Hardware 3DS top screen bright when opening it up all the way

[Crumply]

As explained in the title, my 3DS has a problem where my top screen will go extremely bright when I open the lid too far. It's also worth noting that if this happens when the brightness is set to 5, the system just gives up and turns itself off. Also, there appears to be a crack in my 3DS' outer shell above the face buttons and I can hear electrical sounds when opening it. I have to play with the system opened at the 90 degree angle and with the brightness set to 1. I should also point out that I have no experience in opening a 3DS up and it's homebrewed (Boot9strap) so I assume sending it to Nintendo for repairs isn't an option. I've had this problem since sometime after I modded it in 2018 and haven't posted about it until now due to multiple factors. With this all in mind, how could I go about fixing this? I've also attached a picture of the crack on my 3DS and it's worth noting that I can't remember how said crack happened.



EDIT: Changed the post description slightly.

 

[IC_]

You could take it to a third party repair instead of Nintendo. The problem is with the ribbon cable connecting the top screen to the motherboard in the bottom part, it's probably not properly routed and connected through the hinge and because of that there is too much stress on it when the lid is opened up too far.

 

[Crumply]

Will any third party repair service do or are there some I should avoid if I don't want my 3DS to be written off or sent to Nintendo?

 

[IC_]

Will any third party repair service do or are there some I should avoid if I don't want my 3DS to be written off or sent to Nintendo?

Avoid those that are associated with Nintendo in any way, if those even exist.

 

[Crumply]

Avoid those that are associated with Nintendo in any way, if those even exist.

Will I have to take the usual precautions before sending it in?

 

[IC_]

Will I have to take the usual precautions before sending it in?

What exactly do you mean by usual precautions? I would make a NAND backup just in case and then take out the SD card. Even if the people at the repair shop somehow noticed CFW and homebrew on the empty home screen, they probably wouldn't care at all because they aren't Nintendo.
Just make sure you actually have the CFW installed into CTRNAND so the system can boot up normally without the SD card inserted.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

This is a known problem. Over the years of constantly opening and closing the shell the ribbon cables to the upper screen assembly wear down. If the upper screen ribbon is damaged the only fix is replacing the screen. Some people would say: "If you can't do the repair yourself it's not worth the money. Just get another unit." Financially it could be true at the moment but getting a console not having problems with the ribbons probably means "not yet".

Will I have to take the usual precautions before sending it in?

Backup your save data with Checkpoint and/or JKSM as soon as possible and before any repair attempts (no matter if do-it-yourself or a repair shop). If the problem gets worse the console will not turn on anymore making save recovery a lot harder.


Good luck and have fun!

 

[Crumply]

Will I have to back up my software too? Also, what if I get a technician who does nothing to actually fix it and just gives me a replacement 3DS?

 

[Crumply]

Alternatively, would just buying a new 3DS be another acceptable option?

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Alternatively, would just buying a new 3DS be another acceptable option?

Of course. As long as your old console still turns on → [How to perform a System Transfer without losing non-legitimate titles]

I would still recommend backing up all saves with Checkpoint and/or JKSM as soon as possible.

Any repair attempt can fail and therefore it's a good idea to move purchased software and user profile to a fully working unit before doing so.

 

[Deleted User]

Your best bet would be to send it to Nintendo. First, open GodMode9 and copy "ctrnand_fat.bin" in [S:] SYSNAND VIRTUAL to the SD Card and rename it to "ctrnand_full.bin". Then, take out your SD Card and ship it off to Nintendo.

If they fix it and leave CFW intact, then you're lucky.

If they fix it and don't leave CFW intact, then re-hack it, and copy the "ctrnand_full.bin" that you copied to the SD Card previously to [S:] SYSNAND VIRTUAL.

If you get a new/refurbished console from Nintendo or you buy one that is the same model yourself, then copy "ctrnand_full.bin" from your SD Card to [S:] SYSNAND VIRTUAL.

 

[fmkid]

Your best bet would be to send it to Nintendo. First, open GodMode9 and copy "ctrnand_full.bin" in [S:] SYSNAND VIRTUAL to the SD Card. Then, take out your SD Card and ship it off to Nintendo.

If they fix it and leave CFW intact, then you're lucky.

If they fix it and don't leave CFW intact, then re-hack it, and copy the "ctrnand_full.bin" that you copied to the SD Card previously to [S:] SYSNAND VIRTUAL.

If you get a new/refurbished console from Nintendo or you buy one that is the same model yourself, then copy "ctrnand_full.bin" from your SD Card to [S:] SYSNAND VIRTUAL.

CTRNAND copy don't... Better a full (Sys)NAND copy

 

[Deleted User]

CTRNAND copy don't... Better a full (Sys)NAND copy

I suggested CTRNAND copy due to possible ban issues (so the essential.exefs needs to stay the same) and a possible OTP change because of a new console.

 

[fmkid]

I suggested CTRNAND copy due to possible ban issues (so the essential.exefs needs to stay the same) and a possible OTP change because of a new console.

No ban issues and no OTP changes for that. It's a NAND backup from and for the same console (exclusively), not for other (new)

And a CTRNAND backup for other (new) console doesn't made any difference and have no sense:

• I suppose that you are thinking about a possible transfer between consoles alternative with only a CTRNAND injection from a console to another new (using CTRTransfer), and the answer is not useful for that (the keys and other important files of the new console, as movable.sed, are mantained during the process).
• And, on the other hand, a direct CTRNAND backup injection from another console will lead to a brick.

 

[Deleted User]

No ban issues and no OTP changes for that. It's a NAND backup from and for the same console (exclusively), not for other (new)

And a CTRNAND backup for other (new) console doesn't made any difference and have no sense:

• I suppose that you are thinking about a possible transfer between consoles alternative with only a CTRNAND injection from a console to another new (using CTRTransfer), and the answer is not useful for that (the keys and other important files of the new console, as movable.sed, are mantained during the process).
• And, on the other hand, a direct CTRNAND backup injection from another console will lead to a brick.

If the OP sends the console to Nintendo, the console could be banned if CFW or traces of it were found on the console. The OP mentioned considering a new console, so I gave instructions for that as well (thus the part about the OTP being different). Also, a CTRNAND injection from one console to another of the same region and model will not lead to a brick (personally tested).