F64 build log
- Thread starter EnterTheHatrix
- Start date
EnterTheHatrix
Member
No I had it in storage. I moved house.Pally321 said:
EnterTheHatrix
Member
I don't want it to look like I've abandoned this (I'm working on something pretty big, you guys will see it soon enough) but for now, it's on hold.
Oh, and yes, the board was indeed fu-fried. I'm actually in the process of dissecting it and finding out why.
Anyone know why static kills some boards? Does it kill the ICs, or is it something unknown as of now? Because if its unknown I might be able to find a solution.
Oh, and yes, the board was indeed fu-fried. I'm actually in the process of dissecting it and finding out why.
Anyone know why static kills some boards? Does it kill the ICs, or is it something unknown as of now? Because if its unknown I might be able to find a solution.
XCVG
ModRetro Legend
Static almost never kills an N64. That myth was debunked ages ago. It can take quite a bit of physical abuse as well. No, the most common reason is bridged 3.3v-12v lines, followed by bad slot relocation. Sometimes crap gets in between the pins of the chips and if it is conductive, can fry your N64 (but doesn't always do so, though it will keep it from working until fixed). I'd say those pins that got cut through are your problem.
EnterTheHatrix
Member
Yeah I assumed as much.XCVG said:
Just for a bit of information, I've started designing a board for N64 currently 66mm x 63mm. The chips sit back to back on either side and has a row of pins at the top for the connector (in sequence, 1 - 50, solderable from both sides is how I'd like it if possible)
No built in controller or anything, I don't want to complicate things this early on. The complexity of the design so far means I'm probably going to have to have this sent to a specialist to have it manufactured. Needless to say, this would expensive, especially if it doesn't work. I'm guessing about 500 holes will need drilling, if not more.
EnterTheHatrix
Member
Yeah, the only reason I went with it was because it was a smaller physical size, but it makes the board itself thicker. It would be about 19mm thick. That makes it potentially small enough to fit inside a regular N64 controller (perhaps with a few modifications to the controller itself, not that anyone would really need to have it in there, and this is also excluding the expansion / jumper pak and cartridge slot and 2,3,4 ports) Side by side, it doesn't look like a massive amount of space can be saved, so the only real benefit to it would be a built in controller, and easier soldering points for the cartridge. The question is, is it worth the trouble?
XCVG
ModRetro Legend
Actually, it might be worth the trouble. The biggest frustration here is with the jumper/expansion pak. If you put in two of the bigger RAM chips and integrate the jumper pak circuitry, then we're all good. You could potentially save a lot of thickness that way without doing tiny soldering. However, the tiny soldering is probably easier unless you build a lot of boards. I like the back to back chip idea, but yeah, heatsinking and thickness. It's a tradeoff of thickness vs area, I guess.
EnterTheHatrix
Member
The capacitors I've specified are the same as the ones on the N64 (height of them will depend, I could buy new ones but I was just planning on using the existing ones, which aren't any higher than the chip + heatsink)
I had planned to put most of them on the opposite side to the memory, but on reflection it might be a bad idea as far as heat is concerned.
For portable purposes, I could incorporate the shape of the portable in to the PCB, including a protection and recharge circuit for the batteries, as well as a built in controller, memory card port and space for the screen to go in the middle, and a mini-USB port for plugging in an adapter for players 2, 3 and 4. In mass production it could be quite cheap. I could get the board pre-populated with all the caps, resistors, etc, then it would just be a case of the buyer removing their chips and soldering them in place.
Another possibility that I'm actually looking into at the moment is dedicated graphics. The DAC converts signals so they can use composite video (as you know). There could be a possibility for using digital screens for better picture, lower power and reduced size. I'm looking at the PSP screen at the moment. If I'm quite honest, I could do with some pinouts for the N64 (PAL) so I can check some of this stuff out on a more serious note. Potentially, you could have an N64 the same size of as PSP with a PSP screen, PSP thumbstick perhaps too, maybe even PSP battery if the power consumption is low enough.
I had planned to put most of them on the opposite side to the memory, but on reflection it might be a bad idea as far as heat is concerned.
For portable purposes, I could incorporate the shape of the portable in to the PCB, including a protection and recharge circuit for the batteries, as well as a built in controller, memory card port and space for the screen to go in the middle, and a mini-USB port for plugging in an adapter for players 2, 3 and 4. In mass production it could be quite cheap. I could get the board pre-populated with all the caps, resistors, etc, then it would just be a case of the buyer removing their chips and soldering them in place.
Another possibility that I'm actually looking into at the moment is dedicated graphics. The DAC converts signals so they can use composite video (as you know). There could be a possibility for using digital screens for better picture, lower power and reduced size. I'm looking at the PSP screen at the moment. If I'm quite honest, I could do with some pinouts for the N64 (PAL) so I can check some of this stuff out on a more serious note. Potentially, you could have an N64 the same size of as PSP with a PSP screen, PSP thumbstick perhaps too, maybe even PSP battery if the power consumption is low enough.
. A 3.5" screen would be a better basis for measuement.EnterTheHatrix
Member
I did, but I got no response, so I assume he's not interested.
The fact is: there's no guarantee his design works in the first place, and I'm working with a PAL board, there are a lot of differences but about 90% the same in terms of layout. You're right about the PSP screen, it's resolution is only 480x272 if I'm to believe what google tells me. That's not to say it won't work, it would just mean its not outputting full resolution (where only a few games will actually use 640 x 480 anyway, and the majority are 320 x 240) and quite a number of games supported 16:9. Even then, alternatives can be considered, it was just an inexpensive example.
And by reducing power consumption, I actually meant reducing power consumption by using a digital screen which is already LED backlit without the need for converting to analog signal and back, although I'm more than likely going to need a digital - digital converter. The problem is that I need information on the signal the DAC receives, which is information I don't have.
The fact is: there's no guarantee his design works in the first place, and I'm working with a PAL board, there are a lot of differences but about 90% the same in terms of layout. You're right about the PSP screen, it's resolution is only 480x272 if I'm to believe what google tells me. That's not to say it won't work, it would just mean its not outputting full resolution (where only a few games will actually use 640 x 480 anyway, and the majority are 320 x 240) and quite a number of games supported 16:9. Even then, alternatives can be considered, it was just an inexpensive example.
And by reducing power consumption, I actually meant reducing power consumption by using a digital screen which is already LED backlit without the need for converting to analog signal and back, although I'm more than likely going to need a digital - digital converter. The problem is that I need information on the signal the DAC receives, which is information I don't have.
EnterTheHatrix
Member
I just read this page: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2381&start=10
From what I'm to believe, certain lines cause latency problems which basically *Can'tSayThisOnTV*s up the N64. That's something I wasn't counting on and somewhat throws a spanner into the works, since some traces are in fact only 0.5mm long
From what I'm to believe, certain lines cause latency problems which basically *Can'tSayThisOnTV*s up the N64. That's something I wasn't counting on and somewhat throws a spanner into the works, since some traces are in fact only 0.5mm long
EnterTheHatrix
Member
I've got to start again anyway. This seems pretty obvious, but I flipped the one chip both x and y, instead of just x (it ended up being the wrong way around) this of course puts all my tracks in the wrong places.
