Nintendo 64 - Region mod

Is it possible to direct wire a Nintendo 64 game cic to make it region free? (I guess i have to cut some traces)
or is it not that easy?

Also is it possible to take the ?Motherboard CIC? from a NTSC system and put it in a PAL system? (To play NTSC-"J" in 50hz)


I got the ideas from this adapter.

 

N64 has color mode in hardware. hz and resolution in software.

Normally you'll need a PAL60 ready TV.
The PAL system defaults (unless modified otherwise) NTSC games to their original 60hz, at NTSC number of lines. Except with PAL color.

 

There are multiple CIC variants so wiring one to to the MB only gives you partial compatibility, although most games use 6102 (NTSC) / 7101 (PAL). Wiring the internal PIF chip from another region's N64 parallel to the local PIF has worked for me quite well, but it needed 9 pins switched.

 

Yeah the hardware mod idea probably isn't very cost effective unless you're confident to do it yourself. By the time one paid shipping/parts/labor to have another person add NTSC support, it'll still IIRC have less somewhat less compatibility than a normal NTSC N64.

Though I can't say much about PAL N64. I doubt I've even spotted one single cartridge in person with my own eyes. Let alone the console.

 

Really, you're better off owning both systems then "trying" to make one region free, besides the tabs are different sizes so you'd have to cut or remove the whole door part.

 

You can just remove the tabs... no need to remove the door.

But, my kingdom for a PIF (CIC) clone like supercic

 

Thank you all for your help.

 

No problem. Most anything PAL is rare as all heck here, makes me a bit jealous or something. Reminds me I'll one of these days want to get a euro gamecube and dreamcast game to test my modchip...

 

I have a bunch of misc dreamcast games.

If you dont want anything in particular, I am sure there is something you can have for just postage.

 

I need to get a PAL Gamecube but mainly so that I can have RGB output without needing a component cable.

 

All you have to do is ask

 

Forgot to mention, I've been looking for that spare expansion pak but I can't seem to find it now. I've only got <10 N64s so one of them must have it, wherever it is.

 

Hey guys, not sure if this has been asked, but can you remove the "key" from a cheap game, disable the lines going to the cart slot and wire up the cart "key"? I have done this before to a PAL SNES as a poor man's region, the only thing is it breaks compatibilty with SA-1 chipped games. If worst comes to worst I guess you could switch between the stock lock lines to the added key?

 

There are import oriented cartridges that do just that by having you insert a cartridge into the back. The N64 will read the CIC from the cart hanging out the back and boot the game from the top.

 

Might give this a crack then, I don't have any NTSC games, but it's an excuse to grab some! If it fails no biggie as I have a couple of NTSC boards here (I got 2 Pikachu N64's and "Australian-ised" them with PAL boards).

 

If you take a dremel to the inside corners of the N64, that will make any cartridge fit. Perfect fix for getting Japanese games to play, but getting PAL games to play is a different story.

A year or two back, I read something about a guy who supposedly got it to work by doing some sort of crazy contraption by taking the video parts of a PAL N64 and making a switch box (it was all inside the N64). I remember it being extremely complicated, and it still needed a converter box to get it to work on an NTSC TV. Either way, your best bet is to probably just get a PAL N64 with a converter box and leave it alone.

 

Do you need to do anything to an N64 in order to get a US model to run Japanese games, other than removing the tabs?

 

Nothing. There's little difference between US vs Japan N64. Just a removable dust cover.
Much like SNES, just do whatever's necessary to drill/saw/scissors/dremel those tabs away.

N64 Gameshark may also work to some extent. Its shell is shaped to convert both directions.

Gamecube is a matter of installing US/Japan toggle switch, similar to Genesis.