Everdrive64 clone

[Gman]

Found these on ebay and other sites recently. Looks like an Everdrive64 cheap clone. Very tempted to buy one and try it out with that price. Clearly the quality will not be matched to an Everdrive64 or a 64drive but just wondering if it plays games well and isnt going to crap out. Reviews online are pretty mixed. Anyone ever seen one in person?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/N64-Adapter...839688?hash=item1a08167708:g:duYAAOSwfZhXNLV~

 

[Noah]

I've been also seeing these all over AliExpress and other similar sites. I'm real interested in them.

 

[ByteMe]

I believe this is the one that a fellow member, Element18592, used in his recent portable N64

So i recently finished my latest project, ive made a few portables in the past from and Xbox 360 laptop to a Raspberry Pi based Gameboy DMG mod. I can say without a doubt that this is by far my favorite project to date and i know ill be spending countless hours on it in my spare time.

I didnt document the process very well so the below are the only pictures i have.
​

​

​

Huge thanks to: Downing for providing the STL files for the case, and project advice, and to RDC for his custom N64 controller pcb, audio amp, and project advice

Thanks for watching and your comments and feedback are appreciated.

Edit: Downing also made a blog post about it, you can view that here.​

 

[Noah]

Hmm, seems interesting.

 

[Gman]

Yeah that was how I first discovered it. It looks like he still used a cartridge slot but used that flashcart in the demo video. It was not built internal from what I can tell.

 

[Element18592]

Yeah that was how I first discovered it. It looks like he still used a cartridge slot but used that flashcart in the demo video. It was not built internal from what I can tell.

The version you linked to is the v1. The one from my video is the v2. They are basically the exact same thing, the only difference is that the newer one comes with a CIC chip installed. You could easily install a CIC chip in the v1 and be in it for about 20 bucks less than the v2. They are actually pretty decent quality, even the ripped/modified firmware from the actual ED64 runs pretty well. Its played every rom ive thrown at it thus far. Ive seen quite a few pictures around the internet showing the soldering on the insides looking horrendous but the one i received was actually pretty decent.

 

[Gman]

Awesome! I'm sold then. Could you link the same source you got it from? Yeah I've seen those pictures of the poorly built ones, don't want to end up with those ones.

 

[Element18592]

Awesome! I'm sold then. Could you link the same source you got it from? Yeah I've seen those pictures of the poorly built ones, don't want to end up with those ones.

Worst part is the shipping time, takes about 1-2 weeks from China with ePacket shipping.

Same seller i purchased from: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free...ve-Device-N64-Enhanced-version/754733057.html

A nice plus is they come with an 8gb SD card with most roms already on it.

 

[Gman]

Worst part is the shipping time, takes about 1-2 weeks from China with ePacket shipping.

Same seller i purchased from: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free...ve-Device-N64-Enhanced-version/754733057.html

A nice plus is they come with an 8gb SD card with most roms already on it.

Would you recommend soldering an internal Everdrive64 plus inside a portable?

 

[Element18592]

Would you recommend soldering an internal Everdrive64 plus inside a portable?

Thats actually what i intended to do when i started that project but decided against it as i wanted to be able to use actual cartridges from time to time. If you're asking would i trust installing one internally and permanently i would have to say from personal experience yes. We use it nearly every day and it hasn't given us any problems yet. I would say definitely test it out quite a bit when yours comes in as your experience might be different, if it works out to your liking i would say go for it.

 

[Gman]

Ok guys let's all buy these and start a new golden age of N64 portables

 

[ShockSlayer]

N64 portables

 

[Noah]

Well, I have gone down the rabbit hole. I purchased one and it will be arriving on Thursday. More to come!

 

[Noah]

Got it.

First impressions: Ignore what you hear on the internet, this thing is great. Bigger games like Paper Mario or Majora's Mask load in no time. The UI is a bit ugly but the official Everdrive firmware can be loaded onto the cartridge. The build quality is a little cheap. However, that doesn't matter if it's internal. No complaints from me! Pictures and such to come soon.

 

[ShockSlayer]

Does it have a wifi module? Because if it doesn't that's a deal breaker for me.

 

[Noah]

Heh no, no WiFi module. It does look like it could be trimmed down quite a bit though which is a step up from the 64Drvie or Everdrive since Marshall doesn't make the portable 64 drives anymore.

 

[Noah]

So after playing with this thing all day I have a verdict.

First, here are some board shots, I think it's identical to the one @Element18592 has.



The last shot is reversed so that I could compare the traces and vias of both layers which leads me to believe that the board is only dual layered with no hidden layer underneath. That means that the board should be able to be trimmed down to something like this with relative ease:

(Sorry for shitty MS paint, was on my laptop which doesn't have PS on it)

The "region switch" doesn't do anything as far as I can tell. PAL games can be booted when it's on NTSC and you can change the video settings with a toggle under the software settings. It's not even connected to anything on the board as far as I can tell. The USB port seems all but useless right now. I could be wrong, but I have yet to find any documentation on it or a video/review of someone that used it at all.

I still have yet to check under the SD slot for any vias or traces, but seeing as how the only vias on the other side of the board are connected to the ground plane I'm guessing there's nothing to worry about there.

Software wise I haven't noticed anything not working or anything out of the ordinary. I'm using a class 4 SD card (only thing I had not currently in use lying around) and game load speeds are pretty damn fast compared to what I've seen the 64Drive and Everdrive do in person. I'll be buying another class 10 to try it out later and see if that speeds it up at all.

The CIC chip is in a socket for some reason or another. That'll be changed soon to thin the board a little.

TL;DR: This is worth it if you buy it at $65 or so. I have run into no problems (granted it's been one day so take that with a grain of salt) and by the looks of it the board can be trimmed a decent amount compared to the Everdrive which is minimal as well as the 64Drive. If this board can be trimmed the way it appears to be able to then this would be a good alternative to the 64Drive portable edition assuming there are no hiccups with the hardware failing or anything of the sort.

 

[The_Smeags]

i really hope it's legit, would love to get my hands on one for my n64 project.

 

[Noah]

I'll be doing more extensive testing as the days go by. I can only play so much N64 during the day!

I might not test trimming this one before I get my hand on another though.

 

[Element18592]

I'll be doing more extensive testing as the days go by. I can only play so much N64 during the day!

I might not test trimming this one before I get my hand on another though.

I should also mention that the old ED64 could be updated with Krikzz's firmware and it worked pretty great according to others. Nobody has tried it on this version yet as far as i can tell. Im too much of a puss to try it myself lol.