Hardware How hard would it be to remove the sleep light?

[zeello]

Nintendo fails at sleep mode. (At least until they released the Switch.. haven't got one yet.) When I put my 2DS in sleep it looks like Casino Night Zone with how many LEDs there are. Seems with the original 3DS there are much fewer (only one I think if you're not charging and have wifi off) and it's on the side so it's less visible, so maybe that's good enough. But having no LEDs at all would be way better and I think it would be an interesting project to try to remove it.

Mind you I don't have an OG 3DS at the moment. I would get one specifically to attempt this. Question is whether this is easily feasible. Certain things like the analog slider, speakers, or wifi antenna can simply be disconnected and taken out. In other models such as the XL, the LED can be unattached I think, but then again the LEDs on the XL are in a different location.

Maybe I'll buy a 3DS anyway just to take a look.

edit: Is this a good price for an og 3DS? It has a screen blotch but that makes it good to tinker with. Wish it was a bit cheaper though.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-3DS-Handheld-System-Aqua-Blue-READ/392586814639

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Nintendo fails at sleep mode. (At least until they released the Switch.. haven't got one yet.) When I put my 2DS in sleep it looks like Casino Night Zone with how many LEDs there are. Seems with the original 3DS there are much fewer (only one I think if you're not charging and have wifi off) and it's on the side so it's less visible, so maybe that's good enough. But having no LEDs at all would be way better and I think it would be an interesting project to try to remove it.

Mind you I don't have an OG 3DS at the moment. I would get one specifically to attempt this. Question is whether this is easily feasible. Certain things like the analog slider, speakers, or wifi antenna can simply be disconnected and taken out. In other models such as the XL, the LED can be unattached I think, but then again the LEDs on the XL are in a different location.

Maybe I'll buy a 3DS anyway just to take a look.

The easy way would be to get some stickers designed to black out LEDs on routers, HDDs and the like, and stick them on, that way you are not making any permanent modifications like cutting traces on the board, and it's easy to undo.

 

[zeello]

Lol, they make stickers for that purpose? I got to look that up.

I considered buying electrical tape and cutting it into strips and simply taping over the LED. But that is so unsexy. And I just know they are going to come off eventually. And not only that, there will be sticker residue where the tape used to be, so it's not as temporary as you'd think. At least the LED can be placed back inside if I change my mind or decide to sell the 3DS, provided I didn't throw the LED away. So it's kind of a toss up which method is the less permanent one. The tape method is definitely less interesting in any case.

P.s. Slightly related...I have a 2DS I got from ebay for about $30 with a non working charging light. (The ebay listing did not say this, I only found out when I got it in the mail and began charging it) It does charge thankfully, but the light isn't there. This is encouraging because it tells me that it can't be too hard to get an LED to stop working without affecting the rest of the system

 

[IC_]

You could put electric tape directly on the board so it looks normal from the outside and no light will get through anywhere
Another possible option is just desoldering the LEDs from the board but then you risk messing something else up and good luck soldering them back on in the future

 

[Bladexdsl]

have you tried duct taping over it or some blu tak?

 

[Deleted member 373223]

I remember a CIA called Led Dimmer by MarcusD (according to my 3ds) that turned those off until a reboot

 

[zeello]

I was just thinking that! xD I came here to post that idea because I was looking at a teardown video for New 3DS. (Because I could try doing that model as well.) The LEDs on the New might be on a single piece. So might as well open 'er up and tape over the piece without removing it.

 

[IC_]

I remember a CIA called Led Dimmer by MarcusD (according to my 3ds) that turned those off until a reboot

Yes I forgot that's also in the luma menu but it doesn't turn off the charging light and they turn back on in sleep mode

 

[zeello]

I tried looking it up and found a video of an LED dimming app (maybe not the same one you guys are talking about) but in the video the light came back on when the 3ds was closed. It's a shame because I would have totally considered doing it that way even though I've never tried homebrew on any system other than the psp. Anything to get rid of that LED in sleep mode. Unfortunately I don't mind the LED being on if I'm playing it. I don't even notice it actually. So the app doesn't help me.

 

[slaphappygamer]

You could put electric tape directly on the board so it looks normal from the outside and no light will get through anywhere

I did exactly this on my gba everdrive. That light was ver annoying.

Can recommend!

 

[zeello]

This 3DS doesn't read games, supposedly. Is it an easy fix? Because if it is, I can do that and the LED thing, kill two birds with one stone.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-3...m-Console-Cord-Doesnt-Load-Games/293369753691

Purple was not my first choice honestly, but if the price is right then yeah I'll take purple.

 

[IC_]

This 3DS doesn't read games, supposedly. Is it an easy fix? Because if it is, I can do that and the LED thing, kill two birds with one stone.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-3...m-Console-Cord-Doesnt-Load-Games/293369753691

Purple was not my first choice honestly, but if the price is right then yeah I'll take purple.

I wish I had a purple 3DS, I never saw one here
Maybe it's possible to fix it by just bending some of the pins but I'm not sure if you don't need to desolder the metal plate first and if it's not then it shouldn't be that hard to desolder the entire game card slot and solder in a new one

 

[zeello]

I cannot solder to save my life.. looks like that's out unless I decide to use it solely with games downloaded from the eshop.

 

[slaphappygamer]

You could buy a 3ds with broken screens and swap motherboards, if you really wanted to.

 

[FAST6191]

Did I hallucinate the existence of permanent markers?

 

[TurdPooCharger]

All this talk of removing the LED is kinda dumb. You can also electric tape the inner side of the plastic light guide without destroying anything if you're going to the trouble disassembling it.

 

[zeello]

Considering trying this on a DSi instead for the time being. But maybe.. What about doing it on my 2DS that I have already? I mean, the sleep switch is way clunky compared to simply flipping the top screen down.. I basically never use the sleep switch. The power button is easier. Can there be a way to solve this.. I propose attaching something to the sleep switch using krazy glue. Some random object, could be anything, like a lego piece or PSP analog nub, or something better if anyone has any suggestions.

After that I simply remove or cover up all the LEDs inside. This will be fun because the 2DS has so many of them.

EDIT: The 2DS sleep switch is round. (As in cylindrical) Not ideal for crazy gluing anything on it. I am pretty much forced to use electrical tape (or an LED blocking tape) on the sleep switch since it will contour to the shape of the switch. I can't think of any better options. Oh well. At least it saves me from having to buy additional stuff.

 

[FAST6191]

Considering trying this on a DSi instead for the time being. But maybe.. What about doing it on my 2DS that I have already? I mean, the sleep switch is way clunky compared to simply flipping the top screen down.. I basically never use the sleep switch. The power button is easier. Can there be a way to solve this.. I propose attaching something to the sleep switch using krazy glue. Some random object, could be anything, like a lego piece or PSP analog nub, or something better if anyone has any suggestions.

After that I simply remove or cover up all the LEDs inside. This will be fun because the 2DS has so many of them.

EDIT: The 2DS sleep switch is round. (As in cylindrical) Not ideal for crazy gluing anything on it. I am pretty much forced to use electrical tape (or an LED blocking tape) on the sleep switch since it will contour to the shape of the switch. I can't think of any better options. Oh well. At least it saves me from having to buy additional stuff.

Seriously, what is wrong with permanent marker? If you are worried about removing it then the same solvent that allows them to work in the first place is conveniently located in other permanent markers so if you ever want to remove it and don't want to abrade it then doodle on what you want to remove for a little bit and give it a wipe. Try it on some random plastic you have around if you want.

 

[zeello]

On my white / sea green 2DS, you can actually see the LED through the casing. So I doubt marker will block it. But hopefully LED blocking tape will block it. Because from what I can gather, the LEDs appears on a single component on the DSi/XL and og model 3DS meaning you cannot pick and choose which LEDs to leave on unless you cover them physically. I would like the charging and low battery lights to be on at least while disabling the rest. But having a completely LEDless system would still be better than having all the LEDs intact. I could always check the battery from the home screen.

Coincidentally, I bought a GBC recently (a rather impulsive decision) and the thing that bugs me the most about it is the LED. Seriously, Nintendo?? The screen is not even backlit. So blasting a laser pointer in our eyes while we're straining to see the screen is like mocking us. Anyway, I will definitely put LED blocking tape in there and see if that makes me enjoy the GBC any more.

 

[ThoD]

On my white / sea green 2DS, you can actually see the LED through the casing. So I doubt marker will block it. But hopefully LED blocking tape will block it. Because from what I can gather, the LEDs appears on a single component on the DSi/XL and og model 3DS meaning you cannot pick and choose which LEDs to leave on unless you cover them physically. I would like the charging and low battery lights to be on at least while disabling the rest. But having a completely LEDless system would still be better than having all the LEDs intact. I could always check the battery from the home screen.

Coincidentally, I bought a GBC recently (a rather impulsive decision) and the thing that bugs me the most about it is the LED. Seriously, Nintendo?? The screen is not even backlit. So blasting a laser pointer in our eyes while we're straining to see the screen is like mocking us. Anyway, I will definitely put LED blocking tape in there and see if that makes me enjoy the GBC any more.

Dude, the 2DS only has 3 LEDs, notifications (which is never on in sleep mode 99.9% of the time even with wifi on), charging (which IS important to be able to see if it's finished) and power (which tells you if it's sleep mode or off). Why make such a big deal out of a tiny blue dot?