Idea: N64 controller with BUILT IN rumble pak

[N644ever]

I realize no one has posted here in over a year, but I completed this modification. This was no simple task. It involved a lot of careful dremeling to get the two rumble motors to fit in to the controller, as well as demeling other areas of the controller to get the rumble pak circuit board to fit. I had to shave areas of the circuit board off as well to allow it to fit in the controller. I used the mod talked about in this forum(http://s9.zetaboards.com/Nintendo_64_Fo ... 7348160/1/) to allow the rumble pak to function without batteries. I did not use the resistor to bridge the two pins. I instead replaced it with a switch (provides small resistance), which allows me to cut the rumbling on and off. I don't have a proper scale for weighing the controller, but for reference the weight is close to the weight of an xbox 360 controller. You can see all the pictures I have here: https://imageshack.com/user/kef0017/a/kFLF

[Ziggy]

Yeah, 99% of my ideas never reach the actual building phase. My last post in this thread was late 2011, and I haven't thought about this mod since. I'd still really like to have a controller with built in rumble, but like most of my projects it went to the back burner and stayed there while life passed by.

It's awesome to hear that some one actually done it though! I remember when I posted this thread, I couldn't find a single example on the web of some one doing it or even talking about it. Glad to see that some one tackled this.

I'd love to see pics of it, but none of the image links you posted seem to work.

[N644ever]

Sorry about that. I posted the wrong link, and i'm not sure why the previews don't work. I updated my post. The new link should allow you to view them.

[Ziggy]

Man, that looks awesome! And definitely something I'll probably never have the time to do for myself.

I see you got one of them "Gamecube-like" joysticks in there too. It must be your go-to N64 controller.

So I didn't check out the other link, does the switch just cut the voltage to the Rumble Pak? And memory cards work OK?

Is the rumble sensation better now that the weights are in the prongs rather than extended away from you? I would imagine it's a lot better.

[sevin0seven]

*N64 Forever Forum Member*

welcome to racketboy! (i'm a member of that forum as well^) and great mod on the N64 controller.

[N644ever]

Yea the joystick is a replacement joystick you can buy from ebay or amazon. Since the joysticks have a lag, I installed these great mods that Micro came up with (http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?to ... icseen#new). They are great! I have them on four controllers and my main controller actually has an xbox joystick in it. I'm also currently converting it in to a wireless controller, which is another mod that Micro has provided.

Yes, the switch just cuts the power. Unfortunately, I think both of my memory cards are broken so I haven't been able to test and see if a memory card would work. I'm really curious if it would.

Yes, the rumble sensation feels much better since it is in the grips. Also, the weight makes the controller feel much more durable.

[PhantomAura]

Yea the joystick is a replacement joystick you can buy from ebay or amazon. Since the joysticks have a lag, I installed these great mods that Micro came up with (http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?to ... icseen#new). They are great! I have them on four controllers and my main controller actually has an xbox joystick in it. I'm also currently converting it in to a wireless controller, which is another mod that Micro has provided.

Yes, the switch just cuts the power. Unfortunately, I think both of my memory cards are broken so I haven't been able to test and see if a memory card would work. I'm really curious if it would.

Yes, the rumble sensation feels much better since it is in the grips. Also, the weight makes the controller feel much more durable.

I'm very interested in performing this modification and would love any help I can get. Do you still have the images of your modified controller available? The previously linked album does not work any more. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[bacteria]

The most amperage the console uses is around 1.4 amps if using expansion pack, a bit lower with jumper pack. Using the N64 3.3v line in the controller to power the rumble back should be fine. Some rumble motors can be smaller than others, one of the ones in a Playstation controller is not large for example. If you get a dual rumble / memory card unit then you can switch between the uses however you will need a battery for a memory card as otherwise the game saves will be lost when the console is turned off, however a watch battery (3v) is what is often used and works fine (eg in those memory card only add-ons). Those units don't hold so many game save-states as a dedicated unit however they are adequate especially as some game cartridges have their own game saving anyway. I've never been a great fan of rumble motors; if you want the functionality but not the "buzz" another option is to use an LED that illuminates for rumble functions instead of a rumble motor.

Something else you could do of course is to cut off the part the rumble motor unit goes into the controller and glue on something flat to make the controller less bulky.

[PhantomAura]

The most amperage the console uses is around 1.4 amps if using expansion pack, a bit lower with jumper pack. Using the N64 3.3v line in the controller to power the rumble back should be fine. Some rumble motors can be smaller than others, one of the ones in a Playstation controller is not large for example. If you get a dual rumble / memory card unit then you can switch between the uses however you will need a battery for a memory card as otherwise the game saves will be lost when the console is turned off, however a watch battery (3v) is what is often used and works fine (eg in those memory card only add-ons). Those units don't hold so many game save-states as a dedicated unit however they are adequate especially as some game cartridges have their own game saving anyway. I've never been a great fan of rumble motors; if you want the functionality but not the "buzz" another option is to use an LED that illuminates for rumble functions instead of a rumble motor.

Something else you could do of course is to cut off the part the rumble motor unit goes into the controller and glue on something flat to make the controller less bulky.

Thank you for the help! I did end up completing this mod and made a detailed guide with pictures here: https://www.instructables.com/id/Ninten ... umble-Mod/. Hopefully others who want to attempt this will find this information useful.