Hardware Dpad installation O3DS XL

[Potato hoarder]

It was a normal day. I was playing super smash bros on the 3ds. I made the mistake of pushing the Dpad to aggressively and I "Super smashed" the Dpad right off my 3ds.

(Pic not mine but what it looks like)

I was wondering what approach I should take to fix it. Does anyone have experience with this sort of repair? (Warranty expired)

Where would I get the parts for this and how would I fix it?

Thanks for any help you give.

 

[Hoppy]

Hmm, you could try sending it to Nintendo or buying a replacement...
The same thing happened to my friend. He just put a lot of tape on it, which eventually did fall off...so, now he uses it without the circle and it still works somehow.
...Yeah, I'm not much help. ;~;

 

[josiascaignard]

you have to diasemble your 3DS, it is not too hard, you don't need to tear ir completely apart, just the lower case and then the analog stick. Also it is not called d-pad, that's the circle pad, search in amazon or ebay circle pad replacement, or 3ds pad, or thumbstick. from outside it would be very difficult to fix, follow the guide of ifixit, search for "Nintendo 3DS Teardown ifixit" in google to find it (don`t know if links are permited here). And report here your porgress.

 

[Potato hoarder]

Hmm, you could try sending it to Nintendo or buying a replacement...
The same thing happened to my friend. He just put a lot of tape on it, which eventually did fall off...so, now he uses it without the circle and it still works somehow.
...Yeah, I'm not much help. ;~;

Has old firmware. Don't want it being updated by them.

you have to diasemble your 3DS, it is not too hard, you don't need to tear ir completely apart, just the lower case and then the analog stick. Also it is not called d-pad, that's the circle pad, search in amazon or ebay circle pad replacement, or 3ds pad, or thumbstick. from outside it would be very difficult to fix, follow the guide of ifixit, search for "Nintendo 3DS Teardown ifixit" in google to find it (don`t know if links are permited here). And report here your porgress.

Thanks, was also hoping to get a new shell.

 

[Woody8275]

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nintendo+3DS+XL+Circle+Pad+Replacement/25074
this is a good guide to fixing it
I fixed a 3ds like this and it cost me £3 with parts and the screwdriver from ebay

 

[Potato hoarder]

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nintendo+3DS+XL+Circle+Pad+Replacement/25074
this is a good guide to fixing it
I fixed a 3ds like this and it cost me £3 with parts and the screwdriver from ebay
Nintendo would charge you a lot more if you send it to them

Could I do a shell swap instead? I have two gashes from some assholes in Cuban airport security. I will be getting a new shell and a circle pad so I guess I'll do two repairs at once.
http://m.ebay.ca/itm/3DS-XL-FULL-Re...nths-Limited-Edition-/111854315038?nav=SEARCH

 

[Woody8275]

Could I do a shell swap instead? I have two gashes from some assholes in Cuban airport security. I will be getting a new shell and a circle pad so I guess I'll do two repairs at once.
http://m.ebay.ca/itm/3DS-XL-FULL-Re...nths-Limited-Edition-/111854315038?nav=SEARCH

to replace the shell you'll need to completely take apart the 3ds and put it back together wiht the new shell which is very hard unless you are experienced in 3ds repairs
If you are not i dont recommend attempting that as you can easily tear the ribbons

 

[Potato hoarder]

to replace the shell you'll need to completely take apart the 3ds and put it back together wiht the new shell which is very hard unless you are experienced in 3ds repairs

My repair skill is only high in MMOs, unfortunately can't say the same in real life. I found some useful guides for shell swapping that I think I can follow if I take it slowly. I have all of the tools to get it done. I have confidence I can succeed if I follow the guide closely.

Edit* I see that most damages caused by repairs are due to the ribbon tearing. I will try my best to watch out for that and stay aware of what I'm moving and where.

 

[urherenow]

?

The ribbons don't tear easily... but it's not hard to pop off the locking mechanisms. I did that once to the main ribbon that connects the side with the buttons to the main board. Took hours and hours to get that sucker back on!

 

[Potato hoarder]

?

The ribbons don't tear easily... but it's really easy to pop off the locking mechanisms. I did that once to the main ribbon that connects the side with the buttons to the main board. Took hours and hours to get that sucker back on!

Thanks, I'll watch out.

 

[josiascaignard]

Thanks, I'll watch out.

also, the ribbon locks are super fragile, specially the ones from the touch screen and the analog, the little plastic piece that holds them in place can pop off pretty easy. if you are going to change the shell look out for those and the ribbons from the upper screen, as they are placed in the hinge of the 3DS, you can potentially strangle them if you do not do it correctly.