N00b Question

[beastlyballer33]

This is my first time working on a portable of any kind. Do I need to buy a Dremel tool to remove the ports of the N64?

 

[J.D]

Erm...no.

 

[beastlyballer33]

so can I just break them off?

 

[snowpenguin]

Bad idea, you could damage the motherboard.

You can dremel them off if you want.

Or you can do it right and desolder them.

 

[Seren]

yeah I was getting frustrated today and just tried to manhandle the power port off and ended up scratching off some sort of component right next to the power, bricking the system... don't go that route

 

[Basement_Modder]

It was likely a fuse. Those aren't needed. I'll draw an alternate power diagram.

 

[Mako321]

yeah I was getting frustrated today and just tried to manhandle the power port off and ended up scratching off some sort of component right next to the power, bricking the system... don't go that route

Yeah, get a picture for us.
One good way of manhandling it is by using flathead ladyfingers (heh) and lifting up the port, and/or finding a seam in the thing and ripping it apart.(at least with the exp port and a/v out)

 

[Basement_Modder]

How 'bout this:

Remove the power switch from the system. Instead of bridging it like normal, look at the solder spots. They are labeled with numbers. Find pin 6 and pin 7. Connect 7.4v to pin 7, and 3.3v to pin 6. Connect GND to any GND spot, like the strips on the side or the 7805, or the place where the support posts for the power switch were. Enjoy.

This method was used in the sixtyfree lite-r:

(the 3 black wires at the top right. They are 3.3v, 7.4v, GND in sequence from top to bottom.)

 

[XCVG]

Desoldering is actually a bad idea in many cases. Not only is it slow, but a bad desoldering job can leave ripped traces and destroyed pads. I recommend CAREFUL mechanical removal. Usually it involves cutting through part of a housing, removing it, then cutting or breaking off the pins.

 

[snowpenguin]

Maybe you're just really bad at desoldering, then. It only really rips traces if you're an idiot and the traces are really thin.

Get a solder sucker, be it a rubber one or a plastic springloaded one. Desoldering really isn't too slow unless you're doing a LOT of pins.

 

[XCVG]

The problem is that most of the stuff on the N64 has massive pins or is connected to the ground plane, or both. My 25 watt iron isn't enough to heat it, even the 40 watt stations at school do a bad job. And SP, the cartridge slot has 50 pins and is EASILY removed. Fine, go ahead and desolder, nobody's going to stop you.

Argh, I'm in my "be an asshole" mood right now. Need... happy... pills...

 

[Bush]

Don't desolder thick pins, use some heavy wire clippers to cut where you can, then remove the ports. Once removed, cut down the excess metal. I used that method on the controller ports and the power port with no problems. The cart slot and AV port can be removed with some gentle force.