So where does the power come from? The controller port? Why wouldn't Nintendo have made it like that from the start?

Yeah the power is drawn from the controller port. I think it was money for the battery companies thats what I would guess.

Looks like a resistor to me...

That mod looks pretty awesome!

Yeah typo I'll fix it

I would try it but know absolutely nothing about soldering. You're supposed to do it in an open oven right for the extra lighting?

I suspect nintendo did this because the controller port cant really supply enough amps...aka you COULD blow your controller up if you do this. (It might just be that it needs more voltage though)

Haha, you're joking right?

I need to do a real side by side comparison with a modded one and a non modded one see how they feel. I don't suspect anything would blow up because I've seen a couple 3rd party pack which draw power from the controller as well. The only thing I would suspect would it being not as powerful.

How many/what(aa, aaa?) kind of batteries does it use? Like I said it might just be voltage so the packs won't vibrate as strongly.

uses two aaa batteries

aaa battery is 1.5v...2 of them is 3v. The n64 puts out 3.3v over the controller port....I think your method draws too many amps (maybe nintendo did it to prevent people connecting 4 controllers with a rumble pack each)

Yes, but you have to preheat it to 450 first. Make sure to get right in there so the light of the bulb and glowing element are doing their best.

Nice. If I ever get to play sub zero or ...that other quest game I've been wanting to try, this would be helpful. Especally on the 2 or 3 that have battery leakage all over them.

I just did this mod and it is great! You will notice, however, that the rumble pak has a rattle feel/sound to it. The fix: I put packing peanuts where the batteries used to go. Now functions like a battery powered rumble, just a heck of a lot lighter!

From what I've heard, Nintendo opted for batteries because the N64 can't quite supply enough volts/amps on the controller ports to support four controllers with four battery-less rumble paks.

That's pretty nifty, I'd totally do that if I knew how.

Nice mod..now if only I knew how to solder V_V

It really isn't that hard. If you don't know what soldering is to begin with, think of it like hot glue, except the glue is metal and the heating tool is separate from the "glue". The iron heats the things to be glued and the solder binds them together. It's the sort of hobby that Goro would be good at (he has 4 hands).

I plan on picking it up. I like collecting arcade sticks and a lot of them require soldering when upgrading to newer parts. Just gotta find a nice starter kit/guide..

There's plenty of video tutorials on YouTube. You can get a decent iron on eBay or any local hobbyist/electronics stores nearby.

One piece of advice though, never be without flux. When it burns up on whatever material you're soldering, it cleans that object and makes solder adhere better. It's an absolute must.

I always wondered why you needed the batteries. Back in the day had a mad cats controller that had a built in rumble so I was confused. Now I know it can be done, but based on everyone's response is that it might not work with 4 controllers.

I just took mine apart and desolder the resistor but the leeds on the resistor are not not long enough. Do you just add extra solder to make up for it? And is it important to not "short" the ajoining green paths on the pcb?

I did get it. I straightened the leads as much as possible with a pilers. Solder a little piece of the tip in the hole near the plastic connector since this is the hard end to do. Less room and you need to be careful not to melt the plastic. The other end was a little short, I just made up for it with bigger solder point.

I personally have solder boards and wires many times before so I am at an intermediatete level. This would be a great project for someone who has never solder a board befor since it is pretty easy and if you screw up a rumble pack is not too expensive. One common mistake for a beginner is to use too high wattage soldering iron. I use 25w for boards and a much higher one (50w maybe) for wires (like in car stereo installs).
Thanks for sharing this ThatNintendoGuy !