The World's Smallest N64p Worklog!
- Thread starter mymixed
- Start date
hidiosoman
Active Member
If you broke the board after one RCP connection, I really don't think you should try on another board. Keep practicing on the broken board until you RCPing just turns boring, not hard.
Then try it on a new board.
Then try it on a new board.
Atari
Active Member
Protips for a good RCP:
1. Solid 22 gauge wire, while ending up more cluttered in the long run (more individual wires) is pretty much your only option when it comes to an RCP. It is tried and true. bentomo used it in his 64boy, and I've used it on a Rev 5 and 9.
2. Use flux. The boiling of this pasty acidic solution aids in solder flow and will guarantee a good electrochemical bond, given you have the proper amount of solder on the connection and have heated the joint to the proper temperature. Failing to heat properly produces what is called a "cold joint" that is almost guaranteed to break loose. The flux in "rosin core" solder is generally insufficient for RCP use because the flux will boil away long before the solder reaches the small connection. Just remember that while flux is anti-corrosive, it will eat away at your board (it is after all an acid), and you should remove it with a strong alcohol after all of the connections have been made.
3. Wicking the solder under such small conditions is difficult and will most likely result in a bridged connection. If you don't know what solder wicking is, don't worry, because this probably does not apply to you.
4. Do not only tin the tip of your iron, but also the wire. This may sound like a bad idea because the increased amount of solder might potentially bridge connections. This is not the case, however, because the increased inductive properties of the lead will guarantee a hot connection (which is good). To avoid having too much solder on your wire, take some off with your iron.
5. Increased resistance from the thin wire causes potential latency issues. These can be resolved by keeping all of your wires nearly the same length (except the pins on the PIF; those can be a bit longer). I have not done extensive testing on wire length, but don't shoot for too much higher than 4". I did ~3".
And last but not least:
If you are not proficient in soldering, don't bother. Seriously. You'll go through more boards than a rabbit can carrots.
When I get around to it, I'll make a full thread on tried and true techniques to doing a good RCP.
If you have any questions, let me know.
1. Solid 22 gauge wire, while ending up more cluttered in the long run (more individual wires) is pretty much your only option when it comes to an RCP. It is tried and true. bentomo used it in his 64boy, and I've used it on a Rev 5 and 9.
2. Use flux. The boiling of this pasty acidic solution aids in solder flow and will guarantee a good electrochemical bond, given you have the proper amount of solder on the connection and have heated the joint to the proper temperature. Failing to heat properly produces what is called a "cold joint" that is almost guaranteed to break loose. The flux in "rosin core" solder is generally insufficient for RCP use because the flux will boil away long before the solder reaches the small connection. Just remember that while flux is anti-corrosive, it will eat away at your board (it is after all an acid), and you should remove it with a strong alcohol after all of the connections have been made.
3. Wicking the solder under such small conditions is difficult and will most likely result in a bridged connection. If you don't know what solder wicking is, don't worry, because this probably does not apply to you.
4. Do not only tin the tip of your iron, but also the wire. This may sound like a bad idea because the increased amount of solder might potentially bridge connections. This is not the case, however, because the increased inductive properties of the lead will guarantee a hot connection (which is good). To avoid having too much solder on your wire, take some off with your iron.
5. Increased resistance from the thin wire causes potential latency issues. These can be resolved by keeping all of your wires nearly the same length (except the pins on the PIF; those can be a bit longer). I have not done extensive testing on wire length, but don't shoot for too much higher than 4". I did ~3".
And last but not least:
If you are not proficient in soldering, don't bother. Seriously. You'll go through more boards than a rabbit can carrots.
When I get around to it, I'll make a full thread on tried and true techniques to doing a good RCP.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Basement_Modder
He who mods in thy basement.
*Can'tSayThisOnTV* 22 gauge use 30. Wrapping wire is easier to use because its thinner, which is better in this case.
mymixed
Well-Known Member
1: I just ordered 30 gauge kynar wire. IDE is HUGE 
.
2: Flux does help a lot. I used it with this board and it helped a lot when soldering. Also, thanks for the tim on the corrosive flux, thats a good idea, I never thought of it eating my board!
3: I tried wicking the solder off with my sparkfun soldering iron, but couldn't do it. What's a good temperature? What I did do however is run to ratshack and buy some solder wick and use it to un-bridge the connections with my chisel-like tip from harbor freight. It works
! When I could no longer solder to the pins because they had no solder left on them, I just dumped a bunch of solder on it and wicked it off... It worked perfectly(back when my pins weren't bent).
4: I tinned the wire by putting a glob of solder on it and then wicking it off with the iron... It also helped, However the IDE is just way to big.
5: Didn't think of the wire's causing lag... I'll keep the as short as possible. However, since I already had the cart-slot working, I just did one connection at a time. Tested it, If it worked - good. If it didn't - fix it.
Also, I think I'm proficient in soldering... I've done a lot of it. I mean I had the RCP going good for a long time, but I peeled a trace and it all went downhill from there... Which leads me to the question, what temperature should I be soldering this at?
Anyway, Thanks for all of the help! I'm really learning a lot! I mean today I fixed a huge glob of solder on the chip! I could never do that yesterday!
Lastly, Pics:
It looks like the chip is cracked but thats just flux... So is the brown stuff. Also, I think I used to much. It probably just needs the chemical reaction.
This is probably what happened inside of the chip:
- mymixed
P.S. Does anyone have any boards? I would like to get one as soon as possible.
EDIT: The wire should be here in two days.
.2: Flux does help a lot. I used it with this board and it helped a lot when soldering. Also, thanks for the tim on the corrosive flux, thats a good idea, I never thought of it eating my board!
3: I tried wicking the solder off with my sparkfun soldering iron, but couldn't do it. What's a good temperature? What I did do however is run to ratshack and buy some solder wick and use it to un-bridge the connections with my chisel-like tip from harbor freight. It works
! When I could no longer solder to the pins because they had no solder left on them, I just dumped a bunch of solder on it and wicked it off... It worked perfectly(back when my pins weren't bent).4: I tinned the wire by putting a glob of solder on it and then wicking it off with the iron... It also helped, However the IDE is just way to big.
5: Didn't think of the wire's causing lag... I'll keep the as short as possible. However, since I already had the cart-slot working, I just did one connection at a time. Tested it, If it worked - good. If it didn't - fix it
.Also, I think I'm proficient in soldering... I've done a lot of it
. I mean I had the RCP going good for a long time, but I peeled a trace and it all went downhill from there... Which leads me to the question, what temperature should I be soldering this at?Anyway, Thanks for all of the help! I'm really learning a lot! I mean today I fixed a huge glob of solder on the chip! I could never do that yesterday
!Lastly, Pics:
It looks like the chip is cracked but thats just flux... So is the brown stuff. Also, I think I used to much. It probably just needs the chemical reaction.
This is probably what happened inside of the chip
:
- mymixed
P.S. Does anyone have any boards? I would like to get one as soon as possible.
EDIT: The wire should be here in two days.
mymixed
Well-Known Member
Ok, I got a rev 7 board and some kynar wire. Now all I have to do is solder to cartslot. I soldered to the RCP, CPU, and the PIF. FLUX FOR THE WIN.
RCP:
PIF:
CPU:
Now I'm going to wire to the cart slot. Any suggestions?
- mymixed
Also, how do you get flux off of your fingers?.
EDIT: Use a brass sponge. Works great.
RCP:
PIF:
CPU:
Now I'm going to wire to the cart slot. Any suggestions?
- mymixed
Also, how do you get flux off of your fingers?
.EDIT: Use a brass sponge. Works great.
