Whoa, where has the time gone? Well, it would seem my project has gotten a new lease on life once I saw the fantastic work of
@Nicholas298 with the N64HH. With that said, I have changed some of the original build criteria - original joysticks aren't part of the N64HH design and are just too bulky unfortunately. Going this route wasn't an easy decision being an N64 controller snob, and unfortunately no aftermarket manufacturer has ever gotten close to mimicking the exact joystick values of the N64. I.E. tiptoeing in platformers, or aiming movement in FPS games. I'll spare you further details, but If you're still interested, watch this video to get your feet wet:
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VGA is a possibility, but I'm still having trouble sourcing a UltraVGA or a N64 RGB Advanced. Oddly, I am starting to feel nostalgic for Retroactive products from Marshal and miss my UltraHDMI vs my PixelFX N64. As far as the screen, I am going with a 5" 4:3 aspect ratio screen as the lord intended. On the other hand, the composite out on this screen may make the N64 graphics look better (less pixelated and more vaseline).
For the shell, I decided on a glass fiber nylon for durability. Some .STL items such as the "Plate", "MB Bracket 1", and the "Screen Bracket" kept warping with glass fiber nylon on repeat attempts, so I will be reprinting them via FDM. I used high-quality machine screws and tact switches with orange conducting rubber caps left over from a previous g-wii I worked on. For the joystick, I opted to get the hall-effect style joystick used in the Retroid Pocket 3/3+. Apparently these will work with the communities portables unlike the Gulikit ones.
@CrazyGadget hooked me up with a bare PIF breakout board, N64 PMS, 64AMP, Akira flex, and a Screen Control Board - used for volume adjustment on this project (Still not sure how
@Nicholas298 wired that up, but i'm assuming it just went to the 64AMP). Finally,
@SparkleBear will be supplying me with a bare controller breakout board with FRAM for save-pak functionality. I decided against having a mechanical switch for switching between the save-pak and a rumble-pak due to memory card corruption if hot swapping between modes at certain times (a total limitation of the hardware). Lastly, Still not sure if we have the code for switch joysticks and not 3DS sliders.
Here are some photos of the test fit while I am waiting on some parts:
Of course, fitment test on my signature ingress/egress dust covers
Once cut, the original N64 controller A+B+C-Stick Button membranes are held in position by utilizing the centering holes on the membranes themselves. Make sure you pay attention to these holes and cut around them, especially on the A+B membrane. You can see the black screws I used where the centering holes are located.
That's it for now! Hopefully my next update won't take as long as the last.
