Part I – Getting Started and Tools Needed

Getting started can be the most intimidating part of a project like this if it’s something brand new to you, which is why a starter kit like this is a helpful tool to help you complete it. Do understand though that this is kind of project does take some upfront investment in the way of tools and materials that are not going to be included, but fortunately you can scale these expenses to suit your budget.

  • Tool Overview & Consumables

The following gives a brief overview of the tools and materials you’re going to need at minimum to get started. Most are fairly basic, cheap and available through craft stores or Amazon. However, certain examples like the the Soldering Iron, you might not want to go too cheap on because having a decent iron can make all the difference in the world when it comes to quality and ease of use.

  • A decent rotary tool like a Dremel or Black & Decker. This is pretty much a standard for any hobbyist and will be very useful for trimming the N64 mother board and/or making any casing or component modifications.
  • A 3/8″ Drill/Driver and a 82 Degree Counter Sink Bit. This is necessary if you plan to get into the fine parts of case making where you can recess mounting screws or give a bit of chamfer around the buttons to give them a bit of a more finished look.
  • Rosin Core 60/40 Solder in both .038″ diameter for the power and bigger wiring jobs and a spool of .015″ diameter for you more fine connections like with the controller. I personally like using leaded solder, but lead free will work alright as well.

 

 

Continue to Part II