New 3DS XL repair help (popping sound, no screens flash on, happened after replacing digitizer & circle pad, more info below.)

[BrainImpediment]

Replaced my digitizer, then had to unexpectedly replace my circle pad after its connector snapped. It worked before, but now powers on without any screens turning on, pops, then shuts off. That suggests that the camera, speakers, or top screen are damaged somehow, right? I checked each of their ribbons, and they‘re plugged into the correct spots and show no signs of damage. If there are any microscopic tears, how can these be resolved? Its probably the camera or speakers honestly (hopefully). I have a soldering kit if necessary, but I have literally never soldered in my life, and my mother is no expert. I’d like to avoid buying and replacing any parts in the top half if possible.

Is there any way to make the system ignore the vital components‘ state so that it boots up anyways? That would make troubleshooting 10000% easier. I’m not entirely sure if that’s possible to do safely or at all, but I have CFW, so? Maybe??

id just appreciate if there was some way to fix this or at least verify what the problem is without replacing anymore parts., I don’t have any other new XLs than mine, so I can’t hook anything up and see if it works that way.

 

[IC_]

The cameras wouldn't be the cause, the system will boot up without them. Are you sure that neither of the screens flash at all? It's really quick and might be hard to see, try looking at it in the dark and maybe also record it with a phone/camera in slow-motion mode.

Is the bottom screen correctly plugged in? There's probably also a small cable coming off of it that powers the backlight of the screen, it is also needed for the system to boot up.
Are you 100% sure that the top screen and speaker cables are correctly plugged in and fully inserted? I hear that it's possible to mistake them and insert them upside down, so make sure it's not the case.

Is there any way to make the system ignore the vital components‘ state so that it boots up anyways? That would make troubleshooting 10000% easier. I’m not entirely sure if that’s possible to do safely or at all, but I have CFW, so? Maybe??

There isn't, both screens and the speakers are required.

 

[BrainImpediment]

The cameras wouldn't be the cause, the system will boot up without them. Are you sure that neither of the screens flash at all? It's really quick and might be hard to see, try looking at it in the dark and maybe also record it with a phone/camera in slow-motion mode.

Is the bottom screen correctly plugged in? There's probably also a small cable coming off of it that powers the backlight of the screen, it is also needed for the system to boot up.
Are you 100% sure that the top screen and speaker cables are correctly plugged in and fully inserted? I hear that it's possible to mistake them and insert them upside down, so make sure it's not the case.


There isn't, both screens and the speakers are required.

Alright. I always check if the screens flash on, and neither of them have. I’ve went through and made absolutely sure that everything is plugged in where it belongs, especially the top screen since there’s a specific way you need to do it.
It’s possible that some pins may not be touching? A few of the little clip things for my zif cables (specifically the one for the digitizer & for the circle pad, from what I remember,) have problems staying down all the way, so I’ve had to tape them down w electrical tape. I’ve repaired my system a good few times, so it may be possible that pins or cables have just gotten worn out, unfortunately. But, I haven’t seen any damage in any vital parts, so, I’m not sure.
The speakers actually ARE damaged; one of the speaker bits is broken off from the wire, but it’s never been an issue before. Really, before I opened it back up again after seeing that the digitizer didn’t work (which was a couple of months ago, honestly,) there were no issues with the display or speakers.

If there are any super small tears in any ZIF cables, would covering them with electrical tape do anything? Probably not, but I can at least hope for a simpler solution. The best choice may just be to buy a replacement for the speakers and see if that resolves it, or I could pick up a second-hand new XL to use to test the parts in mine. It depends.

 

[IC_]

It’s possible that some pins may not be touching?

It's possible, but then you'd have to be really unlucky for the screens to not be turning on at all, as it's more likely that a few disconnected pins would only cause a black screen or something else while the system would still boot up normally.
Well, it's a bit weird that neither screens do a flash, I don't think that's something that would normally happen if at least one of the screens was still properly connected. Could you show a photo of the bottom screen's backlight cable in the connector?

 

[PinkCelebi]

Did you try disconnecting the ribbon cables one at a time, seeing if it powers on between each time? IIRC, the n3DSXL requires only the top screen ribbon to be plugged in and functional for the system to boot, the speaker and camera can be omitted.

 

[BrainImpediment]

It's possible, but then you'd have to be really unlucky for the screens to not be turning on at all, as it's more likely that a few disconnected pins would only cause a black screen or something else while the system would still boot up normally.
Well, it's a bit weird that neither screens do a flash, I don't think that's something that would normally happen if at least one of the screens was still properly connected. Could you show a photo of the bottom screen's backlight cable in the connector?
View attachment 303850

Can’t atm, not at home, but that’s one of the things I have issues with. It doesn’t keep the ribbon in very well, so I’ve been trying to tape it down. It’s possible it may have just been damaged over time and the digitizer was never the issue! I’ll be back in a few hours, so I’ll look into it then and reply with what I find & images.