n64 pal ntsc mod.

Shaved, meaning? Like sanding away the part/ID model number?

 

Yea. They shave/sand the part numbers off the ICs.

 

I'm just interested in seeing how they've implemented it. There must also be some reason why they've decided not to offer it as a kit version yet.

 

Ahhh, well never know. They might forget to remove the part numbers for Marmotta's... Only we can hope

 

Maybe send the unit to an engineer to get them decapped, not cheap about $500 a chip from memory..
Sometimes they don't shave the ic's enough and you can wet them and you can read the part numbers

 

Are you mabye looking for those pictures?



One more: http://s7.directupload.net/images/140911/wlmv4g6d.jpg

 

Dual PIF's with IC based Auto switching ?

How much was the mod?

Are you able to desolder the wires and scan both sides of that PCB?

wet the IC (a tiny bit) and see if there are any part numbers.. Those chips look a little like PIF's

If they are pif's im guessing the smaller IC's are some sort of flip flop and they just constantly are switched unless the cart boots (there are bound to be points on the mobo which have differant signals depending on lockout state

 

It is very nice that otakus store is selling kit and modded console using knowledge that people share for free and gently returns whit shaved IC when he do something "new"!

They really look like PIFs...

 

To be honest, I would probably do the same if I was able to come up with a fully working solution on my own. It is rather funny that he's shaved the THS7314 on the RGB amp in the pic above though, given that it is used in pretty much every DIY RGB amplification mod.

 

Anyone looked more into what the extra chips are??

 

I saw this mod recently, I wasn't aware a region mod was even possible, it's cool that there is one (even if its currently "exclusive" to one store). It'll be great once it's up and running, since you won't need to modify the case to make the cartridge fit like you have to with the SNES.

 

Well, the two big chips are pretty clearly PIFs - those 4 16-lead SSOPs at the lower part of the board seem to be quad 2-input analog switches - maybe TI TS3A44159 based on what I can see of the connections. I guess the 14 pin SOP that's under the wires is some sort of MCU - maybe something like an ATtiny20 or one of the low pin count PICs.

There is not really much to say about it - it's basically the old mod that used a mechanical switch but implemented using analog switch chips and a MCU for switching - although I have to admit that its probably cheaper than my proposed CPLD design.

 

I was asking about a method like this on EEVblog a while ago, seems this answered my question

 

Any more photos of this Pcb?
if someone has one can you please upload a clear photo of the top and bottom of the circuit so we can see where traces go
also where the wires are going to the mother board, presuming they just go to the pads where the pif was and the 30awg wires are going to a point that changes depending on if the console is locked or unlocked. So the Pcb must just be auto switching till the cpu puts out the correct signal saying the system is unlocked :/

hell lol if be happy just using a physical switch but there are too many pins for that so this is. Why a ic solution is needed


thanks guys

 

So someone suggested a rather crude but cheap and effective solution.
a bunch of SMD telecom DTDP relays. That would make the mod only cost $25 (plus a PIF).

these relays have a very small package size, still bigger than this mod shown but should still fit inside a n64(and look really cool too, if you get clear ones )

 

Well that mod is too much expensive for a ~20 years old console imho.
It's wonderful not to have any keys to be pressed while using your games, but this can't really cost 200€, considering it's "just" a remaster of publicly available knowledge.
Wouldn't it be easier just to rely on the old mod with IC analog switches to activate lines accordingly? That implis a uC and using the reset button to decide which country to go.
Actually I'd be enthusiast to create some pcb to try this out, but I can't find any PIF(P)-NUS for my ntsc n64...

 

I knew the 6-switch mod was available, but wasn't sure how good it was. Seeing that there is an automatic-switching solution is nice. I presumed it was possible, but no one ever really bothered. A lot of PAL N64 games, at least here, are quite expensive compared to their US counterparts, so having a modded console that I can use them on (and perhaps being able to use my console with a 64DD, without needing another N64) would be so great.

I don't like the whole shaving the IC thing, though. Seems pretty dodgy to me. I mean, if they're using actual Nintendo PIFs, then okay, I can see why they might do it for legal reasons, but the rest of them? It's more of a "please don't copy us because we want the monopoly on it so we can charge people dumb prices", which is mostly all of what I have seen from Otaku's Store. They seem to be dedicated to creating mods that other people have only dreamed of, and whilst that's great, having a public knowledge about the mods is a lot more interesting (and useful) to me and other people. I guess it's just business for them, but I don't like it.

On another note, shouldn't there be a way to replicate the PIF chips, or perhaps make an all-in-one solution, sort of like the SNES' SuperCIC mod? Or is that just too ambitious?

 

Would you really need $25 worth of relays though? According to this diagram, it seems that only 5 pins on each PIF chip are actually needed to switch between the two.


This information will also be useful here:

So the circuit would detect the sync pulse, and switch to the appropriate PIF chip through the relays (or a bus switch). Am I onto something or way off?

 

Using sync is a good idea
apart from grounds and vcc you will want to isolate every pin.

 

In the same thread that picture was posted, it was corrected that its not enough lines and you need more.