N64 Upgrade RGB Amp Kit Installation Instructions

SAFETY:
Please take proper safety precautions when dealing with electronics and soldering. Have proper ventilation and a clean work area. Research basic soldering technique if in doubt.  I cannot be held responsible for any damages that could occur to you or your equipment while following  the procedures present on this Website.  





Why Upgrade?
The N64 did not output RGB when released. Once upgraded the N64 puts out the best analog video signal possible.

Special Note: Some of the images in this guide show older kits.   The install method is the same.
This RGB amp only works for the early N64 consoles. Look for serial numbers starting with NS1.  These early model contain compatible mothers boards marked NUS-01, NUS-02,  NUS-03 & NUS-04


This Kit can be purchased from my store here

Supplies Needed:
- N64 RGB cable.
- Small piece of electrical tape.
- Soldering skills!
- The 4.5mm bit that opens the console(I sell these in my store)
- Philips head screwdriver
- Soldering iron & solder

Read this Awesome "Soldering is Easy – Comic" for Basic 101s of soldering click here.

Installation:
Start by removing all 4.5 bit screws from the bottom side of console. There are six total. Also remove the jumper pack before separated console shell.


Next, Remove all screws around the motherboard as shown in photo (red dots only). Make note of different screws sizes and keep them organized.  View my photo for reference.

Now it is time to prep the RGB amp.  The back side of the board has no exposed conductive metal.  Though to insure reliability I prefer adding a piece of electrical tape to the section shown in the photo.




Next,  Place the RGB Amp over the multi-out pins. Make sure it slides over all the pins.
For the sake of simplicity, solder all the pins down to the pcb.  In the near future I will update which pins are actually active in the circuit.




Next, locate this spot on the motherboard:
This location is very important, study it closely before soldering. Each hole is labeled on the motherboard. R8=Red output , R9=Green output, R10=Blue output. If this location is not on your motherboard you do not have an early NS1 N64.


Soldering hookup wire:  Measure and cut the wires to proper length and solder them to the corresponding pads on the Amp. Most prefer to strip the wire and slightly twist the strands. Next add a small amount of solder to wire tip. Trim wire tips to very small 2-3mm in bare length. Using long wires in the R8/R9/R10 vias will cause malfunction and touch another IC chip.

Do this to every wire before soldering to it's location. This is called "tinning" your wire. Very important step and makes you installation cleaner and more reliable.



Solder each wire to the locations shown. Beware of large blobs of solder, work patiently.
Avoid long leads and do not allow uninsulated wire to touch surrounding parts on the motherboard.


Next add a small amount of solder to each RGB pad on the pcb amp.




Next, solder each R/G/B wire to the corresponding amp pad. Keep the wire tips short to avoid hitting the metal RF shield when replaced.

Amp Pads Explained
R=Red Input
G=Green Inout
B=Blue

Y= Luma (Ignore, only relevant on SNES Svideo enabled amps)
C= Chromo (Ignore, only relevant on SNES Svideo enabled amps)
CS=CSNYC (Ignore, only relevant on SNES installs)

When finished your installation should look like this.  



Now it is time to replace the bottom metal shielding.  The Amp is very slim and designed to rest beneath the edge of the shielding as seen in the photo. Make sure your wires are soldering with short tips and not touching the underside of metal shielding. If the shielding is hitting the amp or wire you can gently bend the shielding tab out of the way.




Remember, the memory module has to be plugged in, or the N64 will not boot.

Done!  Reassemble your console and start testing some games!


Scart Cables: 

Note:  N64 motherboard revisions NUS-CPU-01 or NUS-CPU-02 (and most -03’s), have csync routed to the multiout.

Please contact me for more information on using Csync on NUS-CPU-04 motherboards.