Hardware N3DS NAND backup possible, I hope.

[atkfromabove]

Well I think I bumped something when doing the mod cause my top screen on my N3DS XL is no longer working. The backlight is working but I have taken it apart and checked everything but couldn't see what the problem was. If anyone would mind answering a couple questions?

1. Which ribbon cable is the top screen, backlight, and paralax?
2. How would I test the cables with a multimeter?
3. Has anyone else had this issue?

Everything else works but the top screen. Any help would be appreciated!

Edit: Oh I am also unable to dump the NAND. I am getting a different error code than what I see everyone else is getting. (Sorry for the sideways photo)

 

[Xellos2099]

Avalynn: A bit of unrelated matter... is that Limsa Housing district in your profile pic?

 

[Avalynn]

Well I think I bumped something when doing the mod cause my top screen on my N3DS XL is no longer working. The backlight is working but I have taken it apart and checked everything but couldn't see what the problem was. If anyone would mind answering a couple questions?

1. Which ribbon cable is the top screen, backlight, and paralax?
2. How would I test the cables with a multimeter?
3. Has anyone else had this issue?

Everything else works but the top screen. Any help would be appreciated!

Edit: Oh I am also unable to dump the NAND. I am getting a different error code than what I see everyone else is getting. (Sorry for the sideways photo)

1. For the top screen there should be a total of three ribbon cables, the two that closest to the corner on both sides of the board handle the LCD while the cable farther away that makes an L is for the speakers, 3D slider and 3D control of the screen. I'll double check and can post some pictures of the cables and their connectors if you'd like.

2. I'm not sure if you can test the ribbon cable directly with a multimeter as you'd need to poke points on both side of the cable to test for continuity, just make sure the cables are fully seated and inserted into the connectors.

3. Personally I have not, but it sounds like a cable isn't fully connected. It can be a little tricky with the two cables on the back side of the motherboard and then flipping it and placing the board back down. Make sure none of the cables are reversed.

Avalynn: A bit of unrelated matter... is that Limsa Housing district in your profile pic?

Lol, yes it is actually. I'm surprised you caught that considering how little is shown.

 

[Click This]

1. For the top screen there should be a total of three ribbon cables, the two that closest to the corner on both sides of the board handle the LCD while the cable farther away that makes an L is for the speakers, 3D slider and 3D control of the screen. I'll double check and can post some pictures of the cables and their connectors if you'd like.

2. I'm not sure if you can test the ribbon cable directly with a multimeter as you'd need to poke points on both side of the cable to test for continuity, just make sure the cables are fully seated and inserted into the connectors.

3. Personally I have not, but it sounds like a cable isn't fully connected. It can be a little tricky with the two cables on the back side of the motherboard and then flipping it and placing the board back down. Make sure none of the cables are reversed.



Lol, yes it is actually. I'm surprised you caught that considering how little is shown.

Whitewashed brick and levi fountain is a dead giveaway. ;D

 

[atkfromabove]

1. For the top screen there should be a total of three ribbon cables, the two that closest to the corner on both sides of the board handle the LCD while the cable farther away that makes an L is for the speakers, 3D slider and 3D control of the screen. I'll double check and can post some pictures of the cables and their connectors if you'd like.

2. I'm not sure if you can test the ribbon cable directly with a multimeter as you'd need to poke points on both side of the cable to test for continuity, just make sure the cables are fully seated and inserted into the connectors.

3. Personally I have not, but it sounds like a cable isn't fully connected. It can be a little tricky with the two cables on the back side of the motherboard and then flipping it and placing the board back down. Make sure none of the cables are reversed.



Lol, yes it is actually. I'm surprised you caught that considering how little is shown.

Thanks for the reply. I would appreciate photos for sure! I will take it apart again and take some photos this time. I am pretty sure that I connected everything the correct way, it would be pretty noticeable to put a ribbon cable upside down. The console boots fine without the sd adapter. Hopefully it is just a poorly seated cable.

Edit: Here are the photos.

 

[Avalynn]

Hmmm, you might want to double check that cable that is almost like an L, yours looks like it's upside down but it's hard to tell honestly, sorry. The gold fingers should be facing the motherboard. Here are some pictures, hope they help a little.

 

[shinyquagsire23]

Suggestion to those putting your n3ds apart and together: lay the screen out flat when taking out and putting in the top screen ribbons, it gives you a ton more slack to work with.

 

[atkfromabove]

Hmmm, you might want to double check that cable that is almost like an L, yours looks like it's upside down but it's hard to tell honestly, sorry. The gold fingers should be facing the motherboard. Here are some pictures, hope they help a little.

Oh my goodness I am so stupid. The ribbon cable was upsidedown... I don't think I would have caught that myself. Thank you so much!!! It is back to working order!

Question: I finally got it all put back together and found that my home button and mic are now not working. Which ribbon cables are those? They aren't completely needed but the home button is kinda annoying.

Edit: I got the home button and mic working again! Now I just need my card reader to come to dump the thing! Thanks for all the help with my questions Avalynn.

 

[jaku]

Not sure if this would work, but has anyone with the NAND mod done on a N3DS not the XL. Checked the pin outs on the connector for the MicroSD adapter to see if they have continuity with the NAND pinouts?

I found it kinda odd that Nintendo would make the part separate and have so many pins on the cable when it wasn't really needed. It would certainly make things easier if we could just replace the SD card piece with our own cable.

 

[Tiibz]

Hi,
i've done the nand mod using a Micro USB connector, i tested with the console still opened and unscrewed, everything worked no problem, the n3DS XL booted fine and i could read the Nand. Then i screwed everything back in place and boom the console wouldn't boot. When i press the power button, it tries to boot but then it suddenly shutdown by itself after 5seconds or so. I noticed something strange, if I plug my reader in the port for the Nand the console shutdown after 1second, very quickly instead of staying on for some seconds when nothing is plugged.
So i took everything appart, removed the nand mod but nothing has changed, i'm feeling bad here i can't see anything wrong on the motherboard, i also tried to clean it with alcohol, no luck.
Do you have any idea what this could be ? i remember having the same symptoms on a OG3DS but never found the time to look into it.
Thanks

photos :

 

[metaljay]

I had the same problem, read back a few pages, in the end GameSQuest1 pointed out I likely damaged the ribon cable for the top LCD, does it turn on, POP then power off?
Thats rhe DS doing system checks then turns off when IT gets to the screen
(typing on my phone so yeh)

Couldnt fix it...

 

[Tiibz]

Thanks for the reply, i'll check that, so you couldn't repair it ? Strange :/ i'll try with another mobo/case

 

[Xue]

I had the same problem, read back a few pages, in the end GameSQuest1 pointed out I likely damaged the ribon cable for the top LCD, does it turn on, POP then power off?
Thats rhe DS doing system checks then turns off when IT gets to the screen
(typing on my phone so yeh)

Couldnt fix it...

That can't quite be it. I'm having the same problem but in reverse. I tried to solder on a micro-B usb connection onto the board but after I did the soldering, the power light would only come on for a few seconds and then the system would turn off. The screens didn't start at all.

I thought something with the soldering might have happened. I ended up taking the wires for the CMD and DAT0 out, while leaving a bit of solder on the pads, but left the CLK and GND wires connected; at this point loose and not attached to the micro usb. I put it together and the system booted up normal.

So all I do is solder two lengths of wire to just the CMD and DAT0... and same thing. No screens, light on for a few seconds.I can't figure out the cause of why it's happening. I haven't even done any NAND reading yet. And I also tried making the wires as short as possible. Made sure there was no solder connecting parts or tracks together as well; it's just on the pads.

Unfortunately, in my wake, I left damaged but working pieces (melted plastic, hinge that holds the button board ribbon cable came off...). The inside's a mess. It's proving really difficult. I wish I could send it to someone more skilled than I.

 

[Tiibz]

Really weird :/ i got mine to boot and i also could read the nand but after screwing everything back, nothing it's now back at it's original state (desoldered everything) but it's the same. I really think the mobo is dead but i can't figure out why

 

[Avalynn]

I feel for all you with these issues, I haven't run into any of these yet. The strangest one I have to say is the microUSB one that once closed cause the whole system to not boot. Could it be possible that one of the wires shorted something on the motherboard when you closed it up?

And those LCD cables aren't too fragile but they shouldn't be forced and should insert in easy each time. I swear mine will break one day with the amount of times i have removed the motherboard just to mess around. Also soldering wires to those lines and nothing else causing it to fail to boot is really strange. I'd check if when you put it back together each time that all the cables are inserted fully and seated nicely. The first time i put it back together the backlight LCD cable was not full inserted but it looked like it was lol.

Best of luck to you all and I hope you get your consoles working. I'd love to help each of you out but I don't think we in the same country

 

[Xue]

Thanks for the sentiments, Avalynn. At this point, I'm almost willing to forgo some groceries to pay for to/from shipment.

I'm pretty sure I have the cables fully seated. Not only did I make sure to push them in all the way, I then spent some time prodding them a bit and pushing from behind to ensure they went as far as they'll go. A bit too OCD. But there's a catch. I can't really guarantee full connection on a few of them. Three of the ribbon cables' latches/hinges/doors are a bit screwed up. It's all of those small ones, like the NFC reader. I accidentally broke the 'side hooks' off two. But even on the one intact, 'the door' that's holds the cable down was wobbly. I ended up using the soldering iron to melt the plastic to try to hold it down. But since I've been flipping the board over several times trying to troubleshoot, their condition is getting worse each time.

Then one of the last things that happened towards the end of giving up for the night, the white latch for the ribbon cable that comes from the board with the buttons broke off.

So I can't fully say "connections are go!"But I'm mildly certain they were most of the times I tried.

It's unlikely that the time I had the wires off CMD and DAT0, was the one and only time I fully had the cables fully seated.

The strangest one I have to say is the microUSB one that once closed cause the whole system to not boot. Could it be possible that one of the wires shorted something on the motherboard when you closed it up?

I tried both putting on the plastic back shell and without it, holding the battery up to its connection. Same thing. If it was a short on the board, wouldn't it not power on at all? And where would a short be coming from?

 

[liomajor]

Waiting for my Anker and proper microusb connector to finish installing

 

[shinyquagsire23]

Waiting for my Anker and proper microusb connector to finish installing

Those wires look a tad bit long, could cause issues maybe. I'd wait until your reader shows up though before making any modifications to it.

 

[gamesquest1]

Those wires look a tad bit long, could cause issues maybe. I'd wait until your reader shows up though before making any modifications to it.

i was about to say that XD, best length seems to be about 10cm total from board to SD adapter

Well I think I bumped something when doing the mod cause my top screen on my N3DS XL is no longer working. The backlight is working but I have taken it apart and checked everything but couldn't see what the problem was. If anyone would mind answering a couple questions?

1. Which ribbon cable is the top screen, backlight, and paralax?
2. How would I test the cables with a multimeter?
3. Has anyone else had this issue?

Everything else works but the top screen. Any help would be appreciated!

Edit: Oh I am also unable to dump the NAND. I am getting a different error code than what I see everyone else is getting. (Sorry for the sideways photo)

*snip*

was the top screen not working at all, as the top screen actually doesn't display the BSOD on the n3DS XL, the standard n3DS shows it on both screens, but for the XL it only displays on the bottom screen

 

[liomajor]

Those wires look a tad bit long, could cause issues maybe. I'd wait until your reader shows up though before making any modifications to it.

I'll shortem em when my microusb connector arrives what will be in the next two days. Gonna set it up on the lower plate behind the pen