Gaming DS lite charging problem

[Harsky]

It's been several years since I bought my DS Lite and although I play it now and again, the thing that's bugging me is the fact that the battery doesn't charge anymore. Plugging it into a power socket means I can still play with it but it's not what I want. I replaced the battery a few months ago but whenever I try to charge it, the orange light comes on and then disappears after a few seconds.

A few minutes on Google seem to blame it on the fuse. While I see fuse repair kits on ebay, I don't want to risk opening and soldering my DS lite and I'm not too keen on buying another DS lite. Is this a problem where it's worth sending it into a repair specialist to get a new fuse fitted or is there another solution?

 

[LeonardoFM]

interesting... I would be interested in this too. Yesterday i was charging my DS Lite for a few hours (2h, i think) while i read and then the orange light went out. It came again for one or two seconds when i unplugged/plugged the recharger... is this normal? Thanks!

 

[Harsky]

Progress update. I sent it to a repair service on ebay. Cost me £10 including postage. I assumed it was a fuse problem but I got a reply saying that the DS I sent them charged perfectly and as such, they didn't see any need to open and fix it. The only advice they gave is that my 3rd party charger is probably the cause of the problem.

Fast forward to today and I bought a second hand nintendo charger only to find that the DS's orange charging light went on for a few minutes before disappearing. Part of me is wondering if the problem is more to do with the actual charging port but after sitting down and thinking about it, I think it's safe to say that I'd be better off buying a second hand DS lite that actually works.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

interesting... I would be interested in this too. Yesterday i was charging my DS Lite for a few hours (2h, i think) while i read and then the orange light went out. It came again for one or two seconds when i unplugged/plugged the recharger... is this normal? Thanks!

That just sounds like it's fully charged.

Progress update. I sent it to a repair service on ebay. Cost me £10 including postage. I assumed it was a fuse problem but I got a reply saying that the DS I sent them charged perfectly and as such, they didn't see any need to open and fix it. The only advice they gave is that my 3rd party charger is probably the cause of the problem.

Fast forward to today and I bought a second hand nintendo charger only to find that the DS's orange charging light went on for a few minutes before disappearing. Part of me is wondering if the problem is more to do with the actual charging port but after sitting down and thinking about it, I think it's safe to say that I'd be better off buying a second hand DS lite that actually works.

It could be possible that the replacement battery you got was faulty, especially if it was used or 3rd party. The repair service probably didn't leave the charger in for more than a couple of minutes, so they never saw the problem occur.

 

[Harsky]

That just sounds like it's fully charged.


It could be possible that the replacement battery you got was faulty, especially if it was used or 3rd party. The repair service probably didn't leave the charger in for more than a couple of minutes, so they never saw the problem occur.

I actually sent them a message asking them how long they charged it for. They said two hours and it was perfectly fine. I'll try and swap the battery from my relative's DS lite and see if there's any other problem.

 

[Harsky]

Well, that's slightly embarrassing. I guess the problem IS the battery after all this time. Ds lite likes my relative's official nintendo battery but hates the 3rd party no name battery I bought last month.

Just to double check, does a DS lite console's light turn green when it's plugged in to a power point and it's fully charged?

 

[Sicklyboy]

Well, that's slightly embarrassing. I guess the problem IS the battery after all this time. Ds lite likes my relative's official nintendo battery but hates the 3rd party no name battery I bought last month.

Just to double check, does a DS lite console's light turn green when it's plugged in to a power point and it's fully charged?

If memory serves me, it turns green when it is charging and turns OFF when the battery is fully charged. I'll double check mine when I get home, provided I can find my charger.

 

[LeonardoFM]

If memory serves me, it turns green when it is charging and turns OFF when the battery is fully charged. I'll double check mine when I get home, provided I can find my charger.

No. The light when charging is orange and, i can't confirm it, but it seems like the light turns off when fully charged. It's a shame, not being able to know for sure when your DS Lite is fully charged.

On a side note, does anyone know if, on the event of the battery's life having ended, you can still turn on the system normally, if it's being charged?

I wish it worked just like it does with a notebook or even the classic GBC or the GBA... You could play it with an adaptor without a battery's assistance.

 

[Atashi]

According to the DS Lite manual, the charging LED does indeed 'light orange while the battery is charging' then it goes out when the battery is fully charged.

I don't know if you could run the DS off the adaptor with no battery installed; the manual says not to and it's possible that could damage the charging circuitry. However, even with a nearly-dead battery, you should be able to run it just fine off the adaptor.

Typically with this sort of consumer electronics device, a nearly-dead battery provides enough of a load to keep the charging circuitry and adaptor happy, and can also act like a capacitor to supply a little extra current now and then when the device needs a little more than the adaptor can provide.

Cheers!

 

[LeonardoFM]

Thank you, Atashi. I see you're experienced about this. It's good news. To be honest, i seldom use the portable aspect of My DS Lite. I like to play it abed, in my own home, out of the danger of robbery lol!

It's a pity my DS Lite is refurbished and the battery runs out quickly.

Something i've been wanting to do is a mod to be able to charge it with a USB cable. Do you recommend it, Atashi?

From the standard DS Voltage's 5.2 to 5.0?

 

[Sicklyboy]

[...]Something i've been wanting to do is a mod to be able to charge it with a USB cable. Do you recommend it, Atashi?

From the standard DS Voltage's 5.2 to 5.0?

There are USB cables to charge the DS Lite, and they work fine. If you really wanted to take it one step further by adapting a miniUSB port into the shell, then that would work fine too.

 

[Atashi]

Hi Leonardo,

Like Sicklyboy mentioned, there are USB cables out there that plug directly into the DSL. The difference from 5.2v to 5.0v is negligible really.

The charge current will be more important than the slight voltage difference - it'll work best if you're plugging it into a powered hub, or directly into a computer's USB port that is known to be good for charging. Standard USB is rated for up to 500mA which should be plenty, but you won't get that from an unpowered hub. The unpowered stuff is typically limited to 100mA.

Cheers!

 

[LeonardoFM]

There are USB cables to charge the DS Lite, and they work fine. If you really wanted to take it one step further by adapting a miniUSB port into the shell, then that would work fine too.

Oh, how is it called, this cable? It's a DS-USB cable, right?
I don't think i could risk opening it and modding the wires ... Thank you for your quick reply

Hi Leonardo,

Like Sicklyboy mentioned, there are USB cables out there that plug directly into the DSL. The difference from 5.2v to 5.0v is negligible really.

The charge current will be more important than the slight voltage difference - it'll work best if you're plugging it into a powered hub, or directly into a computer's USB port that is known to be good for charging. Standard USB is rated for up to 500mA which should be plenty, but you won't get that from an unpowered hub. The unpowered stuff is typically limited to 100mA.

Cheers!

That's great, i assumed as much. My PC's power supply has "400 real watts", if it makes any sense to you ... would it be sufficient to do the charging?

You guys are great for your info, i really appreciate it.

 

[Sicklyboy]

Oh, how is it called, this cable? It's a DS-USB cable, right?
I don't think i could risk opening it and modding the wires ... Thank you for your quick reply

Something like this, for the DS Lite - http://www.tmart.com/USB-Power-Charger-Cable-for-Nintendo-DS-Lite-NDS-NDSL-Black_p117518.html

I have one and I've used it pretty frequently with my DS Lite, and it worked just fine.

My 3DS on the other hand seems to have a problem using the 3DS one, but I think its due to my wall charger.

 

[Sicklyboy]

[...]That's great, i assumed as much. My PC's power supply has "400 real watts", if it makes any sense to you ... would it be sufficient to do the charging?[...]

It would be nice if I read your whole post when replying, lol.

Your PC's PSU is going to have little effect on whether it'll charge or not. As already stated, if you're wanting to charge it from the computer, just make sure it's from w powered hub (Which typically run a current up to 1A) or a USB port on the motherboard/case (which typically runs a current up to 500mA). Unpowered hubs still might work, but quite slowly, as that 500mA is going to be spread over all of the devices utilizing it as well as powering the ICs inside of the hub itself. (Edit - so in other words, yes, you're good to go on that)

And as for the name of the cable, just go on your favorite shopping site/chinese shopping site and search along the lines of "ds usb cable", "ds lite usb cable", "dsi usb cable" etc. DSi/XL and 3DS/XL all use the same cable, conveniently, and the original DS Phat uses the same cable as the GBA SP.