Hacking Charger, battery, or something else entirely?

[fenril]

My DS won't charge. I don't know whether it is the battery, the charger, or something entirely different. When plugged into the wall, i don't even see the amber light go off. Of course, i didn't charge it before the battery drained (it WAS working with an R4DS prior to draining out completely), so now i have no way of knowing whether the battery or charger is at fault. It could possibly be the contacts too, but i really don't know which one to replace or fix. What should i do?

 

[TrolleyDave]

Can you actually play it while the charger is plugged in? If you can I'd suspect it's the battery. Have you tried popping it out and giving the contacts a bit of a clean?

 

[thegame07]

listen to this strange tale

when i plug my ds into one of the sockets in my house (a socket that works for everything else including psp ect it works but when i plug my ds in there no amber light or anything and it does not charge then all the other plug sockets work with it any ideas?

 

[fenril]

I can't play it with the charger plugged in. Does this mean it's the charger? I just got the ds a while ago, so i've never actually SEEN if the charger DOES work..does this mean i should buy a new charger?

 

[fenril]

BTW, It was working fine prior to the battery running out. I thought i'd charge it when it ran out (like i do with most other stuff), but that didn't work this time. Though i think it's the charger now(cos i don't get even an amber light), what would be the symptoms of a dying battery?

 

[thegame07]

symptoms of a dying battery: lets you play a game and then all of a sudden your ds cuts out. i think thats the symptoms anyway.

 

[Psyfira]

I just got the ds a while ago, so i've never actually SEEN if the charger DOES work..does this mean i should buy a new charger?

No. Take the DS back to the store you brought it in and get them to test it with another charger there. The DS is under warranty (and probably within the 14 day return period for most stores) so the store should just straight swap it if there's a manufacturing defect, either giving you a whole new DS package or a new charger (probably the former).

[Edit] Assuming it's brand new. otherwise do you know anyone you could borrow a charger (or battery) from to test it out?

 

[fenril]

Ok, so I bought a new charger today to test it out. Both with and without a battery, it doesn't work with the charger. It's either the battery or the DS. I think it's the DS because even if the battery has no charge, shouldn't the amber light come on when it's connected to the charger? I've never seen the secondary amber light come on, with and without the battery inserted and with the charger plugged in. I bought it from ebay (i know, cringe), so i'm hoping the guy will help me get it working at least. Some of you might be saying i should've just went and bought a ds lite. Problem is, that would cost 50 dollars more than my ds, r4 and memory combined. But, maybe i'll end up doing that anyways, cause it'll help out as far as battery life-wise. The contacts BTW were just fine. Sigh. What should i do?

 

[fenril]

Well, assuming the guy from ebay doesn't respond. Has anyone else had this problem, and is there anyway i can fix it?

 

[kelvinate]

The NDS does not work without the battery inserted. so it wont work at all without the battery.

This sounds like a case of the battery being dead. since the nds draws the power from the battery once it finish charging whether it is plugged in or not. IF the battery is dead, the charger will charge for a short while. you turn the nds on, the power comes from the battery, the battery runs out of power and finally it shuts off.

i say get a new battery.

 

[fenril]

The NDS does not work without the battery inserted. so it wont work at all without the battery.

This sounds like a case of the battery being dead. since the nds draws the power from the battery once it finish charging whether it is plugged in or not. IF the battery is dead, the charger will charge for a short while. you turn the nds on, the power comes from the battery, the battery runs out of power and finally it shuts off.

i say get a new battery.

Hmm. That sounds spot on. The only thing is that i don't see the amber light at all...is this normal if the battery is dead? Also, if it is dead, where can i get a new one? $15 dollars for a new battery from nintendo seems pretty steep...

 

[kelvinate]

if it is dead then the battery may not charge at all or charge just a really small amount of time.

 

[fenril]

Thing is, I don't know if it's the DS or the battery. If i turn on the DS with the battery in, it'll turn on for like a second then shut off (drained, but still has a little tiny bit left?). When i plug in the charger, i don't see any amber light. Would the charger at least attempt to charge it and give me an amber light?

 

[kelvinate]

you dont have a friend who has a ds to try out the charger? or even try it out at a game store?


does the battery have red light when you try to switch it on?


you can try to buy a usb cable to try to charge it.

 

[fenril]

I know it's not the charger; i got another one, and that one didn't work either. I think it might be the F1/F2 fuse..i saw a post on maxconsole and another one here detailing these symptoms and how bridging the fuse fixed it. I'll give it a look with my multi, and if the fuse is blown, well that would solve a whole lot of problems. The fuse problem seems to affect only the charging portion of the ds, like the charger can work fine and the ds can work fine but it wont make the connection from the charger to the battery.

 

[kelvinate]

have you tried to flash your ds? because i only ever heard of the blown fuse when people try to flash it incorrectly.