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Introduction from Bacteria
Topic Started: May 7 2008, 02:13 AM (772 Views)
bacteria
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Hi, i'm a Portablizer Extraordinaire in the BenHeck forum ( www.benheck.com ).

I am currently making a portable to incorporate a large variety of console systems and similar, about a dozen in total as removable units. I have made an N64 portable before, this one is special. Once it is working on the first of the systems and I have created my own website to show my how-to-make-it guides, I will post here - it is N64; second will be SNES.

Bacteria
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Hi and welcome to N64 Forever. That's a very interesting project you're working on. We've followed the progress on other N64 portables here, I think there's a few different topics covering them. Check out the N64 section for more details.

I'm quite intereted in hearing about the practicalities of how you make the systems portable. Did you look to address N64-related issues such as the durability of the analogue stick? I look forward to seeing your website, Ben's has been very interesting. :)
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Rapueda (retired)
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Welcome! :)
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bacteria
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Thanks guys!

alxbly - I am making this system portable by using 7.4v li-ion camcorder cells. Although the N64 needs 12v it actually takes 7v+ happily (most modders on BenHeck use 7.2v), and a TI step-down regulator for the 3v line. This therefore makes it a good system to make as a portable.

The official N64 controllers use their own type of joystick (works like a mouse) and you are stuck with them; quality is poor. The alternative is to use third party N64 controllers, you can then either use their (thick) joystick assemblies, or use a standard, and far smaller, joystick from a GameCube, or PSone, or Xbox, or whatever. These joysticks are far better to use than the official ones, made better, easily changed if they ever fail and very slim and small.

Fortunately, game controllers are very cheap these days: I get most of mine from car boot sales, can buy controllers (PC, GameCube, N64, PSone) for anything from 20p - £1 typically (I live in the UK, so about 40c - $2 USD). Consoles, I can pay on a good day £3 or £4 for a system like a PSone, or N64, or £5 for a SNES (is lucky, got 2 at this price last week), also got 14 games and an SMS with two controllers for £10 too! Anyway, the point of this is that it is very cheap to buy and mod old consoles, it is the screen which is expensive (£25-£38). My system is only using one screen for all consoles and one set of batteries, so this reduces the cost VERY considerably.

I have had to cannibalise various controllers for my project: 2 x GameCube for the joystick raised hex areas and also two joysticks, Hyper N64 for the switch areas to control the PSone screen, SuperPad for some nice flat buttons and the N64 controller mobo, old PC gamepad for the 4 button input and hacked mobo. Still, who cares, very cheap!

I am making my casing again as my first version had cross-talk and interference with the wiring and also the system half didn't connect securely enough to the screen and interface section. This one solves that. I only have to move the electronics from my old project to this one to get the N64 running (Joytech rumble/memory pack, expansion pack, etc).
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I also live in the UK. The reason I was asking about control sticks is that I've tested out a lot of N64 controllers for N64 Forever's partner site, N64 Answers. You can see the reviews here:

http://z6.invisionfree.com/N64_Answers/index.php?showtopic=5

Some of the third party control sticks are terrible but there's also some really good ones out there. Do you know if it's relatively easy to make a Gamecube control stick work with a N64? I'm pretty ignorant of electronics but I'd sometimes thought about whether it would be possible to make some kind of wireless controller for the N64 from a Wavebird and a N64 controller.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing your new project and your website. Be sure to keep us up to date with progress. :)
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bacteria
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Yes, I have been using a GameCube joystick on my N64 mobo. I have posted a screenshot of how to connect (in pic is a GameCube joystick), taken from one of my projects (I took the photo). You basically have four wires connected on the six pins of a joystick.

2 are ground (easy to find as they share common ground)
2 are VCC data - they are on the opposite ends to the grounds
1 is H (horizontal)
1 is V (vertical) - both the H and V are the centre connectors on the joystick

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Thanks for the referral to your other site, I will have a look on it; I will also post a topic in the BenHeck forum to link to it, many people there like to hack unofficial N64 controllers, so will be interested.
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Gaming Freak
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Greetings.
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xconspirisist
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bacteria, hey there. Some of your work looks great! I starting to build small robots myself and I've only a very elementary knowledge of electronics. I am particularly interested in the camcorder batteries you use - how long can you play on those batteries? Also, do you have any more specs on how you interface them with you mobo?
http://www.xconspirisist.co.uk | http://www.technowax.net
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bacteria
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xconspirisist - Thanks! My electronics knowledge (what I have) is purely from my interest in console modding and hacking. Before this project I was trying NiMH batteries but they are of little use; batteries drain as soon as they have charged (by about 30% in a week, without any use), then don't have power enough to drive a console system for long :-/ This is my first time with camcorder batteries; I have two 7.4v cells in parallel, 4400mAh each.

Once I have finished my project I will leave a basic game like Mario 64 running until the cells die, then something intensive, like Donkey Kong 64; to see if there is a difference.

Someone on the BenHeck forum calculated that I should get about five and a half hours use running my system with an N64 on these camcorder batteries before recharge. That is fine - I have two sets of these cells!

On my case, MK1, I made a slide for the batteries, on my MK2 (present one) I will be experimenting with a different way to connect them to my system.
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stinger9142
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Endure and survive...
welcome :D

thats cool what you do
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bacteria
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Thanks.

I am hoping that lots of guys here will like my system when it is completed. It is far more fun playing an N64 as a portable play-anywhere system, than having a mass of wiring in the lounge!

I am hoping in the next week to have this part of my project completed, I can then spend a while getting a website up and running to show it off.
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