Oh and did you guys see that video on the Metal Jesus Rocks channel about the possible retail prototype of the would-be North American 64DD system? I saw that just hours after ordering my own, it made me that much more excited to finally get the add-on 🙂
Lovethrash, please don’t kill a Capture Cassette for an Everdrive 64 shell. 64DD anything is very rare. You should also be aware there’s no way you’d be able to use the Capture Cassette using the Everdrive 64 method, they both use the cartridge slot.
Once I’ve set my mind on killing a rare gaming accessory, the excitement is too much to go back on :). Actually I’m not TOTALLY set on doing it. I know that a cheaper option is to get some crummy game in a black shell, strip the labels off and make another N64 logo for the front. It depends on how much modding is needed for either shell. If I could do this without external cutting, the capture cart would just look more official. I’m also not opposed to hard-wiring the Everdrive inside the system for a super low-profile look.
Speaking of 64DD, I just scored one finally! Got a great deal on a complete in box Randnet starter kit :). It should arrive in the next week or so. I plan on ordering that Doshin game and some of the Mario creative suites since they all sound fun.
Also, kind of related- the system plays CDs just fine, games tend to open but sometimes hang at a black screen after the developer intro screens or when entering a particular level. I was playing Crash Bash and could get into one level fine, but another level would hang at a black screen each time I tried to open it. The disc itself seemed fine, or at least good enough to be read.
The disc spindle is missing one of the three bearings, but I assumed the function would be a lot more “stop and go” if that was causing trouble. Does this sound more like an issue with the laser or drive itself? I have another system of the same model # that I can try swapping the whole drive out with.
RunnerPack wrote:
Nicely done! I would probably sand the tops of the LEDs to reduce the “hot-spot” effect, but otherwise very cool.
Actually, I think that’s an iPad adjustment. It looks more uniform in person. If by sand you mean poke at with a Dremel at full RPM, then done haha. I only have crystal clear LEDs at the moment so I have to diffuse the tops the old-fashioned way.
Also… why would you keep the controller/memory card ports? They’re a waste of space since you can just wire the receiver and (a) memory card(s) directly to the mobo (or use some kind of mating headers to make them easier to change out).
That would be great if I could remove them! I didn’t have time to pull all the shielding off the ports, but what I could see through a gap made me think there was some additional circuit in there. There’s a warning about a fuse as well, maybe that wouldn’t be needed if I took that port out? I never play 2-player games, and rarely say “well, that PS1 memory card is full!” so a minimalist approach would be fine.
Also, why is it an “audiophile” system? Did you do something to improve the audio output? Did you use gold-plated, oxygen-/gluten-free, non-GMO, cables? Did you replace the CD-ROM controller chips with vacuum-tubes to give the PCM data more warmth and prevent wow and flutter? 😉
Something about the DAC used in the 5501 and earlier models makes people think it has qualities of really high-end equipment. I haven’t done much testing but it’s a fun secret to know.
Really? I was looking into getting an Everdrive for each system, and was wondering if 64DD’s would be supported. That whole thing is confusing to me, there are so many different ED versions. Would the ED 2.5 for the N64 support those games? It’s about half the price of the V3.0 so I’m hoping it does.
In response to the original post, I was obsessed with the 64DD back in my young Nintendo Power days. I was very sad when it just kind of flopped before disappearing altogether. I really want to get one myself.
In fact, in preparation for my upcoming Everdrive purchase, I picked up that really nice “capture cassette” that came with the Mario Talent Studio on 64DD. It will look way better than a repro or modded cart IMO, very sleek with just that N64 logo on the front. And with the back being open, I can mod the SD card slot to be accessible without filing away the shell 🙂
Well I think it is interesting too, because they don’t even really mention the Virtual Boy- they just have that picture of the box. They’re assuming everyone will see the picture and know to think “VR…Nintendo…red…failure…haaa”.
I wish more obscure data like this would come to light! I looked up that studio and it seems they released that Battle Garegga (spelling?) game, I wonder if they had a similar shoot ’em up planned for the VB.
I’m also interested in the hardware you mention- was the VB sound testing he did on the regular dev kit? It would be cool if there was some unknown MIDI interface or something for the system out there!
Some hackers make MIDI interfaces for various systems, I would love a VB one. As of now I have one for the Genesis but they’re available for NES, SNES, GameBoy etc too…
I used Tenso, didn’t have any trouble. There was a Dreamcast MIDI cable I needed and Amazon.jp was the only place in the world selling it lol. I thought their rates were reasonable and their website a little clearer on how you’d be charged.
There’s another thread on this forum somewhere (maybe try searching for Tenso). Keep in mind it’s kind of a hassle to sign up for any of them, you have to email or fax them 2 forms of ID before being able to use a proxy service now I think.
The way I made my cable linked above is fairly easy if you can solder. Other than that, the hardest work is just trimming down the Game Shark connector and getting the pinout right. If you’re worried about messing something electrical up that may cause a fire, just bring it to a friend’s house to test like I did 🙂
Did you check the end of the ribbon cable that goes into the VB socket? Sometimes those leads get bent down, especially if they have been plugged and unplugged a bunch of times. That happened to me in a couple of systems where the lead had bent in a way that it was making a short in the socket.
Can you post pictures of the system’s displays while running a game to show the actual issue?
Or you’re trying to get an XB1 controller working on the VB? That would be very cool.
I thought the tech wiki on this site had a VB controller mapping. If not, I know I made a pinout/diagram of the controller’s chip a while ago. I can look when I get home and upload if that is what you mean.
…has really nice images of a bunch of controller PCBs. XB1 isn’t on there I guess, but maybe looking at those will give you an idea of how to trace buttons.
Yeah, those are pretty neat! Something unreleased would be cool for sure, maybe that guy from Flying Henry or whatever? You’ll need some imagination to make it happen 🙂
Or, maybe the VB system itself in different colors…wouldn’t mind seeing yellow, blue, green, etc. versions.
I think I was able to get a head strap/neck lanyard setup going a while ago. If you attach a neck lanyard to the VB somewhere by the stand medallion, then adjust the legs just right, the system will basically be “standing” on your chest. The stand may have to be put on backwards, but I was able to get it working somewhat comfortably.
The headstrap was cool but as mentioned above, the VB is kind of heavy…after a while it hurts to wear.
Yeah with so many circuits in existence, that does seem like a very odd choice to make at random. Even if they had to find something to fit perfectly in that clear thingy, why not like a Timex PCB or something square-ish that’s more common?
Maybe Sanyo or whoever offered “promotional consideration” to the props department and happened to have a surplus of these displays left over.
Very impressive microscopic observational skills, people must hate playing that game “I Spy” with you haha…
Hey- not bad for a first attempt! I did my first without flux or a good soldering iron, and it shows 🙂
Here are some tips I’d recommend for troubleshooting:
-sometimes just reseating the cables in the socket can fix lines that appear after soldering. The connection when you put them back in the system may not be quite right at first.
-Make sure to clean up the soldered areas after your work. If everything is secure, I drop a little 91% rubbing alcohol on the area and rub gently with a toothbrush. Don’t put too much alcohol down or it may go into the throughholes to the actual LEDs. You may consider running the tip of a pushpin down each row between the traces first to scrape up gunk that’s stuck there.
-Did you verify that there are no shorts between all the traces? You can do it the “right” way with a meter or whatever, but honestly I think it’s easier to just hold the PCB up to a bright light after cleaning. Then you can see really clearly if they’re all in place.
Good luck, let us know if you make any progress!
Also- I’ve been having better luck exposing the contacts by running a needle or pushpin semi-gently around the perimeter of the area I’m going to expose. Then, use the needle to gently pry the plastic off the traces starting from the middle of where the cable/PCB meet. Hard to explain without pictures, I’ll try to upload some to show what I mean soon…
I almost bought one of those “76000 in 1” controllers at a flea market but the guy wanted too much for it (unless he just multiplied his real price by 1000).
Does it actually play Famicom/NES games without any trouble?
Ok thank you, I’ll contact him and see what the story is! This looks like other ones I’ve seen so I’m guessing it’s a run of the mill bootleg. I’ve heard about that Gyromite thing, sadly every copy I’ve checked was a dud. I’ll probably just make one , I’m too cheap to buy one for this 🙂
Yes, the Clay Shotting game looks amazing. The guy almost looks like he’s holding the nozzle thingy at a self-serve car wash.
RunnerPack wrote:
Does the transmitter support A and B, are they just left disconnected, or did you hook them in parallel with
I’m also curious about what you’re going to do with the 10mm LED…
I think I wired A and B up to B and Y. I haven’t played much SNES lately but that seems like a good combination for games that may have a jump/attack setup on B and Y. If I get ambitious I may work in some jumpers to reassign those buttons on the fly externally.
The 10mm LED will be aimed straight at the gamer’s eye to simulate a Virtual Boy session :). I was actually messing around with trimming more PCB and wanted a really obvious indicator of a sudden loss of connection to the battery.
