F64 build log

[EnterTheHatrix]

Hi guys.

I don't do many N64 jobs, but this one is for me. (I might be persuaded to sell in the future)

I decided to reconstruct the N64 to make it front loading. This isn't a portable, it's just a custom N64, so nothing that special. To do this, I completely hacked apart the N64 casing and started to remount it.

One of my things is that I do frankencases (not crappy, but, very well built frankencases), if not, I will completely rebuild the cases from scratch entirely. I don't buy project cases or anything or vacuum form. For me the challenge and pride is in the final look, not the size (if they want a small system from me, they pay more money, simple)

Anyway,Photos so far...

Day one, you get the idea...

Day two, I start constructing the base and the back of the case. Looking ugly so far...

Day 3, I finish the base and part of the back.

Day 4, I did more work to the back, hopefully you can see it coming together nicely now.

At this point the whole project was put on hold because I had to build a few client ordered portable gamecubes. *** I removed this section of text because it's going to make people ask questions about my gamecubes. Keep on topic with my N64 please ***

Now, the first thing I need to do really is slim down the N64 board to get a nicer height to it, ideally no higher than it currently is. Given I've already put the expansion pack down at the bottom, the board has pretty much got to stay there, which means I have to shave off some of the top around the connectors. I've given RCP wiring some consideration but my only real question is whether or not that alone would reduce the height to what I need, given the expansion port needs to stay where it is.

Suggestions?


EDIT: There was also a day 5, but you can see why I was hesitant to publish it. I toyed with the idea of not modifying the N64 board at all, but what do you think, a bit too tall?

Yes, a lot.

 

[Jidan]

Wow, it seems to be coming together very nicely. That's an interesting twist that I don't think anyone's done. I like it

I'm also interested in seeing some pictures of those Gamecube portables

 

[EnterTheHatrix]

Wow, it seems to be coming together very nicely. That's an interesting twist that I don't think anyone's done. I like it

I'm also interested in seeing some pictures of those Gamecube portables

I have client confidentiality. I don't publish their portable unless they say I can. Very few say I can unfortunately.

Still, if I ever see one of mine on the net and someone else claims to have made it, you can bet your ass I'm going to jump out with progress pictures, etc to say I really made it. Not that anyone could, I generally stamp each portable I make with the name of my website and website address somewhere so any photos that get online will give me instant publicity.

I just finished a portable which I know for a fact is going to be getting published online in about a month because of the agreement I had with the the client, but I can't release any photos or details of it until it goes live. It's probably going to be the strangest thing you guys will have ever seen in your lives but he asked for it to be like that. More details about that though when it does get published.

As I said though, I'm beginning to wind down the whole handheld thing.

EDIT: Removed some text because this is about my N64, not about my experience and I can see myself opening a can of worms.

 

[J.D]

Why so secretive?

 

[EnterTheHatrix]

Why so secretive?

I'm in the view that if I own it, I can do what I want with it. If it's not mine (and anything that is designed and built for a paying client would technically not belong to me) it would be up to them to decide whether it gets published or not. Certainly, I'm going to take credit for the construction of the portable if they try and pass it off as their own, purely because I'd find that pretty flaxty. I mean, I only really have my published work and word of mouth to get my clients.

I've got no problem showing you half finished ones from people who cancelled half way through though, as they now technically belong to me, but being only half finished I don't really feel that they're worth showing. If you guys want to see them though, I'll start another topic. This isn't really the place.

 

[zeturi]

Okay, well, would you mind linking to the screen you used? Because tbh, I don't think that there is any screen and wii combo that could have a draw like that.

That said, I think your frankencase is gonna be interesting. What color are you gonna paint it?

 

[EnterTheHatrix]

Okay, well, would you mind linking to the screen you used? Because tbh, I don't think that there is any screen and wii combo that could have a draw like that.

That said, I think your frankencase is gonna be interesting. What color are you gonna paint it?

The 17" screen I used was an old BenQ VGA monitor (the backlight blew out so I replaced them with LEDs) I then wired up the daughter board which only requires 12v, 5v and 3.3v and managed to get that working by itself without the giant board needed to power the backlight.

Take away the backlight and it draws pretty little power by itself. I should note that it was 40 minutes idle for the combo. Has I been playing it would have been a lot less.


Edit: By the way, Paint it the original matt grey if I can find a near match.

 

[clarky]

Interesting!

Any chance of some pics from a side angle?

 

[XCVG]

First, the "confidentiality" thing is the stupidest thing I've heard all day (admittedly it's early in the day). You can post pictures; you built it! That's like a supermarket not taking pictures of their product because someone bought it a day later. Or a car dealership not showing off a car because someone has pre-purchased one.

Anyway, has it occured to you to lay the board down flat?

Yeah, I know I ranted, but I'm in a bad "pissed off at the world" mood again.

 

[βeta]

If you relocated the cart slot, you could have a system with a 4"x6" base that was only about 1.5" thick. I think you should scrap your (totally awesome bondo work) and start over like that.

 

[EnterTheHatrix]

First, the "confidentiality" thing is the stupidest thing I've heard all day (admittedly it's early in the day). You can post pictures; you built it! That's like a supermarket not taking pictures of their product because someone bought it a day later. Or a car dealership not showing off a car because someone has pre-purchased one.

Anyway, has it occured to you to lay the board down flat?

Yeah, I know I ranted, but I'm in a bad "pissed off at the world" mood again.

Firstly, If you're in a mood, please feel free to piss off until you're in a better mood. Secondly, stupid? Not at all. I had some of my early projects that I did not want published on the internet, published on the internet because of some retard friend who leaked the photos out to another friend who owned a video games site. I got a lot of flax for it because it was some early work and I built it for me, not for the public. Had it been my choice, I would much rather those projects never making it to the internet. Quite honestly, there's a fair few of my portable gamecubes that I made that I detest and even if it were my decision, I still wouldn't put photos online. Why? I build them to client specifications and a lot of the choices they make I seriously disagreed with. Some people want the original gamecube lid on, and I personally can't stand that design, but they want it because my published work had exactly that (and probably because my labour charge is lower on basic portables) Obviously, it's never nice to have something you've worked hard on criticised, and I don't want any of my clients to feel they've walked off with something that they were originally happy with, but then not, just because the internet has an opinion.

Let me worry about my business practices, and you worry about your own. They seem to be working so far, as I've made an OK living out of it and I've had to turn down work quite frequently. If I advertised or something I wouldn't be able to keep up with the workload or emails / PM's I get about building them, so my situation suits me fine. Considering I've only just managed to get back to this project after over a year shows that I've had a pretty busy year.

To answer your question about lying the board down flat, I could have, but I don't feel it would have had the same kind of impact as this design has. I actually sent ShockSlayer a PM about working together on a prototype custom motherboard for the N64 but he pointed me in kibbles direction with his work. I'm not convinced of kibbles work since there's no proof it works, so I think if I went down this route I'd like to start from scratch. I tried building a gamecube but that proved WAY too complex to get working at all (BGA sucks). In fact, that was partly the reason I decided to pick back up on this project.

 

[hailrazer]

LOL at this thread..... Confidentiality.... Yea OK.

 

[EnterTheHatrix]

LOL at this thread..... Confidentiality.... Yea OK.

I take it you've never heard of me before today and as a result are sceptical that I've even made a single portable in my life.

 

[neverused]

LOL at this thread..... Confidentiality.... Yea OK.

I take it you've never heard of me before today and as a result are skeptical that I've even made a single portable in my life.

You haven't produced one yet or shown any evidence of such.

 

[hailrazer]

LOL at this thread..... Confidentiality.... Yea OK.

I take it you've never heard of me before today and as a result are sceptical that I've even made a single portable in my life.

No I have ssen the Gamecube Portable you made in 2006.

But you're confidentiality line is just that a line.

It is quite obvious you can make a portable. It is also quite obvious they were basic portables with average to low quality craftsmanship. that is why you don't want to show them. Not a problem but just come out and say it.

This is the line that proves it.

Obviously, it's never nice to have something you've worked hard on criticised, and I don't want any of my clients to feel they've walked off with something that they were originally happy with, but then not, just because the internet has an opinion.

You wanted to sell portables but since they weren't quite "top quality" you felt that letting others see them would get you less business because they would be criticized.

I get it, but like I said just come out and say it ans stop representing yourself like you are Soooo sought after and just can't keep up with the workload and have such "elite" clientele who don't want the work published. It's coming across rather badly for you, can't you tell ?

But anyway this thread is not about your previous portables but the new N64 mod, sorry I have de-railed it.

 

[EnterTheHatrix]

LOL at this thread..... Confidentiality.... Yea OK.

I take it you've never heard of me before today and as a result are sceptical that I've even made a single portable in my life.

No I have ssen the Gamecube Portable you made in 2006.

But you're confidentiality line is just that a line.

It is quite obvious you can make a portable. It is also quite obvious they were basic portables with average to low quality craftsmanship. that is why you don't want to show them. Not a problem but just come out and say it.

This is the line that proves it.

Obviously, it's never nice to have something you've worked hard on criticised, and I don't want any of my clients to feel they've walked off with something that they were originally happy with, but then not, just because the internet has an opinion.

You wanted to sell portables but since they weren't quite "top quality" you felt that letting others see them would get you less business because they would be criticized.

I get it, but like I said just come out and say it ans stop representing yourself like you are Soooo sought after and just can't keep up with the workload and have such "elite" clientele who don't want the work published. It's coming across rather badly for you, can't you tell ?

But anyway this thread is not about your previous portables but the new N64 mod, sorry I have de-railed it.

*Can'tSayThisOnTV* it. You guys really know how to make someone feel welcome.

No, in all honesty you're right. About 90% of the portable gamecubes I've built have been for kids with a budget of £200 or less. I'm almost sure nobody here would seriously build and sell a portable gamecube for such a small amount. They get exactly what they pay for and I just make my margin, but I do not scrimp on the quality that I put in to my work. I can honestly say I haven't sent a portable out that has looked like a bag of flax, and that each case has been professionally constructed around the materials that I've been given and the design they have specified.

If I didn't work hard, I'd sure as *Can'tSayThisOnTV* have sold more than 13 portable gamecubes since 2006. When you work out how long I spent on each portable, that's about 3 months for each build. I'm pretty sure each person here has knocked out portables faster than that.

Lets just get your facts right. I don't sell portable gamecubes. What's the point in making something worth £500 when the only thing you're going to get offered is £200? The fact that some people here are delusional enough to think they're going to be able to churn out portables all day and get a high price for it is just laughable, especially when 99% of the people who enquire barely have a penny to spend on the portables in the first place. They get exactly what they pay for.

That's a choice I leave entirely up to the client. I don't build pieces of flax that I can't sell.

 

[ShockSlayer]

I'm considering issuing warnings to some of you because this is repeated thread derailing. If I see this continue we can skip that step and go straight to bans, mkay?

---

I like how this looks! A frontloading n64 would be awesome, and stylish too!

SS

 

[EnterTheHatrix]

LOL at this thread..... Confidentiality.... Yea OK.

I take it you've never heard of me before today and as a result are sceptical that I've even made a single portable in my life.

You haven't produced one yet or shown any evidence of such.

Why did you change the spelling of sceptical? I'm from the UK... Sceptical is how it's spelt here. Are you going to moan about how I spell colour, or neighbour?

For evidence have a rummage around the gamecube section on benheck forums. Theres some photos lying around there somewhere.

 

[zeturi]

Dude, I remember you. You had that Daxter matrix avatar at benheck. Oh yeah, please don't leave. Or at least, lemme see the finished product first. Are you going to bondo over the expansion cover or leave it upgradable?

 

[T-Berg]

Give the guy a break. I think its great to see something different. New ideas spawn new inspiration. I would very much see where this is going