Worklog The Color 64!

[MomSpaghetti]

Hello, Welcome to the color 64!

Since many have already made worklogs, thought I'd chip mine as well even though it's still in the designing phase.

The color 64 will be something like a gameboy color, however, the cartridge will be inserted from below. Yup, no everdrive 64 this time! Here are my planned specs:

-N64 mixed trim.(Not sure yet)
-N64 ULTRAVGA.
-5" VGA LCD screen.(ZJ050NA-08C)
-N64 controller chip.
-2x 18650s.
-N64 power management system with USB-C PD charging.
-U-Amp for the audio solution.
-Possibly a docking system.

I bought an N64 that was in a, sorry state, and made sure that it was working:

Here are my current schematics:

Here are my measurements supporting the N64 controller side of things:

In the schematics, there's an extra IC in the N64 controller section, I made this IC's footprint by taking a GC style N64 controller's IC, Allowing me to use other 10k Pot. joysticks, at this moment, I'm planning on using the PSP1000's joystick since the switch's isn't 10k.

At the moment, I'm halting the board design, and focusing on the 3d model and trying to envision how I'll be designing the PCB to fit in!

Still ways to go.

 

[MomSpaghetti]

So i decided to kick it up a notch.

The Memory Pak released by Nintendo featured SRAM, that required a 3.3v constant source to be present all the time so that your save data doesn't get erased, which is a 3.3v battery. However, we can easily swap the SRAM to FRAM execluding the need of a battery cell since it's a non-volatile memory.

So i took a 256kb memory pak i had and started maping the pin outs that are needed to be connected between the memory and the N64 official controller chip(My printer had low ink):

Then i integrated it to my current design:

I really dont know if this will work as planned, But here i am hoping it will since it's a dope feature to have.

I also made some progress towards my case design, mainly laying out the component to get a better picture:

Now i have a good idea on what I'll be working on.

 

[printsmith3d]

If you're looking for a decent FRAM replacement, this is the one I'm using: https://www.mouser.ca/ProductDetail/877-FM28V020-SG
Also, Luis did a great job of mapping the memory chip in this thread: https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.p...ry-and-custom-board-with-controller-pak.2757/

 

[MomSpaghetti]

If you're looking for a decent FRAM replacement, this is the one I'm using: https://www.mouser.ca/ProductDetail/877-FM28V020-SG
Also, Luis did a great job of mapping the memory chip in this thread: https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.p...ry-and-custom-board-with-controller-pak.2757/

Oh, thank you for pointing this out, i actually didn't know this existed. i kind of figured it out myself, But thank you for the pointer!

And the chip im using in the circuit is the same one you linked.

I'll verify my pinouts.

 

[printsmith3d]

No problem! Sometimes it's more fun doing it by yourself anyways. Always nice to have a reference to double check though.

 

[MomSpaghetti]

Hello,

So i decided to make a small update, a lot of packages are taking too long to reach me, None the less, i made progress with what I'm given.

First of all, I have digitized everything at this point, From the N64, to the Cart slot:

I'm currently half-done with my case design, the top part housing most of the parts are pretty much done, but i don't have anything to show at the moment.

The next update is the board(Only passive components pre-assembled, and a few chips.), it was delivered, so i didn't waste time and i soldered the STUSB and tested the USB C PD feature, everything went smoothly:

I was able to get 12V(max), so im satisfied when it comes to the charging part. The rest of the parts are still getting delayed, But i already noticed a big problem here:

I have got the pin pitch measurement wrong, so the Controller chip just doesn't fit within the footprint. I already finished the 2nd Revision. I'm just taking my time with it at this point. Hopefully the other components arrive so i can test them before ordering the 2nd revision.(To meet the deadline)

I just started soldering the UltraVGA, It's proving to be hard for me because i don't have a really pointy tip, but im slowly making progress towards finishing the connections:

And the LCD arrived!:

So hopefully the next time i post, It will have a huge update because everything will hopefully be ready!

 

[ABH]

Nice progress!
Is there anypoint to solder UltraVGA wires to RCP instead of NUS? although NUS is much easier

 

[MomSpaghetti]

Nice progress!
Is there anypoint to solder UltraVGA wires to RCP instead of NUS? although NUS is much easier

The connection guide points to the RCP end of things, That's why i chose the straightforward route. Another thing, the RCP pinout is the same for every revision while the NUS changes for some revisions, i just didn't take the step to trace mine, Wanted to make a neat straight connections!

 

[MomSpaghetti]

Even if it's a small update.

the ULTRAVGA Installation was succressful!!

I can not believe this quality, It's like looking at an emulation's video quality, It's so weird!

Thank you Marshall for developing this masterpiece.
If there will ever be another UltraVGA run, I'm 100% in, Even if i get in debt .

Now all I'm waiting for is the 2nd revision of my board.

 

[MomSpaghetti]

After a whole month of delays, and a lot of complaining to the forward shipping company i deal with, I finally received my packages.

So i started putting the whole thing together! Afterwards i programmed the chips. Glad to say that the whole power management side works well! I haven't really gotten to testing both the controller and the audio side but i have faith that they're working as intended.
Time for some pictures!

The front side:

The back side:

One more showing the type C PD in action(Really proud of that):

All that's left now is to finalize my case design and start assembling it!

 

[MomSpaghetti]

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since the last update, i just had to procrastinate. Anyways, to it.

Spoiler: The Trim

So i decided to opt for the safe trim until the new guide comes out, i just didnt need to make it so small either:

One of the things that i focused on most is the internal cleanliness and less wiring making the device easy to assemble.

Spoiler: Assembly

As shown above, this is the layout internally. Controller, Power management, and Audio management, Everything is designed in one circuit to make it easy to assemble.

The power wiring was temporary to ensure that the 64 is working. the UltraVGA will be sitting there snugly.

I designed these to pillars as a strong support and screwed the cart slot on them, That made it so easy to solder to!

And finally, Here's how things ended up:

Spoiler: Finished Product

Before ordering my 3rd revision, i had to change the PSP analog stick to a PS2 stick because it was just awful to use and the range was bad.

To my collection:

Spoiler: Videos

Now here are 2 videos, the first one was made for instagram, and it looked cool:



The second video is a demonstration of the features:

This marks the end of my entry.

Thank you all for reading through this worklog!