Hardware 3DS automatically goes left (most of the times)

[d4rk_l1gh7]

With the upcoming Pokémon X and Y and also the new Phoenix Wright: Dual Destiny game.... I want to fix this little problem. I'm not worrying so much about warranty. It's already long gone. As in, I bought the console on launch date and the warranty has expired.

My 3DS is the US model.

The problem with my 3DS isn't so complicated to understand. Sometimes it goes crazy and suddenly decides to go left (automatically), and i can't do anything with the dpad aside from going up or down. I can go left or right and up or down with the analog. However, when I take my hand off it, it will start to go left automatically again....

This is due to my little cousin grabbing the poor console and hammering down the buttons until he's satisfied. He somehow managed to break it..... I opened the console up to see if i could find the problem myself. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. I just grabbed the closest sharpie marker and wrote an X and O on the analog stick. Everything else is fine. I checked. Neither screens are broken. The A, B, X, Y, Start, Select, Home, and Power buttons work a-ok. And the volume and Wi-Fi slider doesn't seem to have a problem. It's just the analog or the dpad.

Some symptoms:

• When I blow the cartridge slot (when everything seems normal), the problem occurs.
• When I insert a game in the cartage slot.
• When I play a game, it starts doing it automatically.
• When I leave it there, it starts doing it again.
• It just does something by itself.
• When I use the DPAD (but yeah, this one happens more often)
• When I use the analog

Here's the video of the problem:


And here are the images of my gutted 3DS:

http://imgur.com/a/Hxgvg

EDIT/UPDATE:
Well. This is my second try trying to fix my console.

So here’s the facts I’ve acquired since the first time I tried to fix it…

• When I blow into the cartridge slot, it goes crazy. (Yes, I’m a bad boy, but that was to test it…)
• It might even start working again (random occurrence), but then after a little bit of playing it goes back to normal.
• Removing the analog stick does not seem to fix the problem

Here’s another batch of images (close ups of the motherboard – specifically the cartridge area and the dpad).
http://imgur.com/a/jqPU8

And here’s a video of the dpad without the pretty blue buttons.


And yes, it does have the “after I blew into it” thing. It just took a while to process the edited video (I worked with lightworks and it took me a while to figure out a format VLC accepts).

 

[Arras]

I don't have any experience, but I'd guess the button isn't being held up properly and gravity pulls it down or something.

 

[dragonblood9999]

i think you just need to get a new analog for the 3ds

http://www.tinydeal.com/replacement-analog-joystick-module-for-nintendo-3ds-p-37560.html

 

[deakphreak]

definitely something with the analog stick or D-pad. Try holding right on the analog stick during bootup. I know if you hold the stick in a direction on various systems, it will be "stuck" in that direction. Try that and see if anything changes. I would have to agree with dragonblood that replacing the analog stick would most likely fix it.

 

[MAXLEMPIRA]

hmmn yeah the problem is your analog stick, you need to buy another one, but, have you attempted to calibrate it before?? in the System Settings, there's an option to calibrate it, try it before to purchase something C:

 

[d4rk_l1gh7]

hmmn yeah the problem is your analog stick, you need to buy another one, but, have you attempted to calibrate it before?? in the System Settings, there's an option to calibrate it, try it before to purchase something C:

I’ve tried calibrating the analog stick a few times. When the problem stops, I blow on the cartridge slot to test it. It goes back to normal, but the problem is temporarily fixed.

So far, out of 8 tries, 6 of them fixed the problem. But after a little use, it goes back to normal.

Edit: Make that 6/11
Edit2: Make that 6/19 tries......

 

[MAXLEMPIRA]

hmmn.. then buying a new analog should fix once for all this problem

 

[MAXLEMPIRA]

oh! an advice, stop doing that to the cartridge, with the breath it makes a chemical reaction and cause so much problems to the system, better, once you open your 3DS, clean the slot with a cotton, and your carts with a tooth stick.
(Experience)

 

[Pong20302000]

get a can of compressed air and blow it around teh stick gap

 

[Arras]

hmmn.. then buying a new analog should fix once for all this problem

Sometimes it goes crazy and suddenly decides to go left (automatically), and i can't do anything with the dpad aside from going up or down. I can go left or right and up or down with the analog.

This makes me think it's probably the D-pad and not the analog stick. And if it is, replacing the analog won't fix anything.

 

[MAXLEMPIRA]

This makes me think it's probably the D-pad and not the analog stick. And if it is, replacing the analog won't fix anything.

umm maybe you're right, but he said that calibrating the analog stick, some times work for a little time, that has nothing to do with the DPad.
But you should check anyway, open your 3DS and watch carefully the DPad zone, sometimes the buttons remains flat by use and have to be replaced, check out and tell us, maybe some pics ;D

 

[AzureuzZetsunai]

disassemble the 3ds and check for grass, goo, or dust on the D-pad contacts, preferably clean all the PCB. then if you can replace the Circle pad do it.
finally if the problem persist sent it to an authorized repair center.

 

[Issac]

From the video it looks to me that it is the D-pad. Since up and down works, but not right, it feels like it is on permanent left and pressing right "centers" it, hence no moving.... I'm not sure though. I'll have to try some things with my 3DS first. (holding down left on the D-pad while moving the analogue stick etc.)

 

[d4rk_l1gh7]

From the video it looks to me that it is the D-pad. Since up and down works, but not right, it feels like it is on permanent left and pressing right "centers" it, hence no moving.... I'm not sure though. I'll have to try some things with my 3DS first. (holding down left on the D-pad while moving the analogue stick etc.)

Welp, pushed the analog to the left and the dpad to the right. Nothing.
Then I pressed left and pushed the analog to the right. Nothing.

disassemble the 3ds and check for grass, goo, or dust on the D-pad contacts, preferably clean all the PCB. then if you can replace the Circle pad do it.
finally if the problem persist sent it to an authorized repair center.

No grass, no dust, no goo. When i took it apart, i cleaned it out.

umm maybe you're right, but he said that calibrating the analog stick, some times work for a little time, that has nothing to do with the DPad.
But you should check anyway, open your 3DS and watch carefully the DPad zone, sometimes the buttons remains flat by use and have to be replaced, check out and tell us, maybe some pics ;D

Well. When i took it apart, I took it all apart all the way down to the mobo. The dpad button didn't seem to stay flat. I pressed it and it went back up. But whatever is under it could be the problem. But if the kid managed to break that, then..... the mobo should also be broken.... i really don't know....

oh! an advice, stop doing that to the cartridge, with the breath it makes a chemical reaction and cause so much problems to the system, better, once you open your 3DS, clean the slot with a cotton, and your carts with a tooth stick.
(Experience)

Alright. No more blowing in the cartridge slot. No more rust build up caused by saliva and water particles coming out of my mouth.



I'll try to remove the analog module and see what happens. If nothing happens, then i can pretty much say it's the d-pad. And if it's the d-pad, i have no idea how to fix it. New motherboard (d-pad part of mobo)? Take it out of the motherboard, switch the key sticker with something else? But where would i get a replacement?

 

[Vengenceonu]

I looked around the net for you and many people are having this problem. This pretty much confirms its a problem with the Circle pad, especially since it stops happening when you consciencely move the Circle pad yourself. Solution? Time for a Nintendo Check up.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111123231447AAMLbkk

http://www.nintendolife.com/forums/help/help_me1

http://techforums.nintendo.com/thread/15272

http://3dsforums.com/questions-answers-40/selection-keeps-going-up-30408/

 

[MAXLEMPIRA]

I'll try to remove the analog module and see what happens.

yeah that's a great idea, unplug the analog stick, turn on the 3DS and watch what happen, if it is the DPad, I really don't know what you could do, maybe Nintendo?

 

[Issac]

Welp, pushed the analog to the left and the dpad to the right. Nothing.
Then I pressed left and pushed the analog to the right. Nothing.

I meant that I should test pushing the D-pad etc. I just did that though, and when I push the D-pad to the left (to pretend that it's stuck in that position) and use the analog to go to the right, I only go one step, not like in your video.
So I would guess that it's the analog slider that is faulty.
Also, I looked at your pictures, and I think it looks like the black piece of plastic underneath isn't centered... But I don't know how it should look (never opened mine).

 

[Vipera]

////

 

[KazoWAR]

send it i for repair

 

[d4rk_l1gh7]

If you remove the analog module and the problem disappears, maybe you could change it.

I have unplugged the analog module. It didn't fix the problem.

Which means that the problem is indeed the dpad. I'll try to remove the dpad parts to see if it fixes anything.