Gaming Faulty DSi

[Strahssis]

Hey everyone,

I bought a faulty DSi from Ebay and I have been trying to fix it, but
nothing I tried, worked. I found that all of the buttons and the touchscreen
don't work. The console does turn on though and both screens are working.
I tried the following things in order to repair it:

1. I turned on the console and pressed any button I could hoping for a response.
-> Of course, that didn't work.
2. I cleaned the outside of the console completely and tried again.
-> Of course, that didn't work either.
3. I opened up the console, disconnected/reconnected all of the ribbon cables and tried again.
-> That didn't work unfortunatily.
4. I completely disassambled the main board, cleaned every contact using contact spray, removed the screen protector from the touchscreen, cleaned the touchscreen, checked the main board for any broken connections in the board and tried again.
-> That didn't work either.

I have like no clue what to do right now, since there is nothing visibly wrong with the console.
I assume there is something wrong with the controls in the main board, because any way of controlling the console doesn't work.

Or might it be a software problem?
I hope someone can help me with this problem.

Sincerely,

Miko, Strahssis

 

[Deleted User]

I don't have a DSi, but if you wanted to have a DSi and play on it, and it said faulty in the ebay post. Why did you buy a faulty one???? If you can't fix it and you return it with the reason "it's faulty" (even know it said in the post) good luck getting you're money back.

 

[Strahssis]

I don't want to return it; I want to fix it. I bought I faulty one, since it was only two dollars and usually I get faulty stuff fixed.

 

[Mikemk]

Perhaps the ARM7 is broken.

 

[Strahssis]

I believe both controls and video are regulated by the ARM9, the ARM7 only regulates the sound, right?
Since the sound works the ARM7 can't be broken and since the video works the ARM9 can't be broken either.
Or am I wrong?

 

[justin-dabath]

Hello,
I'm guessing that when you turn it on, your DSi stuck on the welcome screen?

The most common thing that causes this is a faulty touch screen, if it's been pushed too hard - the console will think someone is pressing it,

Easiest way to test this, disconnect the touch screen, (not the whole screen) then with the touch screen disconnected, switch the console on and press a button - it should work.



If that doesn't work, i'd suggest checking the camera ribbon cable, because if the DSi has a faulty camera, it will also freeze on the welcome screen.

One easy way to see if it's the camera without taking it apart is to try turning it on with the DSi open at different angles.

 

[Mikemk]

I believe both controls and video are regulated by the ARM9, the ARM7 only regulates the sound, right?
Since the sound works the ARM7 can't be broken and since the video works the ARM9 can't be broken either.
Or am I wrong?

A7 controls input (buttons, touch screen, lid closed), and anything else the game developer uses it for*
GPU controls video, but communicates with the A9
DSP controls sound, but communicates with the A7.

* I think the A7 also controls the SD card, but I'm not sure.

 

[Strahssis]

@justin-dabath: I tried running the DSi with the touchscreen and/or camera ribbon cables disconnected, but it still doesn't work.

@Mikemk: Hmm, that makes sense, but if the A7 is broken, it is probably not worth repairing, since parts cost lots of money.
In this case I'd be better of buying another one and merging them together in one working DSi.

I uploaded a video, where I turn on my DSi and test it, I am also not sure if the welcome screen is supposed in dark style.
I usually repair TV-consoles only, so I don't know a lot about DS's. I know for sure that the DS Lite welcome screen is white.
Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jghzvexmcyhbmuv/2016-07-21 08.22.29.mp4?dl=0

 

[Strahssis]

I sold the DSi for parts, because I was unable to repair it. I tried every possible solution for the problems I know, but I just couldn't get it to work.
I check every single connection in the board for continuity, but every single connection was fine, except for one diode. Since the text on the diode was not visible, I couldn't get any replacements for it, so I ended up soldering a wire around it in order to bypass it. Of course that wasn't a proper solution and I made things even worse with this last attempt.

So I sold it for parts and I even made €1,36 profit on it, since game consoles are way more worth in the Netherlands than they are in Japan. I want to thank you all for responding and I wanted to let you know everything turned out okay. My DS Lite project, the project I did after the DSi, was a great success; it is fully functional and in great condition.