. The problem is that we really need the board to be routed like you've done yours (similar to the original N64, with plenty of ground connections, and minimal vias etc.)

Here's an image of my crappy test layout (it's not the proper type of FPGA yet, just a test version to get an idea of the layout)...

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8343/n ... e25510.jpg

The idea is that the FPGA side would be separated obviously. The CF slot could also be changed to a 44-pin IDE connector. This will give even more freedom as to where to put the CF slot, AND it would allow small hard drives or even DVD drives to be attached (for storing ROMs, or for experimenting with homebrew stuff).

I may be getting way ahead of myself, but the above paragraph also hints at 64DD hardware emulation. I know of somebody who has reverse-engineered the 64DD and currently has it running some basic demos on a PC emulator! Hopefully, it will be finshed one day and we can all play Mario Artist or something (using the FPGA).

OzOnE.
btw. I'm going on a caravan holiday for the next few days, so I might not get chance to reply straight away.
EDIT: Kibble - the FPGA should allow simple connection to your LCD as well (already have the code from when I was messing about with HDMI), but you might have a problem with the N64 output being interlaced? We're running a tad low on FPGA pins though.

[stuntpenguin007]

Is any of the 64dd stuff you were talking about open to the public yet?

[OzOnE]

Hi,

I haven't actually asked the person if the 64DD emulation side of things is public yet, but I don't think it is. Although, a quick Google search revealed an article which very much hints at the idea. (you can probably work out who it is, as they have a lot of N64 dev kit stuff as well as a 64DD).

Again, it only runs some basic demos apparently, and it's possible it might never get to the point of running the actual games.

I've been working on the PCB again today and the schematics will be a LOT cleaner.

Here's just the N64 board on it's own (still needs the DC-DC stuff and cart / PIF / audio connectors, but you get the idea...

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4410/n ... ne2551.jpg

Is the board getting small enough for you guys yet? (around 94mm by 65mm atm - not sure if the Rambus chip on the underside is a good idea though?).

It's a better concept all around imho.

If the cart emu isn't finished first (unlikely), you can of course still use the N64 board, but it will need a Cart harness / adapter and a PIF / DAC board.

OzOnE.