Cartridge Slot Relocation

[Cojiro]

So this would be suitable for relocating the cartridge slot?
http://cgi.ebay.com/50-pin-SCSI-Ribbon- ... 768wt_1030

I have tried rewiring it already and ended up frying the system. I am still unsure whether I want to get one of these cables or try rewiring it a second time. Would this cable be suitable for relocation? If not, what would? And if I should give rewiring it a second shot, what tips would be helpful?
-Thanks

[argelfraster]

18" is way to long.

[Cojiro]

I understand, but I can always shorten it. Hypothetically speaking, would this work?

[mako321]

if you shorten it to less than 6 inches, yes.

[Cojiro]

Okay, thank you.

Out of curiosity, why would it not work over 6"?

[Skyone]

Not sure how reliable this 6" magic number came from, but a low conductivity (caused by wire length, material, and gauge) from console to cartridge would cause latency and timing issues.

[snowpenguin]

5" of 22 AWG IDE ribbon cable works fine for me.

[timmeh87]

Not sure how reliable this 6" magic number came from, but a low conductivity (caused by wire length, material, and gauge) from console to cartridge would cause latency and timing issues.

The resistance of the wire is one factor, but that alone wouldn't be much of a problem. The latency comes as the capacitance increases as well, which creates an RC filter, and the inductance increases, which is probably also not great.

The overriding issue here though is noise. A 6" wire is a pretty ok antenna, and not only do all the wires pick up noise from the environment, they also all radiate noise. It becomes a pretty serious problem for long runs of parallel wires. There is a high degree of "crosstalk", ie the signals all mix together and become unintelligible.

[Cojiro]

Okay I understand. I will try to get it the shortest that I can.
Snow, could you provide a link to what you are talking about? I couldn't seem to find it.

[snowpenguin]

Just normal ribbon cable found in PCs.

[Cojiro]

Oh ok, I thought it was a specific cable that you could buy.
So the cable in my first post trimmed down to around 5" would be fine?

[Cojiro]

Okay, everything finally seems to be coming together, and now I have a few last minute questions.


1. I noticed that many people talk about having two power plugs, one for charging the battery, and one for running the system while the battery is charging/dead. Mine seems to work just fine while the battery is charging. Is it bad to run the system while the battery is charging?

2. Do you have less playtime when you use the expansion pak than the jumper pak, and if so, how much?

3. Is it acceptable to use the heatsinks that came with the N64, or do I have to buy new ones? And is it completely necessary to use a heatsink on the expansion pak?

4. For a switch between an internal and external first player controller, do i need to make the switch between just the data wire or all three?

-Thanks

[hailrazer]

Okay, everything finally seems to be coming together, and now I have a few last minute questions.


1. I noticed that many people talk about having two power plugs, one for charging the battery, and one for running the system while the battery is charging/dead. Mine seems to work just fine while the battery is charging. Is it bad to run the system while the battery is charging?

2. Do you have less playtime when you use the expansion pak than the jumper pak, and if so, how much?

3. Is it acceptable to use the heatsinks that came with the N64, or do I have to buy new ones? And is it completely necessary to use a heatsink on the expansion pak?

4. For a switch between an internal and external first player controller, do i need to make the switch between just the data wire or all three?

-Thanks

1. A battery charger only has so much mA output. And a battery charges at a set rate. So theoretically if the charger is outputtiing enough amps to power the system and charge the battery it should be fine. that is how most portable dvd players work. But if the charger doesn't output enough eventually it will get to the point where the system will start shutting off.

2.Yes you do. Apparently the N64 draws around 500ma more power with the expansion pack. So say you have 4000ma batteries you will get around 30 minutes or so less playtime.

3. Yes you can use the factory heatsinks. No the expansion pack does not need one.

4. I don't know...sorry.