Expansion pack soldering

[Hrduncan]

the pins are too stiff and when heated can get dislodged from the board and im guessing its easier to work with wires.

[Haunted360]

Yea, that is true...

So wait a sec.

The 2 RAM chips on the N64 (stock) are basically 2 expansion packs.

When you add another through the extension with wires or by using the original slot, you are adding 3 to the console?

[Bush]

No, the two chips on the board are 2mb each, the one chip in an expansion pack is 4mb

[Hrduncan]

thats why you can buy two expansion paks remove the 2 mb chips replace them with 4 mb and then use the jumper pak.

[eagle5953]

And yes, you could technically replace the 2 2MB chips with 4MB chips and use an expansion pak, but it wouldn't do anything different. No games are coded to address that much RAM.

[Haunted360]

Yea, that is exactly what I was thinking.

However, lets say that I de-solder and remove the 2 onboard RAM chips (2 x 2mb) and replace them both with expansion pack RAM chips (2 x 4mb). Will the game detect that an expansion pack has been plugged in?

Because if it is NOT soldered to the actual expansion pack slot, then how will the system know? (Unless it is 'scanning' for a RAM size equal to or greater than 8mb)

[Snipeye]

From what I understand, which unfortunately is rather little in the area of an N64, if you swap out the chips on the N64 itself, you can use the jumper pack and the n64 will work as if it had an expansion pack and normal ram in.

[bassmasta]

However, lets say that I de-solder and remove the 2 onboard RAM chips (2 x 2mb) and replace them both with expansion pack RAM chips (2 x 4mb). Will the game detect that an expansion pack has been plugged in?

Yes, with the jumper pack.

[Haunted360]

OK. So then the game will not start. IE: Such as Donkey Kong 64 will not start, even though you have added an expansion pack but not through the original port.

Correct?

[eagle5953]

It just checks to see how much RAM is there. It doesn't care where it's plugged in.

If you used 4 1MB RAM chips (two on board, two in expansion pak), it would be foolish, but it would run just as well as if you had an unmodified N64 with jumper pak.

[Haunted360]

OK so with that setup you just said, Donkey Kong 64 would not run. Right?

[eagle5953]

Right, because it would detect 4MB of RAM.

Now, if you replaced the 2 2MB chips on the board with 2 4MB chips and used a jumper pak, it would run because it'd detect 8MB of RAM.

[Haunted360]

OK. Now I am with you...

So one last question, what does the Jumper Pack do?

Nothing really. Right?

[bassmasta]

It contains terminating resistors for the RAM.

Little more info about how it works here.

[Haunted360]

Ah, I was wondering what they where for

Thank you very much Eagle and Bassmasta! N64 LEGENDS