Ben Heck's Portable N64 Part 2
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2017
- In this episode, Ben miniaturizes the controller using an Arduino Pro Micro and Playstation Vita analog stick, embeds the RAM expansion, and works on a case design with a nod to the Nintendo Switch. The N64 is notorious for being difficult to hack as it’s easily damaged due to all the rewiring required to make it smaller! Visit the Ben Heck page on element14 at: bit.ly/2lwvIUE
The Ben Heck Team continues working on the N64 portable. In a previous episode, they worked on the memory and the power. In today’s episode they are going to try to shrink down the controller so it will fit in the case, and then they’ll also add the memory expansion that goes into the controller inside the system. Once all that is done they’ll have an idea how the system will be shaped so they can begin designing a case for it. The N64 is difficult to hack because it’s easy to damage and there are a lot of things you have to rewire in order to make it remotely smaller.
The N64 is notorious for its analog stick because it tends to wear out quickly and has a huge analog stick package. It doesn’t work the same way as any other console analog stick, such as the Playstation or the Xbox. It uses optical encoders, like a mouse would, and the stick wears out quickly. It also has a hug e analog stick package. The position of the analog stick is determined by change so it’s basically like 2 mice wheels controlling X and Y.
After taking apart the controller, Ben hooks the controller board to an oscilloscope. He applies 3V to the analog stick which powers up the optical encoders. It’s not really an encoder, it’s more like two optics! Like an old school mouse, when they change, you know what direction the sticks going in. The order in which they change tells the controller which way the stick is being moved. You’re moving an encoder wheel back and forth waiting, opening little slits for light to go through, in a certain order. All other analog sticks get voltages off a pair of potentiometers.
So what you’d have to do with an analog stick encode is keep track of where it is, its position, and you would only send the pulses when it changes position. You’d also have to have some dead space as there is only 160 steps in each direction for the Nintendo. That’s 160 steps in either direction perpendicular with 80 steps coming in both directions from center. Ben uses this information to replicate the N64 analog stick with a more traditional analog stick and an Arduino Pro Mini. They can run this Atmel chip off the same 3.3 V line powering the N64 controller. Next, he wires the microcontroller into the N64 controller to see if he can reproduce the kind of pulses coming off the N64 analog stick.
He attaches some disconnects to the Arduino board as the board he’s using can run at 5V but the N64 controller runs at 3V. That way it’s only sending 3V signals to the Nintendo Chip so as not to damage anything. MCU’s can run at multiple voltages, but this can affect their max speed so check your datasheets. He experiments with various analog sticks attached with a microcontroller to see if he can fine an adequate replacement for the N64 analog stick. He finds a suitable analog stick from a PSP.
Next, Ben desolders the connector for expansion memory card to find out what the pinout is, and make a decision on what to do with the controller board. He removes the memory chip from the memory card as well as the controller’s microprocessor and creates his own custom board that will house these chips. Using Felix’s help Ben creates a smaller replacement for the controller. The Nintendo chip is put on its very own breakout board. He then combines the Nintendo controller chip with the memory card chip.
Ben rewires everything from the memory pack to the controller’s integrated circuit and he moves most of the passives off the original controller’s circuit board onto the circuit board that Felix etched. He’s able to get it to write and read the memory card correctly. Ben’s able to rebuild an N64 controller that’s much smaller. He then goes to work on the system itself by first designing and 3D printing a cartridge slot assembly. He also creates a custom heat sink from copper to use on the GPU and CPU. Ben goes to work on the case itself and the buttons used for the system. Meanwhile, Felix goes to work on getting the battery packs wired up. They use 4 Lithium Ion cells that go to regulators that will give him the 12 V and 3 V that they’ll need. They’re just about ready to test but as they begin running the system they begin running into heat problems. Ben attempts to build a better heat dissipation system without breaking anything in the process. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
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I appreciate how they are willing to show setbacks and failures when tackling hard problems. The authenticity means the amateurs don't feel so bad about their mistakes and struggles.
The reason I subscribed. :)
Ben's laughter in the credits made up for all the dead n64 boards.
These are the kinds of video I've been waiting for from the Ben Heck Show. The previous portables have been pretty quick easy projects, not much was done to slim them down. This is a really tough project and I'm really enjoying watching it.
I doubt you'd enjoy doing it..
No, but I'd be super satisfied with the finished project. The more times your head hits the desk the sweeter the reward is.
I would kill for Ben's soldering skills.
Barnacules Nerdgasm heyyyyy you're the reason I found this awesome TH-camr. now I'm pursuing a hobby in creating my own consoles and learning more about the tech we all use. thank you and Ben!
Glad to see you are starting to do better and I hope the Sleep Number bed works out for you. :D
Barnacules Nerdgasm
I wouldn't go that far - you could get to the same skill level in about a week. lol
Ben "Redbeard" Heckendorn, hackiest pirate o' the seven seas!
I think it looks really good.
Ben is so not enjoying this portable project lol
That's the best part! xD But he is the best, he'll do it. Love this episodes!
I posted on the first video I went through 4 64s when I made my portable. Looks like he is having the same luck lol They are really fragile
The cartridge connector and ram terminator have fragile connectors on the board, this wasn't the case when they where new but somehow they didn't hold up very well.
Those memory chips he's having trouble with operate at 500Mhz.
At this frequency, the parasitic capacitance etc start to be a real big issue.
from ben's old blog post on his first n64 portable:
"Holy cow on a popsicle stick I had a tough time making this thing!
(Which is why, no matter how many times you email, I WILL NOT BUILD ANY MORE)"
The design is mind-blowing! Looks so awesome! Also love how much depth we're getting on the workflow for completing this more challenging project.
I've been anxiously awaiting this episode ever since I saw part 1 last week! The build is looking SWEET! I can't wait to see the final installment for this project!
Call AvE and get him to mill you an aluminium subframe!
or +tesla500 ;)
The controller modifications were incredible Ben! Very impressed :)
Thank you, Ben and guys! For all your hard work and effort to make this project. :)
This series is awesome! Thanks and I love your approach to tackling this! Don't give up!
this might be my favorite episode yet! I love watching the challenge.
I'm impressed with the way you explained the joystick part with the analogue simulation part... You make it look so simple. This is exacly why I like your show. Keep up the good work... Hooo and then I saw the part that you actualy rebuild the entire controler: Great work.
Great episode guys!!! Thanks for all the years of great content :)
I love that he's taking his time and doing things the right way. It's going to be a hell of a grind, but this might be the most impressive portable I've seen if he can get it working. Can't wait to see the result.
The Ben Heck Show - Where good N64s go to die
Hi, Ben and team! I'm a mechanical engineering grad student. I know next to nothing about the N64's internal workings, but I really like heat transfer topics, so your overheating problem intrigued me. I ran some back-of-the envelope calculations, and it seemed like even a minimal heat sink would provide sufficient cooling, so I was confused about why your solution wasn't working. Then it hit me: I think you were putting an effective "choke point" in your heat sink by sandwiching it between 2 chips (Part 1, @13:25): there was plenty of area contacting each chip, and there was plenty of area exposed to the air, but between those surfaces was an area where heat had to travel through a cross section only as large as your heat sink's narrow thickness. I bet if you gave each chip a little "room to breathe" by laying them side by side or giving a little open space between stacked chips (in addition to whatever heat sinks you think make sense), it would help your heat problem a lot. Thanks for considering, love your show!
-Caleb
This was already an interesting episode when everything was looking like it was going well, but it became even more interesting to see things not go so well. Can't wait for the next episode!
I've always been intrigued by portable N64s. Can't wait for part 3! :D
I never understand nothing you are saying but 3 years and i still watch your videos
Don't turn back Ben! Awesome videos, truly thanks a lot for all the learning and entertainment.
Great episode, love these multi episode builds
I really CAN'T WAIT to see what is going to happen in the next episode!
Would the team consider making a portable Gamecube out of a Wii anytime? There are multiple schematics of people shrinking the motherboard of the Wii to the size smaller than of an iPhone and later revisions take less power output than a modern tablet, not to mention being able to use a standard USB controller instead of an OEM Gamecube one
Even the GameCube's motherboard can be shrunken quite a bit. It's called the OMGWTF cut because you need to be very careful trimming it that much.
Sam Za Nemesis Do you have a link?
Why don't you do it instead?
Its a shame that Wii needs the disk drive attached to load ROMs from USB hard drives. If there was a software hack that allowed it to do so it'd be insanely thin.
Golden Grenadier gamecube games you rip yourself run fine with Devolution over a slim usb stick (and no DD) and you can just reposition the usb traces to what you need, and jorenmartijn, the wii is much more sane to mess with than the gamecube plus it doesn't need specialized hardware that's missing on the market
Ben could also always just shrink the dvd drive to accomodate 8cm disks only :)
You just blew my mind, my whole childhood I wondered why sometimes I'd have to restart because Mario was walking by himself!!!
IAmGoombaSniper I really enjoyed the explanation. I recall reading that the stick had to be in the neutral position when starting the console in the controller manual that came with the console. Why, though, I never knew.
I enjoy watching the struggle. it makes his success so much sweeter.
awesome job so far. I love watching your videos
This is one of the coolest portable builds yet.
*nonchalantly completely rebuilds N64 controller like it's no big deal* Never change, Ben.
basically he will build a Nintendo Switch
:D
Floppy Bird no
***** yes
The design to me looked more like the 2DS then the Switch.
Oh so if it looks like one, it's basically one? right.
The switch is such fail.
Watching Ben laugh is very entertaining! Thanks for the persistence Ben.
I envy your skills (and workshop) so much... and, in my opinion, saying this case looks amazing is not enough.
You are so freakin' awesome Ben. I'd kill for even half of your smarts with this kind of stuff.
Thank you Ben, I was waiting for this!
I'm enjoying this build it's much more interesting when you have to troubleshoot as that's how everyone else makes portables there not supposed to be easy. Overall you seem to be putting much more effort in to this build thumbs up :)
Ben you are the best, you'll do it. Love this episodes!
That arduino map feature is a gift from the gods!
After years of running, Wolverine finally found a place to settled down away from prying eyes... Love the work Ben :D
You're bloody brilliant!!! Loving your videos - much props from the U.K. Oh
Ben, we want a Part 3 my man!
You are an absolute genius I wish I had a fraction of your electronics skills
hey ben, i really love watching your videos.... ur soldering and hacking skills are awsome
+The Ben Heck Show
Awesome video guys! One of my favorite (if not my all time favorite) "hack" videos yet from you guys! Can't wait to see the rest of the hack...and especially the end result! You'll probably have this finished and working beautifully before Nintendo releases the Switch!
😂😂😂lol😂😂😂
the laugh at the end, priceless :) continue on and forward team, i can't wait to see the completed project :) :) , even if it doesn't look too enjoyable because of the tough to mod n64 hardware!!!
The last part had me in stiches XD But such a shame that it failed due to heat :(
Finally! Ben is having to go all out with a portable build!
I understand like 30% of what he's saying and I'm still hooked. Wish I had a modicum amount of his knowledge of game systems and electronics.
It doesn't have an awful analog stick. It has a very fragile one that wears out easily.
The n64 stick if in good condition in my opinion works better than the majority of sticks on later systems, including Nintendo ones.
This is of course undermined by how easy it is to wear through the internal plastic parts, at which point it becomes a loose, unresponsive piece of junk.
If you can figure out a reliably way to counteract it's tendency to wear out, it's great. Otherwise, it's kinda useless.
Also the memory card is probably that complicated because it's another generic kind of expansion port.
As demonstrated by it supporting memory cards, the rumble pack, a microphone attachment, and a device that reads gameboy cartridges, amongst other things.
Which means... this n64 portable will support NONE of those things, given what you appear to be planning.
Seems like some really poorly thought out design choices where usability of this thing is concerned...
Exactly! I always thought the N64 stick was the best (in proper condition of course).
Did you use others? In terms of control, accuracy, and comfort, I fell in love with with the PS1 at first touch :D After that, I despised the N64.
Patrick Hawthorne looking back at Goldeneye now, it sucks. We only thought it was good because it was one of the only 4 player multiplayer shooters back then.
I own a perfectly good "stick". So I don't know what you're getting at,
I was really looking forward to this project being completed. Ahhh man
Awesome the 2nd part of the episode is here :)
Your damn cellphone notifications are faintly able to be heard in the background... just enough to make me keep grabbing my phone!
Love this build !
This is awesome possum part two!
I kinda want to build one... actually... NVM, but I love watching it built!
your way of deducting how things work is fascinating to me.
That end slate had me rolling.
Been waiting for this!
Thank you so much Ben this video helps so much
Great episode! if I had a dollar for every failed project in my project grave yard, I'd be able to retire and take my family on a cruise! I cant wait to see this one finished!
"Don't worry, we're not giving up on this project!"
Yeah...
Nice! I like the idea!
i love the end reel with ben losing his mind
Ben and his team are geniuses.
I found you recently, damn ben i love your videos, and i makes me want to get into DIY consoles
ben heck is a beast. and he has the patience of a saint
thank you to every technology developer ever!!!!
Nice work i have been playing n64 games using emulation games are great never looked at a n64 before .
I thoroughly enjoyd the modified Daytona USA reference.
I love this show. Got the Daytona Racing reference. Cool. A Sega reference in a Nintendo build!
I know it's a toughie, but I love this project.
this was difficult to hack really .. and u did it ..awesome
gj ben and his team ! nice show !
Wolverine Heck is back!
Ben Heck is my hero.
I feel like you are forgetting this was basically the first analog stick available to console gamers. Remember Sony did not make its dual analog controller until later. It's terrible but give it some slack.
the Atari 5200 had an analog stick
@@RetroCheater81 Which absolutely sucked and wasn't self-centering. I think it was a "standard" true analogue stick, which could have been a factor in why Nintendo didn't go down that path.
Hahaha oh my god, if I ever watch Revenge of the Sith again, there is no way I'm not going to hear "AH HAH! YIPPEE!" at the end. Well played, sir. Well played.
Aw man it was looking good to Ben!
Can't wait to see Ben's Nintendo Switch laptop!
I didn't realize the 5200 had an analog stick. I thought the Vectrex was the first with that feature, although the release dates for the two consoles look close.
Well, the concept is pretty old. Or at least, joysticks are. And of course the paddle controllers are similar technology in some ways.
It'd be interesting to properly try and trace this technology and the concepts back through history and see where they really originated from...
Are you sick, or do you just really dislike the N64?
Ben has made an N64 portable before and since it's so difficult, he didn't want to do it again. However, his viewers kept nagging, and thus this project was born.
When is part 3 coming, i can't wait to see the final product :D
Wow, this is a throw back. I still the "Hacking video game consoles" book on my shelf.
"Walk out backwards" by Bill Anderson is the song you were referencing. Lol. Good song.
Mr. Ben is eating through that 30 million base. BY the time he's done, the N64 would be more of a collector item than a NEO GEO AES.
I'm glad that they are trying to make the case look like something in the Nintendo family, I feel like ben often half asses the case design.
Please do a project you really want to do next. It's great that you listen to the community but I like watching this show when you are having fun. :/
wow, what a challenge! don´t give up!!
Some N64 memcards (controller paks to be more accurate) had flash memory inside instead of battery backed ram, that would have been more convenient. The one I have also has bank switches so it is effectively 4 controller paks in one, which is convenient considering certain games like World Driving Championship use up an ENTIRE controller pak all by themselves.
Love it keep it coming!
There are gamecube style replacement sticks for the N64 available online which are both a modern version of analog tech and less prone to wear out compared to the original ones.
Hey Ben. Thanks for making this video because it is quite obvious that it's not one of your favorite builds, but I'm looking forward to the last vid!! Also why do you use such a small screen for testing??
*_many_*_ N64s were harmed in the making of this video_
Still want to see the end result, tough :D
Well Ben... I'm not sure if you know this but the modern standard analog stick is the Variable Resistor Analog Stick introduced by the Vectrex and further improved by Sony. And Nintendo was kind-of oblivious regarding the Vectrex but Sony knew about it and that's why Sony got the technology and Nintendo found their own way to do it taking inspiration from PC mouses (back then mouses had a track ball underneath). The way the N64 analog stick works is very much like an old 90s mouse and Nintendo already had prior experience with mouses (remember the SNES mouse?).
Ben, I have to ask...are you a hypnotist? I only ask because I know exactly nothing about engineering but love all of your videos. it's weird too because I find myself nodding, smiling and talking to myself, saying things like "oh...I get it.", "that totally makes sense!" and my favorite "that's what I was thinking" . The problem is... I DON'T get it. I have no idea what you're talking about ¾ of the time, but for some reason, not only am I enjoying the video, I somehow trick myself into thinking I understand what you're saying. Put it this way. I still know nothing about all the circuit board, wire thingy, microchip doo dad stuff you're talking about, but I'd almost swear I know more than I did before watching your videos. So whatever you're doing that keeps me watching your videos, keep up the great work. If any TH-cam channel was gonna secretly hypnotize me and cause me to watch, I'm glad it's yours. At least here I can learn something. I think...I dunno, it could be worse, I could have some jack ass like Markiplier sending me subliminal messages to watch him be an idiot.
your such a Legend Ben Heck!!! :D
that joke in the credits was great XD
Pulling out the joystick on the N64 controller changes the entire design. That controller and joystick are the most iconic piece of the system. I would see if I could take the actual stick off the original N64 controller and put it on the modern analogue stick. That said, I'm never doing this.
Você é muito inteligente meu amigo, queremos parte 3.
I'm a fan of these types of episodes. Doing some extreme changes and going into detail. Previous episodes and series seemed rushed and were not as interesting. A small part of me wants to see things I could possibly make, while the other side loves these nearly impossible, electronics-jedi-master level mods. Very much enjoying this series.