I recently sold my Nintendo 64 to get some extra cash. But, the place I brought it to would not buy one of my controllers because it had a sticky button. When I got home I decided to make the controller into a flash drive. Here is how I did it....

Step 1: Gather the Materials

For this project you will need the following:

1. N64 controller
2. Flash Drive (use an older one)
3. USB extension cord

This should be a close estimate for your materials:

1. About $10.00
2. About $6.00 for a 2GB
3. About $5.00

Total will be around $20.00, but I'm guessing everyone who would like to do this project will have most of the materials already.

Step 2: Gather Your Tools

I ended up using the following tools:

1. Two (2) Philips screwdrivers
2. Long center punch
3. Utility Knife
4. Needle nose pliers
5. Channel Lock Pliers
6. Hot glue gun
7. Vise (not pictured)
8. Dremel Tool (not pictured)
9. Safety glasses (not pictured)

Step 3: Take Apart the Controller

Follow these steps:

**Wear your safety glasses**

1. You will need to take out the seven (7) main screws then the two (2) small screws from the back of the controller.
2. Remove the circuit board (you need room for the flash drive)
2(a). I cut off the connector off of the circuit board so I could re-install it later (not to leave a hole).

Note: I removed the analog stick to see if the whole assembly could be cut down but I found out that it was better left alone. So I ended up working around the analog stick. It's better having at least that to be functional after installing your flash drive.

Step 4: Prepare the Insides of the Controller

After trying to fit in the USB extension with flash drive, I slowly removed structural items piece by piece.

**Wear your safety glasses**

1. Remove unnecessary structural items, I ended up removing two screw posts as well, using the channel locks

Note: As you can see in the picture, all of the white spots are areas that I have recently removed material from. Only remove as much as you need with your set up. You will have to put the two halves together alot for this step, slowly picking out a place for your drive to go. (No need to install the screws at this time)

2. Hot glue all buttons down (make sure they are in their correct positions first)

Step 5: Insert the Flash Drive With Extension

Note: Make sure to check that the drive is working properly throughout this process. You don't want to finish putting in the screws and find out that it doesn't work anymore.

1. Wrap the extension and flash drive together to reduce the likelihood of it failing.
2. Insert the cord neatly through the cord slot in the controller. Try and place the wire exactly as the first wire was placed.
3. Carefully place the two halves together keeping the Z-button out of the way and the L & R shoulder buttons in place.
4. I used the long center hole punch to carefully poke and move the drive until it was in the correct place.

Note: You may find out that you will have to remove even more material. Please go back a step.

5. Install the two (2) small screws first. (The ones that hold in the memory card connector)
6. Install the rest of the screws carefully. Make sure the screw posts line up first. Start with the screws on the prongs, where your hands would hold the controller, first.
7. Check if the drive works.

Step 6: Cosmetics

What I did, pretty poorly might I add, was to add the classic connector cover to the end of the USB extension.

1. Place the black part (end of the connector with the three prongs) into the vise.
2. Wiggle it back and forth and the connector should come apart fairly easily.
3. Install the connector cover to the USB connector. You can do this one of two ways:

One - Cut the wires on the USB extension and slide the N64 cover over it. This requires some time and patience!! Also you will need to be good with electrical tape.

OR

Two (What I chose) - Make a cut lengthwise down the N64 cover so that you can slip the wire through. (This is still much harder that it looks and what I thought) I made the smallest cut possible, and my finger tips are very sore trying to pry open the cover to fit the USB wire through.

Step 7: Enjoy!

Yeah, it may not be the smallest and lightest flash drive you have, but I guarantee that it will defiantly be a conversation starter (especially at work).

This is my first Instructables so let me know where I can improve for future walkthroughs.

Thanks for looking!!!

"If it ain't broke, make it better!" - Chris W.