NTSC 64 playing PAL games! update: screen alive!!!

[OhSnap!]

thank you for the offer , i will keep it in mind but i intend to do it the other way around- keep the pal board and put in the rgb compatible graphics chip from somebody's fried ntsc one as it will be much easier than finding a cheap ntsc board over here. but then again my friend who is giving me his n64 may have got it when he was living in america. if so i will take you up on your offer and switch out the pif chip . i just dont know where he got it yet.

well i will decide what to do when i get it on friday. i am up to the challenge to make this thing work.

here are the "high" resoultion shots of the screen boards( i think i may have missed small sections of them, but if you need any extra pics, say closer or clearer, i will take them) :

entire lcd setup:



lcd controller board:
part 1: http://img32.imageshack.us/i/dsc00261n.jpg/
part 2: http://img37.imageshack.us/i/dsc00263s.jpg/
part 3: http://img40.imageshack.us/i/dsc00262f.jpg/
part 4: http://img149.imageshack.us/i/dsc00264ksc.jpg/

lcd daughter board:
part 1: http://img268.imageshack.us/i/dsc00260h.jpg/
part 2: http://img19.imageshack.us/i/dsc00259i.jpg/
part 3: http://img195.imageshack.us/i/dsc00258jov.jpg/

video board:
part 1: http://img15.imageshack.us/i/dsc00257ckb.jpg/
part 2: http://img199.imageshack.us/i/dsc00256gch.jpg/
part 3: http://img195.imageshack.us/i/dsc00255ywc.jpg/
part 4: http://img19.imageshack.us/i/dsc00254u.jpg/
part 5: http://img7.imageshack.us/i/dsc00253k.jpg/

[XCVG]

As stated, your best bet is a French N64. If you do the PIF swap, it's straight across but you have to be REALLY GOOD at soldering. The VDC/DENC swap is a lot less straightforward methinks.

I'd send you my dead NTSC board but it has an AVDC-NUS chip, not RGB capable unfortunately.

[eurddrue]

As stated, your best bet is a French N64. If you do the PIF swap, it's straight across but you have to be REALLY GOOD at soldering. The VDC/DENC swap is a lot less straightforward methinks.

I'd send you my dead NTSC board but it has an AVDC-NUS chip, not RGB capable unfortunately.

w8 i tutally thot u had r4?

Hmm, must be because yours is canadian. I'll PM you bacteria about my fried boards

[OhSnap!]

a french n64 would be hard to find for a good price i think.

i am a pretty good solderer, does anybody have a how to on doing any of this stuff

[bacteria]

Isn't difficult at all desoldering a chip, the pins are enough apart to allow you to put in a very small screwdriver, or something like a very thin nail/pin, just under (to the side) of a pin, heat it up with a soldering iron, then lift the pin up about 1mm so it loses contact with the board, but not too far or you might break off the pin on the chip - repeat until all 24 or so pins are lifted. To re-apply, just put the chip in place, touch each connection with a soldering iron to melt the already present solder on the chip pins onto the board. Whole process is just a matter of minutes.

Rather than going to a lot of time, effort and maybe expense OhSnap!, one idea is to put your N64 on hold, do a different console that uses RGB, when you get a composite PAL one then use it on the N64. I am sure after all that you don't just want to make an N64p!

[OhSnap!]

thanks bacteria, thats heap helpful it isn't as scary now
i think i am happy to see if i can find a ntsc board and do the pif chip replacement on it. maybe somebody here would be interested in a pal 64 in return for one.
the shipping would be that bad as we could do it de-cased.
but would it be as easy to switch out the graphics thingymobob? if it is, i could just keep the n64 i am getting and ask for a ntsc graphics chip from somebody with a fried board.

well I could just switch systems... but i kinda picked the n64 specifically because of the following reasons:

1) i can't just run the games on an emulator on my phone/pda like i could consoles before it like the snes and nes. this is the only practical way to play n64 games one the go.
2) the cartridges are at a good size unlike the snes which has massive ones
3) systems with disk drives are harder, ruling out the consoles ps1 and above
4) it doesn't require me to buy a mini version of it like the psone and snes mini, which would cost heaps as the are in demand.
5) the n64 is not too prone to frying
6) the board is nice and compact already without copious amounts of modding
7) cooling and power usage aren't an issue
8.) it is my equal favourite console with the snes as i remember playing them both when i was a child at after-school care. so basically i have fond memories of the n64.
and most impotantly:
9) it has super smash brothers!!!

i am not to worried about time with this as i have a few months to do this, but i will have to keep on top of it from now on.

[eurddrue]

I have A NSTC n64, would you like to trade? What revision is yours?

[eagle5953]

5) the n64 is not too prone to frying

Wait, what?

[argelfraster]

5) the n64 is not too prone to frying

Wait, what?

The n64 is very prone to frying.

[XCVG]

5) the n64 is not too prone to frying

Wait, what?

The n64 is very prone to frying.

Some say it fries easily, some say it's tough as nails. It really depends.

[eagle5953]

I thought I remember someone contending that the earlier N64s were less susceptible to frying... don't remember who though.

[Basement_Modder]

I buy my systems on craigslist, and the people don't exactly know what board revision they have...

[eurddrue]

I buy my systems on craigslist, and the people don't exactly know what board revision they have...

That's because you have to open the n64 up to find it's revision. If it has a low number on the bar code sticker thing though, it should be a lower revision. If you want a n64 that isn't as prone to frying get the all black ones and not the colored ones. The see through plastic is know as the "forbidden" plastic by a respected well known modder.
Marshallh said that in an attempt to make the n64 cheaper to produce they used cheaper parts which = slightly easier to fry. The n64 though having no fuses is already fairly easy to fry, but if you work carefully and slowly and take the time to test your voltages BEFORE putting them on you should be ok. (if the voltages are correct )

[bacteria]

The N64 are not hard to fry.

If you want a games console that can be RGB and uses game carts, how about the Megadrive/Genesis (i'm fairly sure it can be modded to RGB?). Sure, you don't get the titles you mention for the N64 but there are some great games on the MegaDrive.

[OhSnap!]

I have A NSTC n64, would you like to trade? What revision is yours?

PM'd