Gaming DS Lite Repair - Sound not working, hinge broken, any tips?

[momomaniac9]

Hey I'm new to this DS repair thing but I have a DS Lite from around seven or so years ago that's pretty beat up. The sound has stopped working (for reasons beyond me) and 9/10 times it reads the DS game cartridges (although there's the 1/10 other times it does not). The case is pretty cracked (fell on the floor a few times) and the hinge is QUITE broken. I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to repair this thing and how to disassemble it correctly. Thanks! `

 

[FAST6191]

The speakers are in the top half so after you check they still work at some level and have not come loose or something then I would look at the ribbon cable and such. In the hinge.

The game recognised or not is probably unrelated. Check the condition of the slot and make sure there are no bent pins or foreign items. After that you can clean it with some contact cleaner. It is not unheard of for slots to break (indeed it used to be a reasonably common thing to swap out) so you can replace it if you want -- it is a fairly involved soldering job though one I would expect most reasonable surface mount soldering types to be able to do.

Disassembly is usually a matter of screwdrivers, ribbon cables and maybe a spanner if the hinge is that far gone. No particular springs or crazy hidden screws, welded seams or short ribbons that will break if you take it apart in the wrong order. Not an entirely trivial disassembly but nothing drastic. Still https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nintendo+DS+Lite+Disassembly/86279 has a step by step.

 

[momomaniac9]

The speakers are in the top half so after you check they still work at some level and have not come loose or something then I would look at the ribbon cable and such. In the hinge.

The game recognised or not is probably unrelated. Check the condition of the slot and make sure there are no bent pins or foreign items. After that you can clean it with some contact cleaner. It is not unheard of for slots to break (indeed it used to be a reasonably common thing to swap out) so you can replace it if you want -- it is a fairly involved soldering job though one I would expect most reasonable surface mount soldering types to be able to do.

Disassembly is usually a matter of screwdrivers, ribbon cables and maybe a spanner if the hinge is that far gone. No particular springs or crazy hidden screws, welded seams or short ribbons that will break if you take it apart in the wrong order. Not an entirely trivial disassembly but nothing drastic. Still has a step by step.

hmmm thank you! i dont think i was clear enough on the hinge thing - it basically can't stay up by itself anymore and you can swing it like a door. Also, the game reading thing probably is the cartridges i was using, and I just did more research and it seems like that was a Pokemon thing, so I really don't know! I would post the error but I just signed up

Also for the speaker thing, one of them stopped working before the other one crashed (though i can't remember which order) and if you mess with the volume enough it makes a slight popping sound, and that's it. The headphone jack still works though.

Thanks for your help!

 

[OddMarioaiden]

maybe buy another ds lite but maybe the screen is cracked or maybe won't work then take the parts you need and fix the one you own