Last session the ribbon wire was pitched too wide for the MAV-NUS pads. This session fixed that.
The Right Wire
Ordered correctly pitched ribbon wire — about six dollars on Amazon for way more than you need. Pulled the old incorrect cable by heating and peeling, which left all 12 pads tinned and ready. That part went cleaner than expected.
Rebuilt the ribbon from scratch: stripped the new wire in bundles of three, tinned each end individually, then soldered to the pads in groups of three using drag solder. Doing it in threes is the move. Trying to land all 12 pads at once is how you end up with bridges and a rework session.
Tim Worthington Mod Chip Installation
Once the ribbon was complete, the Tim Worthington RGB mod chip went down on double-sided tape and got connected under the microscope. Drag solder on the chip pads, IPA flush, full inspection afterward.
One questionable connection between the blue and purple pad was noted and logged. D0 is red, pin order confirmed. If there’s an issue on test, there’s already a specific location to check.
This is considered one of the harder N64 mods. Third or fourth time doing it, and the microscope makes all the difference. The result this time is something worth being proud of.
About an Hour In
The back said enough around an hour in. Leaning forward for precision work under a microscope is rough on the spine, and pushing through pain isn’t the approach anymore. Moving to shorter pop-up sessions from here. A test stream is scheduled for the following day.
One thing visible on the board at the close of stream: the BlueRetro on/off switch. That mod is already done and in place.
Rob streams live repairs and builds every Tuesday and Saturday at 7pm Eastern on Twitch. The Bonus Life N64 build — a complete custom Nintendo 64 being rebuilt from scratch and given away July 3rd, 2026 — is the current main series.