Hardware Repair Log thread for motherboard and Joycon PCB repair logs

WadsRUs

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As I've recently been repairing a few Switches I thought it might be worth documenting my repairs related to the motherboard (I'll also add any Joycon repairs here).

If anyone wants to add any of their own repairs feel free to do so.

Note: this is largely related to repairs involving microsoldering so you need the skills and the equipment to do this (and a steady hand plus some patience).


Repair #1 - Switch won't charge via the power adapter or the dock (the dock LED will usually turn on then off - so no HDMI output either)

Fix: This is usually caused by a damaged USB C port (also referred to as the charging port) - the USB C port needs to be replaced. This is a common point of failure on the Switch; I've now repaired quite a number of Switches with this issue


Repair #2 - Switch starts to power up and displays the Nintendo logo, then the screen goes blank (as it should) but it should then go on to display the Switch logo - this doesn't happen. This can sometimes be worked around by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery and going into maintenance mode the exiting but this has to be done after every reset or power cycle - in short, it's totally impractical so the cause needs to be addressed

Fix: Replace faulty BQ24103 chip - this is located near the battery connector. Thanks to mattytrog for stating that this chip was the cause


Repair #3 - Switch won't power on

Fix: This can be caused by all manner of faults, included a bricked Switch. However, a common hardware failure, particularly if a non-official docking station has been used, is the M92T36 chip. This is located a above the USB C connector


Repair #4 - Switch doesn't appear to power but after a few seconds it's noticed that the touchscreen is working as sounds can be heard as the display is used normally - shining a strong torch onto the display reveals very faint images

Fix: The backlight has failed. I've only seen this happen once so far and the cause was a tiny spot of corrosion on the connector which the backlight's 4-pin Flat Flex Cable plugs into (just above the right speaker (left speaker of course if you're looking inside the Switch with the back off)). Cleaning the corrosion fixed the fault and the backlight worked again


Repair #5 - Switch touchscreen not working

Fix: The touchscreen is handled by the small daughterboard which also contains the game cart slot and the audio jack socket. In this case there was some corrosion on the the Flat Flex Cable connector - cleaning this with some Isopropyl Alcohol fixed the fault


Repair #6 - Switch powers on but after the Nintendo logo has been displayed the display blanks then nothing - prior to this the Switch was powering on okay but refused to charge the battery, after a while though it got into this state of only displaying the Nintendo logo then blanking the display

Fix: I thought at first that this was caused by a faulty BQ24103 chip but replacing that changed nothing. Did some poking around the battery connector and there was no continuity between pin 3 and the track that connects to it. I then found an extremely tiny bit of corrosion which had eaten through the track from pin 3 (I guess this is some kind of sense line?). Fixing the track fixed both problems and the Switch booted normally and charged the battery


Repair #7 – The Switch will charge but not the Joycons

Fix: Faulty M92T36 replaced


Repair #8 - Video and audio is fine in handheld mode but when docked there's no video (only audio) on the TV or monitor

Fix: Replaced faulty PI3USB chip


Repair #9 - Switch powers on, Nintendo logo appears, screen clears .......... so far so good. The Switch logo then appears but stays onscreen for less time than usual, screen clears again (as it should) then nothing. Just a blank display

Fix: Faulty M92T36 replaced


Repair #10 - Switch powers on, Nintendo logo appears, screen clears ......... so far so good. However, it then takes longer than usual for the Switch logo to appear and when it does that's it, the Switch logo stays onscreen and nothing further happens

Fix: Faulty M92T36 replaced


Repair #11 - The Switch powers on, displays the Nintendo Logo, screen blanks (as it should) then the Switch logo briefly appears and immediately goes off, only for an error to be reported:

2101-0001

the error display states to press the power button to restart or to hold it down for 12 seconds to power off the Switch. If the problem persists the display states that the user should refer to the Nintendo support website

Fix: Replace faulty M92T36



If any other repairers would like to add their findings to this thread please do so
 
Last edited by WadsRUs,

mattytrog

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Will be contributing to this thread! Good job!

You have covered things well. Maybe add a pic with component values on from the other thread? If you need any help let me know :)
 
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WadsRUs

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Will be contributing to this thread! Good job!

You have covered things well. Maybe add a pic with component values on from the other thread? If you need any help let me know :)

Thanks. For now I'll just copy your extremely useful annotated image below but I really need to edit it to put in some additional component info, much of which you've told me about in PMs - unless someone else beats me to editing it of course ...... I've always been hopeless at image editing. :D

components-jpg.151243
 

Shadow_The_Hedgehog82

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I just got a charging ic off ebay the one that goes by the battery not the usb c controller. Does the orientation of it matter as the one they sent has no markings on top of it. I have looked at a mobo picture and my switch and they both have different orientations
 

WadsRUs

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I just got a charging ic off ebay the one that goes by the battery not the usb c controller. Does the orientation of it matter as the one they sent has no markings on top of it. I have looked at a mobo picture and my switch and they both have different orientations

Yes, the orientation most definitely matters. Are there no markings at all on the chip? Also, there should be an orientation (pin 1) dot.

Just to confirm - you're referring to the smaller BQ24193 near the battery connector (and not the larger M92T36 which is approximately 2cm above the USB C connector)? If so the pin 1 orientation notch for the BQ24193 should be at the bottom right (that's with the motherboard oriented with the battery connector to your right - the numbers on the chip should also be upside down as you look at it with the board oriented what way, but that may vary with different manufacturers so go by the orientation dot).

Also, you'll find that those chips can have hard to read markings unless you look at them at the correct angle - are you using a magnifier or a microscope?
 
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Shadow_The_Hedgehog82

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Yes, the orientation most definitely matters. Are there no markings at all on the chip? Also, there should be an orientation (pin 1) dot.

Just to confirm - you're referring to the smaller BQ24103 near the battery connector (and not the larger M92T36 which is approximately 2cm above the USB C connector)? If so the pin 1 orientation notch for the BQ24103 should be at the bottom right (that's with the motherboard oriented with the battery connector to your right - the numbers on the chip should also be upside down as you look at it with the board oriented what way, but that may vary with different manufacturers so go by the orientation dot).

Also, you'll find that those chips can have hard to read markings unless you look at them at the correct angle - are you using a magnifier or a microscope?
yeah it has no markings on it I already asked to send it back because i dont wanna try reflowing it 4 times trying to guess the orientation lel. It didn't have any markings on it even when looking through a magnifying glass
 

WadsRUs

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yeah it has no markings on it I already asked to send it back because i dont wanna try reflowing it 4 times trying to guess the orientation lel. It didn't have any markings on it even when looking through a magnifying glass

Possibly some knock-off then?

And you definitely couldn't see any markings even when tilting the chip at a slight angle?
 

WadsRUs

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Okay. So you're getting it replaced by the same seller?

BTW, in my first reply to you I queried if the chip was a BQ24103 - that was a typo, I meant BQ24193 (have now corrected it).
 

Shadow_The_Hedgehog82

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Okay. So you're getting it replaced by the same seller?

BTW, in my first reply to you I queried if the chip was a BQ24103 - that was a typo, I meant BQ24193 (have now corrected it).
not sure i wanna send it back as I didn't end up needing it anyway. The switch i got i didn't think of testing rcm i plugged it into my pc turns out it just had auto rcm enabled. I got it on ebay as dead lel
 

WadsRUs

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not sure i wanna send it back as I didn't end up needing it anyway. The switch i got i didn't think of testing rcm i plugged it into my pc turns out it just had auto rcm enabled. I got it on ebay as dead lel

Nice! :)

Still, I guess the chip cost you a bit of money so I'd still send it back for a refund.
 

WadsRUs

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I've added the following repair to the first post:

Repair #6 - Switch powers on but after the Nintendo logo has been displayed the display blanks then nothing - prior to this the Switch was powering on okay but refused to charge the battery, after a while though it got into this state of only displaying the Nintendo logo then blanking the display

Fix: I thought at first that this was caused by a faulty BQ24103 chip but replacing that changed nothing. Did some poking around the battery connector and there was no continuity between pin 3 and the track that connects to it. I then found an extremely tiny bit of corrosion which had eaten through the track from pin 3 (I guess this is some kind of sense line?). Fixing the track fixed both problems and the Switch booted normally and charged the battery
 

WadsRUs

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Another two repairs just added to the first post (I forget to add #8 a while back):

Repair #7 – The Switch will charge but not the Joycons

Fix: Faulty M92T36 replaced


Repair #8 - Video and audio is fine in handheld mode but when docked there's no video (only audio) on the TV or monitor

Fix: Replaced faulty PI3USB chip



If any other repairers on this forum would like to add their repair info to this thread, please do so. :)
 
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WadsRUs

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Three more error logs added to the first post, as follows:

Repair #9 - Switch powers on, Nintendo logo appears, screen clears .......... so far so good. The Switch logo then appears but stays onscreen for less time than usual, screen clears again (as it should) then nothing. Just a blank display

Fix: Faulty M92T36 replaced


Repair #10 - Switch powers on, Nintendo logo appears, screen clears ......... so far so good. However, it then takes longer than usual for the Switch logo to appear and when it does that's it, the Switch logo stays onscreen and nothing further happens

Fix: Faulty M92T36 replaced


Repair #11 - The Switch powers on, displays the Nintendo Logo, screen blanks (as it should) then the Switch logo briefly appears and immediately goes off, only for an error to be reported:

2101-0001

the error display states to press the power button to restart or to hold it down for 12 seconds to power off the Switch. If the problem persists the display states that the user should refer to the Nintendo support website

Fix: Replace faulty M92T36



Faulty M92T36 chips seem to be the 'dish of the day'!. No wonder the prices on Ebay, Aliexpress and Alibaba have increased, the M92T36 is becoming a very common point of failure.
 

Borega

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Repair #11 - The Switch powers on, displays the Nintendo Logo, screen blanks (as it should) then the Switch logo briefly appears and immediately goes off, only for an error to be reported:

2101-0001

the error display states to press the power button to restart or to hold it down for 12 seconds to power off the Switch. If the problem persists the display states that the user should refer to the Nintendo support website

Fix: Replace faulty M92T36


I have this error. Changed the IC but still have this problem. Other ideas? Would the switch boot if the IC is ok but just not soldered on correctly? Maybe I missed a pin? (don't think so but does not hurt to ask)
 
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ZERO2028

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Three more error logs added to the first post, as follows:

Repair #10 - Switch powers on, Nintendo logo appears, screen clears ......... so far so good. However, it then takes longer than usual for the Switch logo to appear and when it does that's it, the Switch logo stays onscreen and nothing further happens

Fix: Faulty M92T36 replaced

Faulty M92T36 chips seem to be the 'dish of the day'!. No wonder the prices on Ebay, Aliexpress and Alibaba have increased, the M92T36 is becoming a very common point of failure.

Well, I have the problem #10. Did replace helped you? How can i check state of this component on my motherboard?
 

PIXeL_92

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Joy-Cons #1 - Connect over BT but not docked and do charge. No LED lights on slider.
Repair - Noticed that the flex cable on slider was damaged, repaired two traces, issue still remains. Under microscope noticed some pry damage next to battery connector, two resistors had been pried off.
These are 3k3 0201 resistors (could use 3k) soldered some new ones on and there is now life, fully tested and deemed working.



Switch #1 - Short to ground around M9 Chip and only 0.6v on the output mosfet. Switch Dead no charging, not turning on with known good battery.
Repair - Swapped out chip and we are running again.

Switch #2 -Same symptoms as above but with a few more shorts to ground and a dead resistor and cap
Repair - Replaced chip and components, still dead. Ongoing.
 
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Borega

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Repair #11 - The Switch powers on, displays the Nintendo Logo, screen blanks (as it should) then the Switch logo briefly appears and immediately goes off, only for an error to be reported:

2101-0001

the error display states to press the power button to restart or to hold it down for 12 seconds to power off the Switch. If the problem persists the display states that the user should refer to the Nintendo support website

Fix: Replace faulty M92T36


I have this error. Changed the IC but still have this problem. Other ideas? Would the switch boot if the IC is ok but just not soldered on correctly? Maybe I missed a pin? (don't think so but does not hurt to ask)

Resoldered m92T36 and it now boots. So the fix stated here works. Now to fix the charging problem. The Board does not get any voltage in, but all caps and resistors seem fine. Ordered a new BQ24103. Let's see if that fixes it...
 

Borega

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Resoldered m92T36 and it now boots. So the fix stated here works. Now to fix the charging problem. The Board does not get any voltage in, but all caps and resistors seem fine. Ordered a new BQ24103. Let's see if that fixes it...
Found out that two of the 10K 50mw 0201 carbon film resistors around the BQ24103 are shorted (the ones most to the right and above the chip/joycon connector) and have a resistance of 0.5ohm instead of the 10k they should have. Now I want to replace them but the only item available to me would be a Panasonic ERJ-1GEJ103C would that work? Sry for the description Iam not allowed to post pictures yet.
 
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