Elektix's portable 64 - Updated Pics on Page 3. 02/02/2013

[Elektix]

Evening all,

Myself and friend are looking to build a portable 64 each. Both of us have basic technical background and can tell a capacitor from our ass

Have alot of questions, but trying to research as much as possible on your very informative forum.

But to get me started, and hopefully use this thread as a worklog, we have first revision Pal boards. (NUS - CPU (P) - 01).

Now already know I'm not going to get a nice clean RGB signal like some of you lucky people across the pond, but hopefully should look nice enough on a 5 - 7" screen.

So to my first of probably many questions; trimming a pal board? Any difference to an NTSC board as shown in the many tutorials? Or can I start chopping the board up as pictured?

Many thanks and please be gentle with me

Nick

 

[hailrazer]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Myself and friend are looking to build a portable 64 each. Both of us have basic technical background and can tell a capacitor from our ass

Just remember the capacitor doesn't go in the A$$....... well you get the point.

 

[Majora]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Both of us have basic technical background and can tell a capacitor from our ass

You both share an ass?

 

[Elektix]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Of course. Too expensive for our own one these days.

He gets monday, wednesday and friday. I get tuesday, thursday, saturday. We alternate sundays.

I assume I should be ok with the Pal board then, from what I can see on the revisions page. I will probally relocate the slot tonight, and test the controller hardwired onto the board.

Quick question on trimming the board though, will they really still work with alot of the right side missing as I've seen in the various images? With simply the 3.3v daisy chained across the back? Seems too simple?

Anywho thanks for the warm welcome.

Nick

 

[Elektix]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

So in my stupidity and haste I soldered the slot to the inner holes on the board not the outer ones originally belonging to the expansion slot. . . .

All sorted now, and it loads the cart fine etc.

Next matter.


Trimming the board. I have an early revision pal board, now am I going to be ok trimming the board to the same specs as the guides? I noticed I am missing a chipset towards the right hand side of the board and a couple of larger capacitors?

Assuming this will be ok I will trim the board and fold the card slot 90 degree's to make the smallest possible design.


Many thanks for any advice.

Nick

 

[Elektix]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Also, is there any guide to trimming down an expansion pak? please?

 

[Prog]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

What most people do is pull chips from expansion packs or later boards and he them as RAM chips on an earlier board (IE, yours) and then add a jumper pack (as seen in the megasticky). The expansion paks and later bards se a single 4 MB chip rather than the dual 2 MB chips of the early boards.

 

[hailrazer]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Actually it seems to make more sense to just bend the expansion pak. That makes the expansion pak sit no higher than the cpu/gpu wth vga heatsinks.

http://www.made-by-bacteria.com/forum/v ... =14&t=2396

I didn't take a side shot but basically, the expansion pak sits even with the heatsinks in front of it. The heatsinks on the expansion pak ram snuggles in next to the heatsinks on the ram on the board.

Of course this works best with newer boards with single ram chips not double ones.

 

[Elektix]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Video doesn't work, but that was what I was thinking. Is there any other video? Or can anyone explain the correct way to do it?

As for trimming the pal board, I've decided to only lightly trim the edges. As I can't find any info on anything different about it.

Note for others with PAL boards, I wired the video directly to one of the test points just down from the av port. Won't allow you to get a massive trim on your board, but it works a treat as we don't have the U5 chip on the early boards.

 

[hailrazer]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Video doesn't work, but that was what I was thinking. Is there any other video? Or can anyone explain the correct way to do it?

I linked to a guide not a video. And the link to the guide is working fine.

 

[superben51]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

You might want to check again there hail, I'm only getting a "video is unavailable" thing on youtube.

 

[Prog]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Turn off your word censor!

 

[hailrazer]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Turn off your word censor!

Oh yea, sorry I forget about what happens when you link to certain other sites.

Sorry bout that. Umm well I guess turn off the word filter or try to find it on your own ????

 

[Elektix]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Well it looks as if the first N64 might be dead. I tried to relocate the expansion slot, and in the process, 4 pins came out of the port.

I tried to reinsert them, by inserting the jumper pack then gently pushing them back in so they self locate.

I am unable to tell whether its the port thats knackered, or just my not so good surface mount soldering skills. . . ..


Either way.

N64 no.2 has been ripped apart, and the catridge slot location is being a pig. I've done it in reverse to try and put the catridge on the back. But, this time I removed all the original solder from the board, thinking it would save me time.

Appears not, I cannot get the solder to flow nicely into the holes and attach the cable nicely to the board. So, lots of heat, fitting, and hot glue seems to be the way forward.. . .

 

[Elektix]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Well, thought I'd update and include some pics.

So far the first attempt died and had a few short falls. She died so I could make a better one.

Problems included, cables too short. And were replaced twice. Expansion port relocation failed miserable. And well, it just wasn't a great first attempt.

Then there's the one I replaced it with. Went to buy a PS one screen 50 miles away and started pulling it all apart.

Did all the necessary soldering etc and well this was the final result.

This time, I'm going to bend the expansion pack not the port. And have wired the cart slot onto the back, so it looks better and should save a little space.

I will trim the board around the edges, although nothing major is needed as I think I can make this quite a good size with just some planning.

Although any advice on trimming the PS one screen any smaller would be greatly appreciated!!

I've trimmed the bottom a few mm. And I'm removing the transformer from the top as I have now done the LED mod. But if I can get the bottom of the board smaller, I can make the whole thing look alot better. And hopefully similar to Sifuf's design.

Here's a pick of the LED mod. Note, there is barely any bright spots! Its is very clean an uniform, with 4 leds.

Thats it for now, but I will start trimming the boards today and hopefully designing the case.


Nick

 

[Elektix]

Re: Newbie looking to build a portable 64.

Todays bits,

Trimmed the boards down a bit.

And made myself a mould for the case.

Thoughts people?

Nick

 

[gman]

Re: Elektix's portable 64 - Updated Pics on Page 2

I;s hard to tell from the pic of the n64. But it looks like you soldered to the inside pins. You are suppost to solder to the outside pins. The inside pins arent connected to anything.

 

[hailrazer]

Re: Elektix's portable 64 - Updated Pics on Page 2

Probably pushed them through the holes and soldered them to the outside pins on the other side.

I used to do that. Less chance of wires touching.

 

[Elektix]

Re: Elektix's portable 64 - Updated Pics on Page 2

Nope, Bugman was correct. That was day one. Genesis.

Complete tit I am, I soldered the inner pins.

I then (on the same board) corrected my mistake. And ended up messing up the expansion pak relocation.

So I quit the first and made the second, which is the one you can see working. If only I could trim the boards down a little more in height, it would be the same size as Sifuf's design, but with batteries!

Either way, I'm relatively pleased with it, and it seems portable enough. Now if I can make it look profesional enough it should look very nice. . . .

Nick

 

[Elektix]

Re: Elektix's portable 64 - Updated Pics on Page 2

Update.

Case front, not my best work but came out reasonable well.

Thoughts on design anyone?

Thanks

Nick