n64 2000 boards have 1 4MB ram chip

[blaze3927]

[thewise1]

We know this already, the new ones, mostly colored ones have only one ram chip.

[blaze3927]

is it the same 4MB chip they use in exp packs?

[snowpenguin]

Pretty sure.

You can take a normal 2 chip board and replace both chips with 4 mb chips, giving you expansion pak compatibility while using a jumper pak.

[blaze3927]

any tips/methods of desoldering the ram without ruining it then?

[limpport]

any tips/methods of desoldering the ram without ruining it then?

Chip Quik would probably be the best thing to use. It is basically a low-temperature solder. You would bridge all your connections with it, and heat it up. It'll mix with the solder already on the board, lowering its melting temperature, meaning it will stay liquid longer. Once it is heated up enough, you can remove your iron, and lift the chip off of the board.

http://www.chipquikinc.com/store/spools.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They sell them in 1-3 oz spools. Pretty cheap, too.

[Link83]

blaze3927 that board is actually really interesting! I have been compiling a N64 motherboard revision/serial list here for some time now:-
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=27684" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Although I cant see the actual motherboard revision code on your 1 RDRAM chip board, I can see that its a PAL motherboard and that it isnt an NUS-CPU(P)-02 because that has '1999 Nintendo' printed on the motherboard, and yours has '2000 Nintendo' instead. Also yours has a slightly different layout to certain components, and an 'indented' heatsink which I thought hadn't been used on PAL N64's. Is there any chance you can check what motherboard revision it is? (Its kind of obscured by all the wires over the cartridge port)

All the above points leads me to guess that this might be an NUS-CPU(P)-03 revision? If so I would love to see some close pictures of both sides of the motherboard if possible (Perhaps one showing the revision code aswell?) I am particularly interested to see what CPU, RCP and RDRAM chip revisions it uses. Also, if you still happen to have the original casing it would be great to find out what the serial number is on this revision (and/or any other N64's you might have)

Thanks in advance for any help/info

[limpport]

Pretty sure.

You can take a normal 2 chip board and replace both chips with 4 mb chips, giving you expansion pak compatibility while using a jumper pak.

So it will basically think an expansion pack is inserted when it is only a jumper pack?

[marshallh]

Yes. RDRAMs can be daisychained together, as part of the init sequence the rams are told to identify themselves, how big etc.

The jumper pak is just a rambus terminator. Basically, resistors at the end of the data bus to prevent ringing. Imagine the RDRAM data bus as 9 kids with stretched-out slinkys. Each bit is a wave of the slinky, the problem is when the wave bounces back off the end. The resistors are like putting the end in a pile of mud, no more signal reflections.

[eagle5953]

The resistors are like putting the end in a pile of mud, no more signal reflections.

Your analogies are magical.

[blaze3927]

something else thats interesting

nintendo 64 1998 boards have 1 4MB RAM chips this one was in a standard grey case and has a similar more simple layout like the 2000 board

ill try to get a pic but its inside my n64p atm

and to link83

the writing at the top of the motherboard says (of the 2000 board)
Nus-CPU (P) - 03-1

[limpport]

If I understand correctly, the N64 has 4mb on board and the expansion pack adds another 4mb (8 total). Does anyone know how an expansion pack required game would run on 6mb?

[blaze3927]

no idea, i think ss might have tested this, but i would find it interesting if games that "require" the expansion pack need to use all 8mb, as in double the n64's shipped ram to not have THAT much extra going on

[Link83]

something else thats interesting

nintendo 64 1998 boards have 1 4MB RAM chips this one was in a standard grey case and has a similar more simple layout like the 2000 board

ill try to get a pic but its inside my n64p atm

and to link83

the writing at the top of the motherboard says (of the 2000 board)
Nus-CPU (P) - 03-1

Thanks very much for the info blaze3927

I am very interested to hear about a 1998 revision, until now the only PAL revisions I have ever seen/heard of are the 1996 NUS-CPU(P)-01 and 1999 NUS-CPU(P)-02, but your 2000 NUS-CPU(P)-03-1 proves there are even more PAL revisions that I was not aware of. Also, if your 1998 board is PAL it sounds like it might even be an NUS-CPU(P)-01-1 revision!

I guess these are all Australian N64's? Which makes me wonder if these other PAL revisions were ever used in European N64's. I must have seen inside a dozen European N64's and only one was an NUS-CPU(P)-02, all the rest were NUS-CPU(P)-01.

I look forward to seeing more pictures if possible, and if you ever come across any other revisions apart from the NUS-CPU(P)-01 and NUS-CPU(P)-02 please consider taking some pictures of them (Before being modified if possible)

[blaze3927]

i really should have started sooner, but yes all my n64's are australian bar 2 which are from the uk