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Welcome! This wiki contains documentation regarding the PIC-CNT64 project.

The PIC-CNT64 was created in order to provide a modern replacement/alternative for the CNT-NUS microchip found in standard Nintendo 64 controllers. The CNT-NUS chip is a serial encoder/decoder, used to communicate between the N64 console, the analog and button inputs, and any attached accessory devices.

Due to the number of inputs required for this kind of project, a large-sized microcontroller is needed. Although it may be possible to use shift registers, this adds extra components and complexity. Also, it may cause too much lag after the console requests for the current inputs. The amount of allowed delay between a received command and a response from the controller, has not been test yet. Additionally, the microcontroller should be able to run on 3.3V, as that is what is provided by the console.

Given the above, and other factors, the PIC18LF4550 is a good choice, at least for the time being. Other components or a different microcontroller may be needed in the future in order to work with one or more of the accessory PAK devices.