Hacking DS Lite- out of warranty repair advice?

[roflmywaffle]

Hi everyone! Looking for some advice on this one.

I had a few questions.

OK, my friend is a bit...abusive...with his video game hardware. His DS is pretty scuffed up casing (serial # is gone, which is why he can't get it repaired), bottom screened is "Ouendan'd" with scratches, and the right button/trigger doesn't work. The hinge is very loose.

Otherwise (yes, I didn't name every component

), the other components work.

Now, he has given me the DS Lite for free, and I am wondering whether I should leave it be or repair it.

So, I'm looking at:
-Case replacement
-Lower screen (do you only have to replace the shield?)
-Right and left trigger replacement. He's really hard on both, and I'm just going to replace both.

Here is where I have a few questions?
-How involved is this/easy to screw up? I don't mind spending time, but if it's nearly impossible to do...I built my own desktop from scratch, so I do know how to put things together a bit.
-Is it economical?
-Any recommendation on components? I've read rave reviews for the Shock cases, and extremely negative ones... and where I can get them?

Sorry for all of the questions

 

[Truliche]

I'm familiar with Ouendan'd screens... whoever was the retard who came up with the idea of rhythm-less touchscreen-abusive circle markers should be shot.

Oh and the bottom display is made up of a display and a touch sensitive layer... in the case of an Ouendan'd screen, I think you'd have to open your DS and examine the screen to see if you need a touch layer or display or both...

 

[4saken]

It is a bit harder putting a DS back together than a Desktop due to the size of the components (and they are more fragile).

You can get case replacements from SHOCK! or Ghost, most people seem to favour Ghost shells now. You can find clear and assorted transparent colours here:

http://www.totalconsole.com/servlet/the-Ni...Lite/Categories

Comes with buttons and stuff too, but I read somewhere the buttons do not come with letters on them

Alternatively you can get SHOCK shells from many places (eg. Gp2xstore), or some of the "Ninetudo" replacement shells from DealExtreme.

 

[roflmywaffle]

I'm familiar with Ouendan'd screens... whoever was the retard who came up with the idea of rhythm-less touchscreen-abusive circle markers should be shot.

Oh and the bottom display is made up of a display and a touch sensitive layer... in the case of an Ouendan'd screen, I think you'd have to open your DS and examine the screen to see if you need a touch layer or display or both...

@Truliche

Where can I get the screen & layer, and other various repair parts (switches for the triggers, etc.)

@4saken

Yeah, I heard of the Ghost cases before, but not as much as the shock. Why do people like them more? Price? Quality? something else?

Quality > Price, for me

Can any owners of Ghost cases recommend a color? If the transparent blue doesn't have reflective "glittery" stuff, I'd like that. The clear one also looks awesome.

Hmm... I don't want to reuse the white buttons on a clear or blue case

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[4saken]

Well the only problem with Ghost cases is the lack of printing on the buttons. People would probably recommend Ghost cases since there have been no cracked hinge incidents (though Ghost shells have only been around for a while), and the clear case is actually clear (unlike the SHOCK! clear case which is actually frosted)

 

[roflmywaffle]

Thanks, any idea where I can get the switches for the replacement triggers? They're shot. And, if possible, replacement buttons...

Also, has anyone ordered the bottom Sharp LCD replacement from DealExtreme? Are they any good?

Markings on the buttons are no issue, I just want quality. I think I'll go with the Ghost, thank you for this help (and any further), 4saken.

 

[4saken]

The issue with the buttons is the lack thereof markings, so for casual gamers like myself, I would have trouble knowing which button is which (happens all the time :X).

What do you mean by replacement triggers. All buttons should come with the Ghost case (even comes with a stylus and tri-wing screwdriver).

Another reason modders use Ghost cases is because their buttons have holes in them which allow you to easily place LEDs into them.

 

[roflmywaffle]

Well, the right trigger does not function. The plastic trigger is intact, and you hear a proper "clicking" noise when the button is pressed, but it does not cause the proper function to occur ingame (e.x. you can't "Pulse out" in Mega Man Star Force b/c it depends on the right trigger).

 

[striding]

Well replacing the case isn't too hard , unless you have sausage fingers lol, all you need is the right tools, some deep research & alot of patience. you should be fine.

 

[4saken]

Well, the right trigger does not function. The plastic trigger is intact, and you hear a proper "clicking" noise when the button is pressed, but it does not cause the proper function to occur ingame (e.x. you can't "Pulse out" in Mega Man Star Force b/c it depends on the right trigger).

So you mean the button itself? That would be connected to the motherboard and I would say requires a very high amount of skill to remove and attach a new one. Not to mention that nobody actually sells these (or I haven't seen any that do). If you dismantle the DS and try to use the shoulder button by just clicking on that tiny black circular button, will it work?

 

[dice]

Bump...

We don't appreciate topic bumps here, unless it's within reason (e.g. over a day old and not 20 minutes). Please don't do it again.

 

[roflmywaffle]

@Striding.
I think I have all of those parts, so I think the case replacement will be doable (as in, not impossibly hard, but not a cakewalk).

Will case swapping fix the nonworking R Button? I don't think the spring is off...it could be. That's really my only remaining question at the moment.

It looks like some damage was incurred from the Ouendaning- both the layer and the screen are dented (screen functions). Oh well. It'll be fun.

@dice

Sorry, won't happen again.

It wasn't 20 minutes though. It was 12 hours and 25 minutes. 12:22AM and 12:47PM.

Still, I'll wait at least 24h from now on before I even consider bumping.

@4saken

It seems less firm than usual. I need to dismantle it and inspect it. I read online that they don't sell replacement springs for DS Lites. But, I read some posts on this board that just about say that it's very common for the spring to become off, which causes the button off. I need to disassemble the DS, and I need a triwing before I can do that. It still makes a "click" when it's pressed- something is moving inside.

 

[striding]

Well my L button wasn't responding awhile ago but I fixed it ,sounds like your R button has some trapped dust, just open up the case and clean the switch under the button, btw an easy mistake is puttin springs backwards , if you do this the button will work but it wont be springy.
drawin not 100% accurate but will help

 

[roflmywaffle]

I tried blowing into it and I got it working temporarily- seems to be a spring alignment problem, based on the fact that this worked. I'm putting the blue Ghost case on order now.

Thanks for the diagram- that will definitely help me when I get the case later.

I'm ordering both the layer and the screen- I think the screen might be damaged too, and it couldn't hurt to have a spare on hand.

Thanks to everyone for all of your help! (Knowing myself, I'll have another question in a bit...

)

 

[Sebastian25]

um how about you go to the store, buy a new DS.. peal off the serial number sticker on the back, put it on the broken ds... rebox it and return it back to the store?

and before someone tells me, boo hoo that's wrong, ... nintendo honors their products with a 1 year warranty... and they should stick by that regardless of some flimsy sticker.

 

[roflmywaffle]

The warranty sticker is flimsy, but you couldn't return the new DS afterwards, they check for the warranty sticker when they do a return. No warranty sticker, no return.

Not to mention the obvious legal issues and the likelyhood that you're going to screw someone over when they buy a "new" DS.

I don't know how he gets the sticker off either...it's happened since the Game Boy Color, and every system since for him. I've never had a problem. After a few years, one corner might come up a millimeter, but completely visible and intact otherwise...

I don't know, I have the serial #, but the warranty terms say damaged/no sticker, no repair. He ended up buying a new one and he's waiting for a skin from BestSkinsEver to arrive before he plays it. I personally don't mind bringing the DS up to shape...I think it'll be cool to have a different color DS Lite than most people.