VGRestore Ep10: 3 n64s (No Video, No Sound, & Black Screen)

Attempting a repair on 3 N64 consoles, one has no video at all, one has no audio, and the last one displays only a black screen.

N64 #1 No Video 1:35
N64 #2 No Sound 4:26
N64 #3 Black Screen 8:54

[waelhareedy]

I appreciate your recommendation. I had a problem with console with no sound and replaced the cap you mentioned. Thank you a million

[Bruceanddenise]

Thanks for the video! I just got my first N64 and was advertised with no video.

[snfullif]

Thank you bub! I got a N64 cheep. No video output. Followed your troubleshooting, got it to work! The jumper pack needed to be reseated. Thanks for the help!

[SuperLuigiGuy]

I bought an n64 off ebay with the black screen issue. It was a dirty cart connector. 😅 I also recapped it and added a region free 3d printed cart slot. It was a fun time repairing it.

[acuraintegrar]

Thanks for the vid!! I tried what you showed on cleaning and now my system works!! Thanks again!

[emmettturner]

The one with no audio was C28.

I know because I captured myself on video when I accidentally shocked it with 12v and instantly restored audio. That was a year and a half ago and it still works. It was also a NUS-CPU-09. C28 didn’t have the mark to indicate lead-free but I’m reasonably sure that Panasonic had already begun reformulating their electrolytic capacitors for RoHS compliance (Reduction of Hazardous Substances, AKA lead-free or Pb-free) for the caps that went into these late-model consoles. They aren’t missing the stabilizer like the Taiwanese caps that were made with half of a stolen Japanese formula but they still fail faster than the originals from the ‘90s.

I had already replaced the output caps and the AMP-NUS chip with no improvement so I decided to see if the chip was even getting power. I proved pin 1 and got nearly 12v but my probe slipped. My probe momentarily bridged pins 1 & 2 sending 12v into C28. It’s rated 25v so it shouldn’t hurt anything but it definitely had an effect! I’d link the video but it’d probably get the comment filtered. Pin 2 from AMP-NUS goes nowhere else and I know it wasn’t zapping the NUS-AMP that changed anything because I had already swapped out the chip. It may look like the trace to pin 2 also goes through a via but that via is vestigial and goes nowhere.

[Sergi]

Dunno if you will see this or remember the first console board, but what do you think was the issue? Would reflowing the IC connections have been a worthwhile try? And when you take down a N64 board; do you use thermal past when reapplying the heat-sinks or is it not needed?

[audiogear]

Good vid-Most video issues are cleaning issues like you said. Here are a couple more no video problems that aren't game connector related. Sometimes the mainboard connector going to the power supply will be dirty causing no voltage on one of pins. If you have voltage going into board but low voltage on 3.3 or 5 volt lines suspect a bad IC. I'll give one example. I bought one off Ebay a few months ago and description said untested. I got it and guy had already changed the 2 large ICs and all caps. It ended up being the video DAC that was problem. This was easy to detect just by lifting the pins going to the supply and voltage returned to what it was supposed to. Hope this helps someone.

[Nesmaniac]

My N64 which I purchased new in Feb 2001 has the clear green cartridge tray, that's apparently how the later ones came but all the older ones I've been in has been gray.

[pikachu]

The second N64 with the green funtastic cartridge slot probably was that way from the factory. Many later revisions of the N64 reused the green cartridge slots from the funtastic series, probably leftovers that Nintendo had. The fact that it has the revised heat sink pretty much confirms my theory.

[XHAOS]

Those green cart slots do come in some of the standard black N64s. The jungle green ones usually have clear ones.

[paullefur]

Thanks bud, you really have set me up for a non working N64 i got coming .

[SoloKeita]

@4:33 I also have the NUS-CPU-09 from the year 2000 with the same problem, no sound. I'm so glad I found this videos because I suspect that a new cap will fix mine as well. Mine is the Pokemon Special Edition N64 with Pikachu on it and you should know that mine also has a clear green cartridge tray and it doesn't look like anyone has ever been in it. I have done a continuity test on the those 4 capacitors that you mentioned and the very left one at "C24" on the board has no continuity. These are the caps that say "33 EHA 0N4" on them. I am going to replace that when I get a chance and I will report back.

[CleetusSilversurfer]

I have my second N64 that has no picture and no sound either... I'll try to recap them. Very strange, as both of them are Japanese N64s. Maybe they used some surplus Game Gear capacitors? :D Those get bad fairly quickly as well.

[peco_de_guile]

Would love to see a deeper dive on the first No Video unit. And MAN, that third unit was gross!

[bradpitel]

Thanks for the vids man. Saved me from having to buy a "new" one. After scrubbing it down with IPA, I found I had like lint in my cartridge slot. Wouldn't have looked there if it wasn't for your vid of you pulling stuff out and then getting a signal. Like and Sub'd now.

[michjem]

Thanks for the videos. They have helped me fix a couple n64s in the past. Recently I got one that turned on and had no image but then the red light cut off and it killed my ac adapter. Have you ever ran into anything like this?

[kermitthegaminghermit]

Awesome job! I've got one that is the same way that I picked up from a junk yard along with an official red and an official green controller. Hoping a good scrubbing for me does the trick like it did for you!

[arlingtontrains]

We’re you able to fix the first one after this video?, great job on the other two sir!

[claudioaverna]

Hi in the last part of the video where you remove the card connector you don't show how you put back, my question is it needs to be soldered back to the mother board or just plug back ? Cheers very good video 👌😎