N64 part creation overview – 6.2
This brief section explores the primary benefits and drawbacks of N64 part creation. There are multiple approaches to production, but factors like budget and technical expertise greatly influence the process. Notably, the opportunity to manufacture parts is now accessible to individuals with intelligence and a modest amount of capital. While it requires an investment, the abundance of ongoing mods and projects is highly promising. Please see below for details.
3D printing
Pros:
- Cheap
- Very cheap
- Lots of material options
- El Mans parts are made this way
- Prostick64 parts are made this way
- Cheap
- Customisable (colours, flair)
- Possibly bad for the environment (But may be able to use recycled materials)
Cons
- The quality of print may be not worth the price due to the post processing required
- Inconsistencies from print to print
- Shitty prints. again
- Experience with CAD/3d modeling needed
Injection moulding
Pros
- As close to oem as you’re going to get
- 1 mould with get you 1000s of usable gears
- Precision N64 part creation method
- Just the best way to get as close to a classic gear as possible.
Cons
- EXPENSIVE
- Start-up costs are extreme
- Possibly bad for the environment
- It will take you a long time to recoup costs on something like this.
- Experience with CAD/3d modeling needed
Refurbishment/modification
Pros
- Can be cheap as you have the parts already
- Using OEM parts, no moulds or designing needed
- If done properly will work perfectly
- How Steelsticks64 makes his gears
Cons
- Very VERY time consuming
- If you mess up, you may ruin the part
- You will need tools and materials to do a proper refurb
- Calibration may be difficult
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Links and further reading
Printing and creating resources other reads:
- https://www.fabbaloo.com/blog/2018/10/1/the-challenge-of-making-replacement-parts
- https://all3dp.com/2/petg-vs-pla-3d-printing-filaments-compared/
Injection moulding:
- https://rexplastics.com/plastic-injection-molding/plastic-injection-molding-guide)
- https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/nintendo_64_forever/casting-n64-analog-stick-assembly-parts-t6577.html Casting N64 Analog Stick Assembly Parts
- https://www.reddit.com/r/n64/comments/ih57n5/for_those_of_you_who_changed_their_joystick_on/
Ideally though I think we would all want a future that Goose envisioned: