Repairing a Nintendo 64 console

[ub3rman123]

I've had a Nintendo 64 for about a year now and, recently, it's suffered from some liquid damage brought on by a cat and stopped working. I plan on opening it up to see if I can at least clean it out and get it working again, as right now it turns on, but doesn't actually seem to connect to the television. Is there anything I need to watch out for in doing this?

[Thor.]

I see you to have a n64, i have one still working after 15 years or so. Even my snes is working like it just came out of the box.

 

You could get it working by opening it up, I had to do that with my snes and games. You can get a certain screw set online, but i forgot which kind. Its been awhile sense i booted mine.

 

Nostalgia, i still think snes was better then the n64. maybe because it had true digital sound. Same chip set as the amiga commodore

Edited March 3, 2013 by Thor.

[Illiad86]

Did the cat spill water on it or was it pee? Cat pee is very high in ammonia and could possibly corrode some of the connections.

 

I've never opened a N64, but I'm sure it's got a buncha weird screws (like star shaped, square, etc.). Make sure you have the right screwdrivers for it, otherwise you can strip them. They sell Allen (key) wrenches in those kinda shapes. Open it up, clean whatever water (if there still is any), and clean the connections with 91% (or higher if you can find it) rubbing alcohol.

 

What do you mean "but doesn't actually seem to connect to the television"? You plug it into the TV and what? Weird lines, colours? If you have extra connections, test it with those.

Edited March 5, 2013 by Illiad86

[Vagrant0]

For all the effort and everything, you might actually be better off either considering how much you actually still use it, or just buying a used one through amazon or ebay, or gamestop (if they still bother with defunct hardware). You could probably get one for about the cost of shipping (or a tool set).

[ub3rman123]

Yeah, the cat took a leak on the cardboard box it was sitting in. I'm not sure how much actually, but the console smells rather strongly. As to its function, nothing appears on the screen, but you can hear the audio click on as it turns on (No sound, but the connection sound is audible).

 

I may end up looking into getting a new one. I remember my local library was actually selling one for a quarter, but it's not there now. Maybe one will show up.

[Thor.]

Here is a decent walk through on how to repair and fix the n64, if its water damage, it could be a goner I'm afraid.

 

 

http://www.ifixit.com/Device/Nintendo_64

[ub3rman123]

I've found this guide on forging a tool to open these blasted screws.. I'll likely try out the pen method this weekend, and the screwdriver if that doesn't work.

 

Meanwhile, I am noticing that the expansion pack (?) port is quite calcified. Maybe cleaning that off a bit will help out too.

[Thor.]

Now i wanna play Zelda majoras mask Holograph addition lol. Dude its bringing back memories, also i have a upscaler that makes it playable on a 42inch lcd :teehee: Down side is i lost my controller ):

 

One thing about the n64 the resolution was extremely low, compared to the snes.

Edited March 6, 2013 by Thor.

[ub3rman123]

Well, that didn't work. I guess I'll just find a new one on eBay. The consoles themselves seem fairly cheap; it's just the games and controllers that went up in price.

[Illiad86]

Your local craigslist might be a good place to look too. I always see N64s on mine..although I've seen far too many people charging like $150 for one :down: Think it's made of gold or something haha.