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N64 NUS-CPU-03-04 Schematic

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Revision as of 18:49, 23 September 2026 by Josh (talk | contribs) (Create the documentation page for this hosted schematic, which was an empty page: attribution (RDC, 2013, community redraw - Nintendo published no N64 schematic), what the power section settles (P4 carries 3.3 V and 12 V with no 5 V in, U13 78M05, U12 PQ7VZ5, Vterm 2.56 V, Vref 1.92 V, no fuse), and what it does not cover)
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The NUS-CPU-03/04 schematic is a single-sheet drawing of the Nintendo 64 mainboard, covering the NUS-CPU-03 and NUS-CPU-04 NTSC revisions. It was drawn by RDC in 2013 by tracing a physical board: it is a community reconstruction, not a Nintendo document, because Nintendo published no service manual or schematic for the Nintendo 64. It is nonetheless the most complete circuit-level reference available for the machine.

The drawing marks the one block that is present on the -03 only.

What it gives you

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The power section is the most immediately useful part, because it settles several facts that are routinely stated wrongly:

Nintendo 64 power section
Item On the drawing
P4 — supply connector +12 V and +3.3 V in, with three ground ways. No +5 V comes in from the brick
SW1 Power switch, breaking both incoming rails
U13 — 78M05 Generates the board's own +5 V from the incoming +12 V
U12 — PQ7VZ5 Adjustable regulator producing the RDRAM supplies
Vterm 2.56 V
Vref 1.92 V
Divider R25 130 Ω, R26 316 Ω, R27 301 Ω, R35 390 Ω
D3 Power LED, from +3.3 V through R31 (75 Ω)
Fuse None. P4 runs straight into the power switch

Beyond the power section: the VR4300 CPU and the RCP with their full pin assignments, both RDRAM devices, the PIF, the cartridge connector, the four controller ports, the video DAC and audio output stages, the clock oscillators, and the capacitor and resistor designators across the board.

Every capacitor on the drawing is a surface-mount part.

What it does not give you

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  • No component values for most positions. Designators are marked throughout, but values are given only where the drawing's author recorded them. It is not a substitute for a parts list — and no parts list exists for this machine.
  • No PAL coverage. NUS-CPU(P) and NUS-CPU(R) boards differ and are not drawn here.
  • Nothing outside the mainboard — the power supply, the controller and the paks are not covered.
  • No board layout or component location map. You get the circuit, not a plan of where things sit.
  • Pin numbering on P4 differs from some other published pinouts, which is what happens when one drawing looks at the plug and another at the socket. Identify the N64's supply rails with a meter rather than by pin number.

Download

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Download the schematic here: File:N64 NUS-CPU-03-04 Schematic.pdf

Used by

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