is there a way to unbrick a MCU brick?
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If it turn on and throw a bootrom error then you can try a NTRboothax to attempt to fix it. If it MCU brick it means hardware is damaged, typically like the NAND is damaged, which is unrecoverable.
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It's unlikely that you bricked the MCU by disconnecting a ribbon cable. And even if you (somehow) did it's at least not impossible to unbrick. The developer of No$GBA managed it once but it involves hardware modifications.
If it's an MCU brick, then pressing the Power button should do absolutely nothing at all.
It would be good to know which ribbon you tore, and what the 3DS does when pressing the Power button.
There aren't any crucial ribbon cables you can tear which makes the 3DS permanently unusable.
Although tearing a ribbon going to the top screen is rather annoying, and is somewhat difficult to replace.
Though that could also mean a dead PMIC chip, but using some slightly expensive tools it should be possible to detect just by inspecting the I2C lines of the MCU for any sign of life.
As long as the 3DS is even remotely functional (that is: cart slot and NTR card hardware, partial MCU with PMIC and I2C driver code, working PMIC chip, I2C hardware inside the 3DS, and button GPIO), using a specially crafted ntrboot cartridge with some specific .firm flashed onto it, you could easily reflash MCU_FIRM without expensive hardware.
As long as the 3DS is even remotely functional (that is: cart slot and NTR card hardware, partial MCU with PMIC and I2C driver code, working PMIC chip, I2C hardware inside the 3DS, and button GPIO), using a specially crafted ntrboot cartridge with some specific .firm flashed onto it, you could easily reflash MCU_FIRM without expensive hardware.
It would be good to know which ribbon you tore, and what the 3DS does when pressing the Power button.
There aren't any crucial ribbon cables you can tear which makes the 3DS permanently unusable.
Although tearing a ribbon going to the top screen is rather annoying, and is somewhat difficult to replace.
thanks for replying
I removed the ribbons from the image, then i put them right back on, and then i realize that it was a mistake.
Also when i opened it, i got 2 black screens, blue LED and no sound, but then i tried to do the combination: L + R + Up + A
Now when i open my 3DS, its loading indefinitely, saying: Opening the HOME Menu... Do not turn off the power.
i think its a MCU brick.
Sorry for bad English
I removed the ribbons from the image, then i put them right back on, and then i realize that it was a mistake.
Also when i opened it, i got 2 black screens, blue LED and no sound, but then i tried to do the combination: L + R + Up + A
Now when i open my 3DS, its loading indefinitely, saying: Opening the HOME Menu... Do not turn off the power.
i think its a MCU brick.
Sorry for bad English
You broke the L and R ribbons? If yes, that's no problem, as the 3DS will work without it just fine, but you have to unplug them to not cause any potential issues by leaving a damaged ribbon plugged in.
I have a 3DS where they are broken, and unplugging them does absolutely nothing, you just won't be able to press L or R.
Oh, and if you see "Opening HOME Menu", then there is NO WAY the MCU could be bricked. You need MCU to turn the LCD panel, LCD backlight, and the CPU itself on, so if you see anything on the screen, then the MCU can't be broken.
However, it does sound like you probably either damaged, or didn't insert the SD Reader ribbon properly. Check if you have damaged it, or if you have inserted it incorrectly. I think I remember it a bit difficult to re-insert SD Reader, because it bends backwards on itself. It's also easy to damage it, because if you leave it dangling, the ribbon can get damaged.
Here's what to try:
- disconnect R and L ribbons completely
- disconnect the SD Reader ribbon (GENTLY! CirclePad is in the way! just disconnect it, don't try to move the ribbon out of the way!)
- remove any cartridge inserted into the 3DS (I have a DS cartridge which causes the 3DS OS to freeze on a black screen with no backlight!)
If you do that, and there is no other hardware damage, here is what should happen:
- if your 3DS is hacked, the blue light should come on, and turn off a second later (because SD with boot.firm is missing, this is normal)
- if your 3DS is not hacked, it should turn on in a few seconds (can take up to 13s sometimes), and you should see a white Home Menu, and most of your games missing (which are installed on SD, so don't freak out, it's normal)
If you're not that lucky to get one of the above, here's what else could be the problem:
- if Home Menu hangs, the WiFi chip might be improperly inserted, check if the connector and the pins are not damaged
- check if you have backlight: if you do, then it's probably a software problem... if not... well, need more info
EDIT: What 3DS do you have? If you have a new3DS or new3DSXL (should not affect new2DSXL), then a part of the 3DS OS (or the Home Menu) might crash if the cameras or their ribbons are damaged. This is because head tracking needs the cameras, and it needs them even if you turned the feature off.
Last edited by Sono,
Your image is quite low-resolution, but it does look like it's indeed damaged R (and possibly L) ribbon.
You can unplug the SD Reader by gently lifting from the bottom-left side of the SD Reader ribbon connector (see image below).
After that, push the 3DS apart, plop in a battery, and test what happens.
Yeah, gently unplug it.
You won't be able to lift it out of the way because the white plastic of the CirclePad will prevent you from moving the SD Reader ribbon anywhere. That's okay, we just need to unplug it, not remove it.
What does the 3DS do before and after unplugging it?
EDIT: also the WiFi card looks a bit jank on the first image, try unplugging it and re-plugging it.
Push and pull on both sides! While the connector is somewhat sturdy, it's a bit easy to mangle it up by just pushing in the middle, or on just one side.
Do not push hard! If you placed it in the correct place, it should just slide in with small effort.
Last edited by Sono,
Yeah, if nwm crashes then that means that there is something wrong with your WiFi module.
Check if the connector is right (no bent pins or stuck sand), and if it's plugged in properly.
Also let me guess, the top bar never showed up in Home Menu, right? That includes the clock and battery status in top-right, and WiFi status in top-left. If yes, then that's also a sign of a missing or damaged or inproperly plugged in WiFi card.
ok thanks
but i have another question: how do i re-hack my 3ds?
when i bricked it, i thought there is no way that i ca fix it, so i deleted everything from the SD card
now i only have the "Nintendo 3DS" folder
but i have another question: how do i re-hack my 3ds?
when i bricked it, i thought there is no way that i ca fix it, so i deleted everything from the SD card
now i only have the "Nintendo 3DS" folder
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