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Question N64 Portable - PIF relocation issue

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Hi community,

I am currently trying to get my trimmed N64 to work, but I have a hard time with it. After I didn't get my trimmed board to boot (just blue screen, no signal at all), I went back to a non trimmed mainboard and just tried to get it running using my PMS board + batteries, which worked fine. Then I desoldered the PIF + U3 and U8, populated my PIF relocation board from GMan and connected it to the original PIF pads (to minimize any source of errors). It turns on, but screen just displays a black screen. At least it seems to get a signal otherwise it would be blue, but still not what I would like to see.

Any idea what could be wrong or where and how I could start to debug? I checked connections of the PIF relocation and everything seems fine. Board gets power on V5 and 3v3 as expected.

board.jpg


detail shot of the PIF connections
pif relocation.jpg


trimmed board which won't boot at all (blue screen, no signal)
trim.jpg
 
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Ok, meanwhile I did quite some debugging and got at least my second untrimmed Board running with PIF relocation and PMS. I fear that my trimmed board has been fried though, I guess I caused a short on the 3v3 rail at some point and killed a chip. Question is how to find out which component is dead. Probably one of the big chips? It currently boots up but screen just shows black (it gets a signal though). I double and triple checked all connections of PIF and RCP. Also 5V and 3v3 supply seem ok.

Is there any reliable way to check the CPU or RCP chips for functionality?
Does anybody know if I can replace them with CPU / RCP from a PAL console?
 
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Ashida
I might be completely wrong here but looking at the breakout board it kinda seems like there's a pin mislabeled or something? like, the pin labeled 24 seems to actually be 23? Am I crazy?
 

Gman

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I might be completely wrong here but looking at the breakout board it kinda seems like there's a pin mislabeled or something? like, the pin labeled 24 seems to actually be 23? Am I crazy?
Pin 23 and 24 are connected together.
 
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Ashida
aaahh gotcha, yeah now that I look at the picture in more detail I can see a trace going from 24 to 23... but then, doesn't that mean that connecting the breakout to the original position on the N64 board those pins should also be shorted in there as well? On the picture it seems like it's only connected to 24
 
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As far as I know there is no Pin24 equivalent on the mainboard or cartridge slot and if it would probably also be connected with 23. Also puzzled me at first but 23 and 24 are basically the same.
 
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I guess I have to call it a failure and trash this project as I now have two trims that are absolutely not working in the slightest. PMS are doing wonky shit, sometimes giving power, sometimes not, even if they do I get blue screen on one trim, black on the other. Every single connection checked a hundred times. Everything seems as in other builds I've seen on the forums. 800 bucks for the bin and no idea what else I could do or even where to start looking for the issue.
 
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Ashida
I understand your frustration but you don't have to trash the whole thing... Shelve it for a while and come back to it in the future with a clear mind and hopefuly with more experience having worked in other projects... Study the compendium, understand the innerworkings of the N64, and maybe you'll figure out what's wrong with your builds. Remember, these are all passion projects done by people that took the time to study how the consoles work and god knows how many hours, days or months they had to troubleshoot stuff. We take these builds for granted but when you think about it, taking a dremel to a motherboard and then wiring it up, shit tends to happen. We're standing in the shoulders of giants, we have A TON of information they didn't have, we should be able to put the hours, study and figure it out. Don't give up just yet.
 
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