Expansion Pak & Jumper Pak Guide

Welcome to Nintendo 64 Forever. We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Expansion Pak & Jumper Pak Guide
Topic Started: Jan 26 2009, 05:01 PM (184 Views)
alxbly	Jan 26 2009, 05:01 PM Post #1
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Expansion Pak & Jumper Pak Guide This guide will help you: Decide which type of RAM pak you require; an Expansion Pak or a Jumper Pak. Identify if your Nintendo 64 is fitted with an Expansion Pak or a Jumper Pak, or if there is no RAM pack in the console. Remove or insert an Expansion Pak or a Jumper Pak. Deciding between an Expansion Pak or a Jumper Pak. The official Expansion Pak, made by Nintendo. Expansion Pak and Jumper Pak are the official names given to the two types of RAM packs used in the Nintendo 64. All Nintendo 64's sold were fitted with a Jumper Pak, which is used to ensure that the Nintendo 64 can access it's internal RAM memory. It offers no additional features to your Nintendo 64, other than allowing it to function. The Expansion Pak is designed to replace the Jumper Pak and gives the Nintendo 64 an extra 4MB of RAM memory to play with. This is used mainly to enhance graphics but can also be used for games to run at a higher framerate. If you are buying a used Nintendo 64 it's always wise to check that the console has some form of RAM pack fitted because a Nintendo 64 that doesn't have a RAM pack simply won't work. Okay... so which one do you need? Well, this depends mainly on the games you are playing and how much you are willing to spend. Jumper Paks should be fitted as standard, but expect to pay roughly $3-$7 (US) or Ł2-Ł5 on eBay, excluding any charge for shipping/postage. Because they have such a low value (and also because nearly every N64 has one), it's unlikely that videogames stores will stock them but it may be worthwhile trying pawn/thrift stores. The Jumper Pak. Expansion Paks are more expensive, but are still in plentiful supply online. Official Nintendo Expansion Paks on eBay fetch between $6-$15 (US) or Ł8-Ł20, excluding charges for shipping/postage. Videogames stores are much more likely to stock Expansion Paks than Jumper Paks, but this will vary between stores. In store prices tend to be in excess of what you could expect to pay on eBay, although there are exceptions. Nintendo's online US Store used to stock brand new Expansion Paks which you could buy for $29.95, provided you live in the US or Canada, however, they no longer appear to have any Expansion Paks in stock. Only two Nintendo 64 games actually NEED the Expansion Pak, and three games use the Expansion Pak to unlock significant features: Donkey Kong 64 - the Expansion Pak is required to play this game. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - the Expansion Pak is required to play this game. Perfect Dark - playing the single player story mode requires the Expansion Pak, as do a lot of multiplayer features. Only about 40% of the game is playable without the Expansion Pak. Starcraft 64 - the Expansion Pak unlocks the Brood Wars expansion, which is 26 levels in total. San Fransisco Rush 2049 - without the Expansion Pak you cannot unlock Track 6 and the Advanced Circuit. If you try to play a game which requires the Expansion Pak without having it installed, then this message will display on your console: There are many more games that use the Expansion Pak for high resolution graphics. This feature works better on some games than others; some suffer from horribly slow framerates whilst in high resolution. All N64 games are compatible with the Expansion Pak (meaning you won't need to remove it when playing a game that doesn't use the pak). However, in the US version of "Space Station Silicon Valley" using the Expansion Pak can cause the game to freeze at start-up. European versions of the game aren't affected by this glitch and the US version of the game is the only game that I'm aware of that suffers from any kind of compatibilty problem. Most games that use the Expansion Pak will display a message on starting up "Expansion Pak detected" or something similar. Many games also have the Expansion Pak logo on their packaging: Wikipedia have a list of some of the games that use the Expansion Pak for graphical upgrades. Now that you know what the Expansion Pak is used for, it's up to you to decide if it's worth spending money on. The vast majority of N64 games will work without the Expansion Pak, but those games that do use it are amonst the best on the N64.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 26 2009, 05:05 PM Post #2
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Identify what type of RAM pak is in your console. The first step is to remove the expansion bay cover. This is located just forward from the cartridge slot on the N64 and is marked “MEMORY EXPANSION”. Empty expansion bay. If the Memory Expansion bay appears to be empty and you can see metal connections at the bottom, then your N64 has no RAM pak and will not function until either a Jumper Pak or an Expansion Pak is fitted. Jumper Pak and sticker. If your N64 has never had an Expansion Pak fitted, it is likely that the Jumper pak and it’s warning sticker will be the sight that greets you when you remove the Memory Expansion cover. A close up of the sticker is shown here. Please note that this is a European sticker and the US sticker’s design may be different. Jumper Pak with sticker removed. It may be that the jumper pak sticker has been removed; this is necessary for an expansion pak to be installed. If an expansion pak has been fitted it should be easy to distinguish. Most (if not all) Expansion paks have a large overhanging top, which means part of the N64’s casing within the expansion bay is obscured. The part of the N64’s casing that is normally hidden from view when an expansion pak is fitted is outlined above. This is one way to identify a third party expansion pak, regardless of it’s color. Some third party expansion paks actually replace the Memory Expansion cover, as shown in this example. The final way to identify an expansion pak is by the text on it. Most expansion paks will have some text on the front or rear of them, but this will only be visible when you remove the expansion pak from the console. Third party expansion paks have a variety of different names, including; RAM pack, booster pack, expander pak, RAM expander, etc. Front of an official Nintendo Expansion Pak. Rear of an official Nintendo Expansion Pak. Rear of a Jumper Pak.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 26 2009, 05:18 PM Post #3
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Insert or remove a Jumper Pak or Expansion Pak. Inserting or removing either kind of RAM pak is incredibly simple, it's just a case of having the right tool for the job. Nintendo packaged a jumper pak removal tool with official Nintendo expansion paks and games that were bundled with the expansion pak (Donkey Kong 64, for example). However, these were small and easily lost or broken so a good alternative is the handle of a spoon/knife/fork/teaspoon. The handle has to be relatively flat otherwise it won't fit. Other alternatives include the blade of a knife, a flat headed screwdriver, etc, basically anything that's flat, strong and the right size to fit into the N64. Front and back of Nintendo Jumper Pak removal tool. Nintendo's instruction manual describes how to remove the expansion pak and install the expansion pak: Click to enlarge images: If you are using any other kind of instrument to remove a jumper or expansion pak, it's still relatively easy. The photos below demonstate how to remove a pak with a teaspoon handle, and it's the same process regardless of what you're using. Firstly, make sure the N64 is switched off and, for added security, unplug it from the electrical socket. Remove the Memory Expansion cover and insert the handle (or whatever type of instrument you're using) into the small slot on the jumper pak. You can see this slot here: Now apply force to other end of the instrument, pressing down to lever the jumper pak from the console. Teaspoon handle inserted into the jumper pak. Removing the expansion pak is much the same, except there isn't a slot in the expansion pak to insert the instrument you are using. Instead you hook it under a small protruding piece of plastic, as shown here: Inserting a jumper or expansion pak is even easier. Remove the Memory Expansion cover, ensure the pak is facing the right direction (the heat grill on the rear of the pack should be facing the cartridge slot), then press it firmly into the place. Teaspoon handle being used to remove an expansion pak.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


« Previous Topic · Nintendo 64 Guides and FAQs · Next Topic »