Hardware Help identify charge port on store demo 3DS XL

[Clay82]

I'm not sure if this is the place to ask this, but 2+ hours of Google searches have returned no results for me.

I received two store demo 3DS XL systems today. I was told that they are non-working, but they didn't come with "charge" cables. From what I've read, the store demo units are different from standard retail units as they have to be plugged in to work and that they don't not use battery power at all. The problem I have is that I didn't receive any power adapters with these and they have a strange power port instead of the standard one. Even the tabs for a dock are absent. This port does not accept a DS/DS Lite/DSi tip. I don't have a Advance Micro charger, but I believe that tip was wider than this port. The port is not a USB Micro B either as the jack to those is a little wider than the port on these.

I've attached a couple photos of the charge (power) port and one of the SD card slot. Both units that I received are Blue, but both have a gray SD port cover. Any information would be appreciated.

 

[testerfan]

this is just store installed port to use with their proprietary charger, so you probably won't be able to find it. If you'd like I can install original 3DS XL charging ports for the systems, so you'll be able to use them with a regular DSi/3DS charger

 

[Clay82]

Thanks for the info and the offer. I could replace the charge ports myself, but was wanting to make sure that this wasn't something that Nintendo themselves did as I wouldn't want to alter their design of the demo units and would like to keep them stock. I have two units and both are identical. I can't believe that stores would go to such lengths as to change the ports on these.

 

[Clay82]

I was asked, so here's a couple closer up pics of the port with the cover off. I couldn't get a closer up shot that was clear. The solder job on this doesn't look like something someone at a store did.

I was just watching a video of someone replacing the charge port on a 3DS XL and the solder point are completely different on this motherboard then the one in the video. Even the layout of the motherboard is quite different. Both are 3DS XL systems. but his was the Silver Mario & Luigi one. I don't have access to an early model retail 3DS XL, just curious if this was just because of a motherboard change. Googling has been no help. Just like to know what I have here.

 

[icecreamcake]

Why would you want store demo 3DSs? So many dirty hands touched those and the screens are probably badly damaged.

 

[Clay82]

Why would you want store demo 3DSs? So many dirty hands touched those and the screens are probably badly damaged.

The screen covers actually look great and I got them for a great price with some other cool collectibles.

 

[testerfan]

if you can't use the system because of the weird plug, what's the point of keeping it stock? The port and surrounding area of the motherboard doesn't look like anything I've seen before, I have a demo/retail 3DS XL motherboard as well, and it comes with stock charging port like regular Nintendo system, there is no difference

 

[Clay82]

if you can't use the system because of the weird plug, what's the point of keeping it stock? The port and surrounding area of the motherboard doesn't look like anything I've seen before, I have a demo/retail 3DS XL motherboard as well, and it comes with stock charging port like regular Nintendo system, there is no difference

Well, I was kind of hoping that someone here would say, hey I know just what you need So far, it seems to be baffling everyone.

 

[fodder]

ignore my first message, I'll look a bit

 

[Ryccardo]

I don't have access to an early model retail 3DS XL, just curious if this was just because of a motherboard change. Googling has been no help. Just like to know what I have here.

Not like a 3.1E at all...

 

[fodder]

Out of curiosity, how many pins are in that port? Hard to tell from the pic

 

[Clay82]

Out of curiosity, how many pins are in that port? Hard to tell from the pic

Looks like 20. 10 each side and slightly offset from the other side. These pins are tiny...

 

[Mikemk]

Can you post pictures of the entire motherboard? I'm thinking the actual "3DS" might be separate in a kiosk, and this would just be a display adapter.

 

[Clay82]

Can you post pictures of the entire motherboard? I'm thinking the actual "3DS" might be separate in a kiosk, and this would just be a display adapter.

I'll have to tear it apart again, but can this weekend. The motherboard looks like a full motherboard, it just looks different from any other one that I've seen in pictures. In the meantime, here's another pic that shows a little more (I had deleted it originally as it was too blurry). I've been thinking that this port might have been used like a capture card to display the game on a larger display on the kiosk, but the system would have to get it's power through this port too.

 

[Mikemk]

So, I did a bit of Googling, are you sure this isn't a dev unit?

 

[Clay82]

So, I did a bit of Googling, are you sure this isn't a dev unit?

I had received these with some other retail promotional 3DS items and was told that they were retail demo units. One of them still had a little bit of the barcode price sticker on it and looked like it might have been from Walmart or Target. At this point, I'm just not sure. I'm real surprised at how little information I can find on these.

 

[gamesquest1]

yeah i like curiosities like these, im wondering if they could be the dummy consoles they have linked up to the capture dev kits or something, although i thought they were hardwired up to the units, or at least they were on the original DS consoles, maybe that changed with the 3DS, the port kinda looks like a mini display port , but idk it looks a bit thinner in the picture, but its defiantly not a good idea to try whack it off and lob a normal charging port there as the motherboard is obviously different and not designed to take the standard charging port

 

[Clay82]

yeah i like curiosities like these, im wondering if they could be the dummy consoles they have linked up to the capture dev kits or something, although i thought they were hardwired up to the units, or at least they were on the original DS consoles, maybe that changed with the 3DS, the port kinda looks like a mini display port , but idk it looks a bit thinner in the picture, but its defiantly not a good idea to try whack it off and lob a normal charging port there as the motherboard is obviously different and not designed to take the standard charging port

The port on these 3DS's are a little shorter and much thinner than a Mini DisplayPort.

 

[tedmg091309131]

If the battery is normal size you could charge in a regular 3ds xl then attempt to run the store demo unit from the battery.

 

[Clay82]

If the battery is normal size you could charge in a regular 3ds xl then attempt to run the store demo unit from the battery.

I took a fully charged battery out of my New 3DS XL and tried it in one of these two units that I got in. The light on the front of the system glowed very briefly and then went out. The system wouldn't turn on at all.