Hardware 3DS XL Mod Plan

[ClassicGOD]

Just got my 3DS XL - the Silver-Black one is beautiful in person.

How did you grab one before the 28th July which is the EU release date?

If you want to be awesome and helpful though, I would appreciate some pictures (especially of the underside).

I don't have any pictures for you as I only have iPhone 4 on me right now and crappy lighting so could't see anything on them but I can tell you I got mine earlier because store I preordered from got their shipment yesterday and shipped out preorders as soon as possible.

 

[HalMotley]

28/07/2012 UPDATE: I received the console today and I have updated my album on Facebook. The major obstacles now are finding the stencils and spraying the SD slot. Having said that it looks fun to play with when I got my Acekard 2i working on it!

Today I went to the mall and managed to grab 2 3DS XLs, one was in Toy's R Us and the other at GAME.

By seeing the device in person I feel that a lot of my questions have been answered such as:

1. How to take the back cover off?

Unscrew the two Philips #00 screws and pull the tabs to remove the cover.

2. What's it like actually playing a game on the 3DS XL?

Very good, the 3D effects feel better because of the larger screen, I quite enjoyed playing Mario Kart 7 on the big screens. But 3D does look pretty trippy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I was annoyed about was that I had to buy a charger separately, which I have done now along with the screwdriver set.
Is the cradle really worth the £13.00 price tag that Amazon have set it at?.

 

[khrome]

28/07/2012 UPDATE: I received the console today and I have updated my album on Facebook. The major obstacles now are finding the stencils and spraying the SD slot. Having said that it looks fun to play with when I got my Acekard 2i working on it!

Today I went to the mall and managed to grab 2 3DS XLs, one was in Toy's R Us and the other at GAME.

By seeing the device in person I feel that a lot of my questions have been answered such as:

1. How to take the back cover off?

Unscrew the two Philips #00 screws and pull the tabs to remove the cover.

2. What's it like actually playing a game on the 3DS XL?

Very good, the 3D effects feel better because of the larger screen, I quite enjoyed playing Mario Kart 7 on the big screens. But 3D does look pretty trippy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I was annoyed about was that I had to buy a charger separately, which I have done now along with the screwdriver set.
Is the cradle really worth the £13.00 price tag that Amazon have set it at?.

How is your project coming along? Would you mind posting pics of how to remove the top cover? I'm in the US and I'm hoping someone will want to trade a blue cover for EU silver.

As far as a stencil, what does it have to made out of? It seems like it would be easy to make one in Photoshop.

 

[HalMotley]

28/07/2012 UPDATE: I received the console today and I have updated my album on Facebook. The major obstacles now are finding the stencils and spraying the SD slot. Having said that it looks fun to play with when I got my Acekard 2i working on it!

Today I went to the mall and managed to grab 2 3DS XLs, one was in Toy's R Us and the other at GAME.

By seeing the device in person I feel that a lot of my questions have been answered such as:

1. How to take the back cover off?

Unscrew the two Philips #00 screws and pull the tabs to remove the cover.

2. What's it like actually playing a game on the 3DS XL?

Very good, the 3D effects feel better because of the larger screen, I quite enjoyed playing Mario Kart 7 on the big screens. But 3D does look pretty trippy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I was annoyed about was that I had to buy a charger separately, which I have done now along with the screwdriver set.
Is the cradle really worth the £13.00 price tag that Amazon have set it at?.

How is your project coming along? Would you mind posting pics of how to remove the top cover? I'm in the US and I'm hoping someone will want to trade a blue cover for EU silver.

As far as a stencil, what does it have to made out of? It seems like it would be easy to make one in Photoshop.

Thanks for your interest, I am still waiting for my screwdriver set because of nasty mix-up on Amazon (Amazon is great, but like all things prone to the occasional failure.) which means I have to reorder when I can get the cheque cashed in. I hate complications! :-(

The top cover seems to be removed via those 4 little screws, but I don't want to try without the screwdriver set. The bottom of the 3DS XL is easy as hell to remove though, just press the switch on the right of the 3DS XL, remove the 2 screws and you are done. I'm sorry I don't have any more information to go by, I was hoping to see more teardown stuff but this all I can find for now.

As for the stencil I will be looking a £30 laser cut one as it would be difficult to cut the thin line by hand. Material wise it can be anything though I don't want to pay £100 just for a stencil for I am not that rich! XD

 

[Daemauroa]

spray painting the 3ds xl is actually a brilliant idea in my opinion. I think that the 2-color matte finish looks ugly. so you could actually now paint it entirely matte black? if so... nice.

 

[HalMotley]

spray painting the 3ds xl is actually a brilliant idea in my opinion. I think that the 2-color matte finish looks ugly. so you could actually now paint it entirely matte black? if so... nice.

Thanks for your endorsement!

Unless you buy the white colour in Japan, the whole device with the exception of 2 plates (which are silver, red or blue) is a matte black colour due to the plastic chosen. I admit that cosmetically the 3DS XL doesn't look as nice as the 3DS. However Nintendo wanted to make the device as cheap as possible so I guess they made a compromise.

 

[jalaneme]

What I was annoyed about was that I had to buy a charger separately, which I have done now along with the screwdriver set.
Is the cradle really worth the £13.00 price tag that Amazon have set it at?.

Amazon uk are selling the dock and charger for £19.99 by 24th aug, wait till then instead of buying them individualy, btw how is the project coming along?

 

[boombox]

You have guts to want to customise your 3DS XL already...I'd be too scared in case I messed up and it looked shit >____<
I wasn't happy about the inside being black, but I like it now, the colour can stay on the outside and you can concentrate on your gaming, rather than the pretty colours!
And the matte finish is so comfortable.
Good luck!

 

[CrimzonEyed]

Remember that some spray pain may cause plastic to melt (something called toluene I think)
Be sure the spray paint is made for spraying plastics.

 

[HalMotley]

You have guts to want to customise your 3DS XL already...I'd be too scared in case I messed up and it looked shit >____<
I wasn't happy about the inside being black, but I like it now, the colour can stay on the outside and you can concentrate on your gaming, rather than the pretty colours!
And the matte finish is so comfortable.
Good luck!

Thanks for that, truth be told though I didn't want another silver DS and I remember that I wanted a Cosmic Black 3DS until I saw a 3DS with huge screens. Then I knew that I should have a Cosmic Black 3DS XL! XD

What I was annoyed about was that I had to buy a charger separately, which I have done now along with the screwdriver set.
Is the cradle really worth the £13.00 price tag that Amazon have set it at?.

Amazon uk are selling the dock and charger for £19.99 by 24th aug, wait till then instead of buying them individualy, btw how is the project coming along?

I am trying to buy the charger as I really need one (I don't trust the cheap one I bought and all I have is a USB cable), the cradle however is £13.00 and I find that hard to justify. I watched a video on YouTube and the dude on it said that it was a fun gimmick and not much more.

The project is okay, I just need the screwdriver set and preferably more teardown instructions. Stencils I'll worry about later.

Remember that some spray pain may cause plastic to melt (something called toluene I think)
Be sure the spray paint is made for spraying plastics.

That's a good point, but I think I'll be okay with Krylon Fusion for Plastic. It's designed specifically for plastic and has been sprayed on multiple DS's before. Thanks for the heads up!

Toluene, that's in dynamite (TriNitroToluene)!

 

[CrimzonEyed]

Toluene, that's in dynamite (TriNitroToluene)!

It's also in spray paint =)

Companies also add toluene to aerosol spray
paints, wall paints, lacquers, paint strippers, adhesives, printing ink,
spot removers, cosmetics, perfumes, and antifreeze.

http://www.epa.gov/chemfact/f_toluen.txt

 

[jimmyemunoz]

Quick Fact: Toulene, or methylbenzene, a colorless, sweet, and pungent-smelling liquid naturally present in crude oil, is abused by people looking for a quick, cheap high.

LINK

 

[HalMotley]

Toluene, that's in dynamite (TriNitroToluene)!

It's also in spray paint =)

Companies also add toluene to aerosol spray
paints, wall paints, lacquers, paint strippers, adhesives, printing ink,
spot removers, cosmetics, perfumes, and antifreeze.

http://www.epa.gov/c...ct/f_toluen.txt

Okay, I did check my Krylon Fusion for Plastic spraycan and the label did indeed say that Toluene was one of the ingredients used. However, this is plastic-orientated spray paint so I am hoping that upon discovery of this there is negligible effect.

I did a quick Google search with keywords "Krylon Fusion Console Modding" and apparently for standard, non-handheld games consoles a spraypaint called Vinyl Dye is highly recommended so if I plan to respray something big, that gets REALLY hot (like a PlayStation or X-Box) this is something I will take into consideration. Fortunately for me this stuff is produced in the UK and it wouldn't be difficult to obtain in the future.

 

[Daemauroa]

spray painting the 3ds xl is actually a brilliant idea in my opinion. I think that the 2-color matte finish looks ugly. so you could actually now paint it entirely matte black? if so... nice.

Thanks for your endorsement!

Unless you buy the white colour in Japan, the whole device with the exception of 2 plates (which are silver, red or blue) is a matte black colour due to the plastic chosen. I admit that cosmetically the 3DS XL doesn't look as nice as the 3DS. However Nintendo wanted to make the device as cheap as possible so I guess they made a compromise.

you mean you don't like the matte black color? I actually thought that the red painted part looked ugly and should be painted matte black instead. nevertheless is customizing your 3ds something that makes your 3ds more personal. anyway, if you ever have painted it will you post a pic or something like that on gbatemp? I think for sure people here will like it.

 

[HalMotley]

Here is what I have so far now that my screwdriver set came with the mail today, all I need is a stencil and preferably some disassembly instructions from someone with the experience! I managed to take the battery cover off my 3DS XL and I noticed that there was a copy of the serial number sticker below the one on the cover which is good for identification purposes!

However, I still have absolutely no idea what I can do to spray the SD slot cover, any ideas?

PS: Is Jalaneme really a girl? XD (I am just curious, no offence intended)

 

[3DSDSXL]

Hey your mighty brave would love to see the final product.

 

[Classicgamer]

I foresee a cheap reassembly, looseness and paint that rubs off on your hands after it gets sweaty and oily. This reminds me of my N64 gold controller spray.

 

[HalMotley]

I foresee a cheap reassembly, looseness and paint that rubs off on your hands after it gets sweaty and oily. This reminds me of my N64 gold controller spray.

I agree as well, but if it fails then I will be going back to the drawing board. Apparently though Krylon Fusion for Plastic is good for the Nintendo DS sprays though.

 

[jimmyemunoz]

I foresee a cheap reassembly, looseness and paint that rubs off on your hands after it gets sweaty and oily. This reminds me of my N64 gold controller spray.

What an optimist you are!

@ HalMotley
As long as you sand or scuff the surface, the plastic paint (vinyl dye) will adhere correctly. I used to work in my Uncle's Auto-Body Shop, and this will work. Just a couple of steps needed and the results will be great.
1) Pick one of these: Sand the surace (if you do this sand off all the old color) or Scuff the surface (you would do this if you're just going to paint over the old color)
2) I suggest practicing your spray routine (it's all in the wrists)
3) Use real light coats, spraying about 12-14 inches from the surface (where you don't try to paint the complete lid in one "session")
4) Wait about 30 minutes in between the "sessions" to paint a new coat of color
5) Once you're done painting it, let it harden for 24 hours in a clean environment (preferably no dust)
6) Clear coating is the same exact routine minus the scuffing/sanding (but you could water-sand the clear coat after in hardens with 2000 grit wet-sandpaper)

 

[HalMotley]

I foresee a cheap reassembly, looseness and paint that rubs off on your hands after it gets sweaty and oily. This reminds me of my N64 gold controller spray.

What an optimist you are!

@ HalMotley
As long as you sand or scuff the surface, the plastic paint (vinyl dye) will adhere correctly. I used to work in my Uncle's Auto-Body Shop, and this will work. Just a couple of steps needed and the results will be great.
1) Pick one of these: Sand the surace (if you do this sand off all the old color) or Scuff the surface (you would do this if you're just going to paint over the old color)
2) I suggest practicing your spray routine (it's all in the wrists)
3) Use real light coats, spraying about 12-14 inches from the surface (where you don't try to paint the complete lid in one "session")
4) Wait about 30 minutes in between the "sessions" to paint a new coat of color
5) Once you're done painting it, let it harden for 24 hours in a clean environment (preferably no dust)
6) Clear coating is the same exact routine minus the scuffing/sanding (but you could water-sand the clear coat after in hardens with 2000 grit wet-sandpaper)

But I bought Krylon Fusion for Plastic to avoid sanding. I think I will try it first and see what happens, but thanks for providing me with a plan B option though! :-)