My last N64 commission, quite likely

[bacteria]

Hello friends! It's been a LONG time since I frequented the forum.

What's happened (for those who are still here and remember ol' Bac):

Moved home in 2015, many different life changes, closed the very popular old Bacman forum in 2016 due to a lot less interest and activity in the site, and modding sites in general, (and the increased keyboard warriors, spammers and drama going on for what I had far less time and inclination to keep resolving). I did what I wanted to achieve in modding and actually barely played console games in the last years so I therefore lost interest in making systems after completing a variety of commissions.

In the last couple of years in real life, I have taken early retirement; my life has changed a lot in recent years, for the better. In fact my core interest now is cooking and baking.

Anyway, I have had various people asking me to do a commission over the recent years and I have turned them all down for various reasons.

I had quite a variety of console boards which I sold as there wasn't much point keeping them, however I kept a couple for stock and also a large box of various modding parts as they have been useful for general projects and also home repairs.

I had recently looked on my old BigBoy Advance system which I made in 2014 and realised I haven't even played it since making it which is a shame as it has a lovely 8" screen. I got an enquiry around this time for an N64 commission and after various and ongoing messages back and forth, have decided to make this one last system as I have all the parts for it and also fancy the N64 last swan song system.

So anyway, the project:

The commission is using the Innovatek 8" screen from the BigBoy Advance project, plus the various parts associated with an N64 portable. I will not include things that aren't needed like TV out, etc however system will have headphone out jack, volume control. The N64 console gets quite hot in a portable so i'm going to use a decent fan exhaust to keep the system as cool as realistically can, complete with steel for the main heatsinking. The system will have removable 18650 lithium cells, the case will be two-tone colour and the system will use an expansion pack to play all N64 games; with memory card to store game-saves on the cartridges that don't do it. may include rumble pack functionality too.

Anyway, spread out a lot of the components, and spare components on my working area; plan is to wire everything up to test it all works then start making a case - I got rid of my vacuum forming table I made years ago so this case will be made angular and symmetrical, with input from the buyer.

Idea of this thread, as with some others I have on this forum, is so the buyer can comment and also see progress as it happens. I am in no rush to complete the system, going to make it the best system I have made.

I am in the process of modding the console board at the moment which takes a fair bit of time. The screen is out of the BigBoy at the moment and resting on a cloth to protect the screen.





I'll upload a photo of the motherboard when done. The N64 board is the same size as the screen's board which is handy.

Small screens are fine but do not give an "immersive experience" on gaming compared to a larger screen.

I'll update this thread as progress unfolds.

[Ack]

Nice job on the project, but more importantly, congratulations on the retirement and all the joy you've been getting in your cooking and baking!

[prfsnl_gmr]

Nice job on the project, but more importantly, congratulations on the retirement and all the joy you've been getting in your cooking and baking!

Agreed. I appreciate you checking in, and I’m glad things are going so well for you!

These projects always really interested me, though; so, please keep us updated on your progress. (You can also just drop by to read and share your thoughts on whatever games you’re playing!)

[marurun]

Feel free to pop into general discussion and share some of your best bakes!

[Ziggy]

Whoa, Bac! What's up!?! I actually just PM'ed you a couple of days ago, but you hadn't visited Racketboy in so long I thought you would never return so I deleted it. Anyway, glad to see you (posting)! I'll have to read your post when I get the chance. Just wanted to post and say hi.

[bacteria]

Thanks guys for the warm return, appreciated!

Yes, noticed when I logged in there had been a message from you Ziggy587 however as you say it was deleted. I didn't get a notification on my email that a message had been received or i'd have checked it out. Interestingly I set this topic to notify me when it gets replies, however that doesn't work either even though my Bacman email has been live for several years now - oh well! Hi! lol

My wife is diabetic so i've been working on recipes I can cook for us that are low in carbs so her blood sugar levels can be low enough. Hardest thing was bread; I made a georgeous granary loaf for my parents and super lovely rolls for myself however my wife can't have that as wheat flour is very high in carbs, tried many options for Keto and they suck however found a really good one that is 10% carbs compared to normal bread, looks and tastes like normal bread and she loves it. I have enjoyed cooking for decades now however my skills have really progressed in the last years.

Anyway, on the project; spent a fair bit of time last night re-wiring the cartridge port on the N64 motherboard and also a fan exhaust system, which isn't finished yet.

People often make small portables for N64 however the reality is they have inherent major flaws in practice, everything has a trade-off after all:

(1) Using a small screen means you don't get immersed in a game much, also the screens are often at awkward resolutions meaning the game images look jagged, viewing angles aren't great.
(2) Reducing the size of the N64 motherboard is fine however if you do more than the basic trimming techniques then yes, your game will run however is liable not to save as those small capacitors on the back of the board should be retained!
(3) Batteries - using flat lithium batteries are fine and are used in a large amount of electronics like mobile phones however if the batteries swell and especially if against something pointed, they can explode (remember the mobile phone recall a few years back from a leading brand?). I've seen these batteries used in small N64 portables and sometimes they are put against the sharp legs of components, makes for a slimline portable however the cells will swell over time, they will react against the heat of the system and at some point will explode, literally. This is why I use camcorder lithium cells, they are shaped like normal alkaline batteries and in a metal holder which protects the lithium cell innards from damage. Cylinder rounded cells are thick however safe in comparison. Several years ago I bought some flat lithium batteries and left them in a drawer for a couple of years, all but 1 had swelled in the time - in contrast i'm still using rounded lithium cells from 15 years ago fine, in fact, recharged some yesterday.
(4) Cooling - the N64 used passive cooling, just large steel flat heatsinks. The N64 gets very warm, no heatsinking and the system goes into reboot after about 20 minutes or less and the chips are very hot; the unmodded N64 does the same after 9 hours of being on, Nintendo didn't incorporate fans as after all who would use a console for 9 hours straight? When making a portable however, you are using less heatsinking and also need your system to run cooler or your plastic case can get soft and your glue can melt, so you HAVE to have a fan in a portable to move the warm air out.
(5) Board reduction and bending boards can be more prone to failure over time.
(6) Using different joysticks, eg 3DS or similar joysticks are nice and small and flat however due to dead areas and also different resistor resistance, the game characters can move like they are drunk; which isn't great in games like Mario 64 when trying to cross a bridge! lol

So, taking the above into account, my system is using an 8" screen, there is no need to reduce the N64 motherboard as it is the same size as the board of the screen; to keep effective cooling I have added some steel heatsinking and a fan exhaust and will have the game cartridge slot above it. Given all this and the thickness of the screen and it's board it means the middle of the portable will be 7cm thick however the sides where you hold the system will me more like about 2.5cm or thereabouts which is very comfortable to hold. I'll make the case where you hold the system shaped for comfort to use. The batteries will be inserted on the back of the system which will mean you don't have to wait for batteries to charge inside the portable to use it. There isn't a lot of choice on this build; however it will be robust and also far easier to construct and repair. I'll also incorporate thin MDF parts to make the button and screen assembly far more secure too.

More to do yet, this is where it is at the moment:





I'll test with a jumper pak before putting in an expansion pack as these are very expensive now and i've agreed with the buyer that when i've proved the system works in it's barebones layout then i'll get a deposit for the commission, at that stage i'll rip open an expansion pack.

[Ziggy]

Check your spam folder. I had Racketboy PM notification emails go to my spam folder on and off for a couple of years.

I'm glad you're sharing your mod with us. We've had a severe lack of mod posting the last couple of years, not like the good old days. Like you, I hadn't really done much with mods for years because of life. Not that I lost interest, but mostly that I just didn't have the time. Recently, I've had the time to do more mod work. And I forgot how much FUN I've had doing it. I'm sure you feel the same way making this N64 portable. There was a reason you did it for so long. Here's to hoping this isn't actually your last!

The mod looks great so far!

From time to time, I also enjoy cooking. Feel free to share your cooking successes here, I'd love to see them!

[bacteria]

Got the console board wired up and tested however it was dead, which was rather annoying. I had forgotten how long and intense in time making a system is and i'm not sure if I can be bothered any more so certainly for the time being I have decided not to persue this project.

[Anapan]

Great to hear from you! Glad your time and energy is still always focussed on creating great things. I've been spending a lot more time growing herbs and veggies and building and working on and in my woodworking shop, but I'm still always doing a bunch of wip mods and kits that I sadly don't photograph or document. This is all fascinating, and I'm glad you are 'Bac" even for a final swansong. I picked up so many good tricks and skills from your detailed documentation of your work, that I feel that there's a bit of your handiwork in all of my own creations.

[Ack]

Got the console board wired up and tested however it was dead, which was rather annoying. I had forgotten how long and intense in time making a system is and i'm not sure if I can be bothered any more so certainly for the time being I have decided not to persue this project.

Ooph, that sucks. Sorry to hear, Bac.