- Joined
- Jan 30, 2006
- Messages
- 59
- Trophies
- 0
- Age
- 42
- Location
- Burnsville, MN, USA
- Website
- www.martinaustin.net
- XP
- 167
- Country
So about three weeks ago or so, the left shoulder button on my Nintendo DS Lite stopped working. Being the evil genius that I [think I] am, I decided I’d fix it myself. No way was I going to pony up $75 to Nintendo for a $129 system. So I set about my task.
Now, as some of you may or may not realize, all Nintendo products, from the original gameboy through the Nintendo Wii, require a special screwdriver with three points (often called the Tri-Wing Screwdriver). Ever looked for one in your local hardware store? Let me save you the trouble; they don’t have it! So I bought one from some dude on eBay, and 10 days later it shows up. Next time I promise to check to ensure it’s not shipping out of Hong Kong.
Now that I have the tools of the trade, so to speak, I can get down to business. I load up a video of disassembling the Nintendo DS from YouTube, and study what the gentleman is doing. Feeling confident that I’ve got this under control, I setup shop in our living room, on the coffee table. As you can imagine, the wife is thrilled at this point.
I take out all of the screws, only four of the eight requiring this stupid screwdriver that cost me $6 and 10 days to get. I carefully pull off the back of the unit, careful not to dislodge the shoulder button that I’m trying to repair. No problems so far. Once the back is off, I can clearly see that there is nothing obviously different between the two shoulder buttons, so I get brave and lift up the motherboard (which is coincidentially connected directly to the touch screen, which makes me nervous).
After closer inspection, there doesn’t appear to be any type of connector issue whatsoever, so I ease the touch screen and motherboard back into place. Being the nervous guy I am at this point, I jimmy the battery onto the back, holding it with my hands as I power on the unit. Touch the screen, get a response, breathe a sigh of relief. I turn off the system and replace the back shell, feeling there is nothing more I can do here.
Keep in mind, at least an hour has transpired while attempting this fix, and the McDonald’s I brought home is getting any warmer. So I heat that up and take a break.
[Dramatic pause as time passes]
After eating, I pick up the DS thinking I might play a quick game of Puzzle Quest (great game, go buy it @ Target). I attempt to slide the power switch to on … and nothing. Bewildered, I turn the system on it’s side and look at the power switch. I slide it again, and can immediately feel that it does not have the usual resistance that it used to. My first thought was pure dismay. “What the shit?” I asked myself aloud.
I open the DS back up, only to find that I broke the plastic on/off switch (not the whole thing mind, just the little plastic nub that sticks out). I can’t recall exactly, but I thought I heard cash register sounds playing in my head. I was able to superglue the nub back on the switch, and everything works fine, but damn if I didn’t have a scare.
So what am I left with? Yep, a Nintendo DS with a busted-ass left trigger. No DK King of Swing for me.
Now, as some of you may or may not realize, all Nintendo products, from the original gameboy through the Nintendo Wii, require a special screwdriver with three points (often called the Tri-Wing Screwdriver). Ever looked for one in your local hardware store? Let me save you the trouble; they don’t have it! So I bought one from some dude on eBay, and 10 days later it shows up. Next time I promise to check to ensure it’s not shipping out of Hong Kong.
Now that I have the tools of the trade, so to speak, I can get down to business. I load up a video of disassembling the Nintendo DS from YouTube, and study what the gentleman is doing. Feeling confident that I’ve got this under control, I setup shop in our living room, on the coffee table. As you can imagine, the wife is thrilled at this point.
I take out all of the screws, only four of the eight requiring this stupid screwdriver that cost me $6 and 10 days to get. I carefully pull off the back of the unit, careful not to dislodge the shoulder button that I’m trying to repair. No problems so far. Once the back is off, I can clearly see that there is nothing obviously different between the two shoulder buttons, so I get brave and lift up the motherboard (which is coincidentially connected directly to the touch screen, which makes me nervous).
After closer inspection, there doesn’t appear to be any type of connector issue whatsoever, so I ease the touch screen and motherboard back into place. Being the nervous guy I am at this point, I jimmy the battery onto the back, holding it with my hands as I power on the unit. Touch the screen, get a response, breathe a sigh of relief. I turn off the system and replace the back shell, feeling there is nothing more I can do here.
Keep in mind, at least an hour has transpired while attempting this fix, and the McDonald’s I brought home is getting any warmer. So I heat that up and take a break.
[Dramatic pause as time passes]
After eating, I pick up the DS thinking I might play a quick game of Puzzle Quest (great game, go buy it @ Target). I attempt to slide the power switch to on … and nothing. Bewildered, I turn the system on it’s side and look at the power switch. I slide it again, and can immediately feel that it does not have the usual resistance that it used to. My first thought was pure dismay. “What the shit?” I asked myself aloud.
I open the DS back up, only to find that I broke the plastic on/off switch (not the whole thing mind, just the little plastic nub that sticks out). I can’t recall exactly, but I thought I heard cash register sounds playing in my head. I was able to superglue the nub back on the switch, and everything works fine, but damn if I didn’t have a scare.
So what am I left with? Yep, a Nintendo DS with a busted-ass left trigger. No DK King of Swing for me.