Pal n64 carts with NTSC N64 console

[Suvinay]

I have soem Pal version N64 cartridges which Iwant to play on NTSC N64 console.
How can I do this? I don't want to purchase some adapter or kit as they are difficult to find in India.
Can I do th modification myself? Any instructions?
THanks!

[NFG]

The PAL and NTSC versions of the N64 use a different lockout chip, the only way to play these games on the other console is to either wire up a second of these chips (by sacrificing a PAL system) or buying the convertor, sorry.

[Guest]

Hey Lawrence, do you know of a guide for doing this somewhere?
I just bought a NTSC N64 since I'm hungering for some R, G and B, so I might as well sacrifice my old PAL N64 (although I will miss it   ).

And what about Japanese carts? Do I need to molest a Japanese N64 for that as well?

[Sumez]

..and that was me, forgetting to log in.

[phreak97]

is there anyone out there who could possibly send me just the lockout chip from an american 64? shipping for a whole console is too expensive

[Sumez]

I really can't find any information anywhere on how to play Japanese games on an American N64. All I find is links to an old IGN article which no longer exists.
Also a lot of site talk of the Passport import adapter. I noticed this is mainly UK sites, though..

Does this mean a US N64 plays Japanese games fine, as long as you can get the carts into the connector?
Surely someone here must know at least that much.

EDIT: Found out this, no reason to respond. US N64 plays Japanese games, wow.

[Sumez]

After looking around for a long time, I finally found this:
http://d4s.scyence.net/main/mods/l33tmod.htm

It seems fine. However, I'm not too happy about all those switches. I'd think it was enough with the power switch, but that's apparently not the case.

He also has a mod which sacrifices a PAL cart in order to place its CIC chip in the PAL N64 ( http://d4s.scyence.net/main/mods/cheapmod.htm ). As he mentions, the downside of this mod is that it only works with old games that don't check what CIC chip is used.

Wouldn't it be possible to avoid a few of the switches by combining the two mods? That is, taking both a US and a PAL CIC chip, and wiring only some of the pins to the corresponding PIF chips (I was thinking of using only one chip, but that would still require the switches - doh!).

My point is that surely ALL FOUR cart->PIF connections can't be used by the software check. By installing CIC chips on the PIF chips, the switches would only be used for the connections that do (+the power switch). But since I haven't been able to find out exactly how the software check works, I can't work with this idea. :|
Any inputs?

[dj898]

so let me get this right...
to do the mod described in the above link I will need PAL as well as NTSC N64 since you can't simply buy the chip off NTSC N64... well what's the point if I need to get both PAL and NTSC consoles? I might just use both then...

[Guest]

With just about every other import mod, that is true. You might as well get the other machine. While, there are the advantages of using one machine for all your games, one PSU, etc. etc., I guess the main reason for modding your machine is not to play imports, but because multi region is cool.

With N64, it's another case, though, as it's not possible to get RGB output on a PAL N64 (at least not easily.. there's an active thread about that issue on these forums). I'd like to play my PAL games with a better picture, so that's really why I want to mod my N64.

[Endymion]

Seems the easiest solution is to get an NTSC N64, and mod it for RGB. That should be about as multiregion as you reasonably need it to be.

[Sumez]

Not when all your games are PAL.
I could use an adapter, but I'm gonna make this mod. Just for the heck of it, and to document it.
And I'm just gonna have to live with five switches. I'll have to find a relay or, preferably, a switch that handles five connections at once.