N64 self-destruction?

I picked up a trio of back issues of Game Informer the other day, and, as I was leafing through them, reading the articles/reviews that interested me, I came across an interview with Ben Heck, the famous custom console/handheld fabricator. He was asked what was the worst system to work with, and he said the N64 because (and I'm paraphrasing here, 'cuz I'm not at home right now, so I don't have the magazine with me) "it pretty much self destructs on you".

I've never taken apart my N64 (nor do I have any intentions of doing so), as, other than getting dusty, it's never given me any problems.

I'm just really curious, for those of you that have messed with a N64's innards, what exactly is he referring to? Shoddy construction (which I would think is unlikely, as Nintendo generally makes quality stuff), or did Nintendo just design the thing in such a way that it does "self destruct" if you try to mess with it?

I have no idea. The N64 does have a lot of small SMD parts that are difficult for a hobbyist to work on, I could see wrecking shit if you are trying to do anything more than the standard RGB mods.

It's not like a board w a suicide battery on it. I imagine he just means it's easy to really screw it up if you're not careful when doing something as pointless as making a portable N64.

Seeing as how he likes to cut up and rewire boards to make them into compact handhelds, I figure what he's referring to is the quality of the N64 mainboard, which might not be very good.

I used to idolize Ben Heck.. until I started modding. I now respect him, but look at his messy work and recognize that it could be cleaner.

his handheld MVS is a good example.

If you've ever seen Ben's soldering skills, it explains a lot.

I asked Console5 about an N64 cap kit and they basically said that they're so well made that it's not worth selling one. I've RGB modded several and never saw anything inside that scared me. In fact, they seem extremely well made, with huge heat sinks and nice components.

The only improvement that I usually make to N64s is to replace the thermal compound of the heat-sink sandwich inside, which brings down the temps nicely.

From what I remember, they use I think a thermal pad/tape. But that could be another console.

Xian Xi said:

From what I remember, they use I think a thermal pad/tape. But that could be another console.

Click to expand...

The DC uses a thermal pad

Well, Ben Heck freely admits that he's just a hobbyist (I believe he was a graphic designer by trade until he started taking up modding/customizing), so, I suppose some of his methodology could be questionable. But, as I don't know how to do any of that type of stuff myself, I'm certainly in no position to judge his technical know-how.

Anyway, here's the quote [if you're interested, the full interview can be found in the March 2011 issue (#215) of Game Informer--there's also a great Nolan Bushnell (Atari founder) interview in that volume too]:

(Game Informer) What's been your favorite project to work on?

(Ben Heck) I don't know. The Xbox 360 laptop has been pretty popular, so I've enjoyed that. There are certainly projects that I've worked on that I hated. The N64 is the flakiest system ever built. You take it apart and it self-destructs. It's ridiculous. It's just terrible.

He doesn't elaborate any further than that, which is why I was hoping that some of you might have some additional insight about what he was referring to specifically regarding the N64's architecture.

Xian Xi said:

From what I remember, they use I think a thermal pad/tape. But that could be another console.

Click to expand...

Yep, the N64 does indeed use thermal pads.

That's funny, because the N64 is, in my experience, by far the most reliable home console ever built. Having worked at a game store for years, I can confidently say no other system comes close in this regard. N64 boards must not be accommodating to hack, because they are beasts otherwise.

Well, if the thing did indeed "self-destruct", I imagine the sheer amount of shrapnel from that things heat sink would wreck your shit.

I remember seeing this video on the EEVBlog:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScicrgZwvg4

Someone sends Dave an N64, and Dave knows NOTHING about video games, so he does a teardown of it from the perspective of an electrical engineer. I think the only odd comment he made on it was the strange design of the heatsink, and how it wasn't optimal.