Hacking I stripped a screw trying to open my DS Lite

[Sicklyboy]

Ha, I won't leave my Acekard in there. It doesn't even fit any more.

I think I found the problem- there is a huge bulge right under where the battery should be. What do you think that is? The volume button? Or Did I break something? Also, would Home Depot or Lowe's take out the screw? Thanks guys.

Sorry for my attitude in my previous post, I was tired and not in the best mood last night :x

Back on topic, however: They might, but when I was saying hardware store I was thinking more along the lines of a smaller DIY repair store. For example, here in Tome River, NJ, there is a store on one of the main streets called Kens Hardware. THEY, I would imagine, would do it.

Honestly I suppose you could do it yourself too if you have a power drill and a really small drill bit. Without ever having done it or having to have it done, I would imagine that you just want to drill in there until the head of the screw is gone, and possibly you could still have some of the screw left to gri pwith pliers and twist out.

And worst case scenario after doing that (or most of the options), you buy a case off of dealextreme.com, they run around 12 dollars, free shipping from hong kong, good build quality. They can be a pain to replace, but if you have patience, take your time, and follow a guide, you should be able to do it. (and seeing how you say there is a bulge under the battery slot, ya might need one anyway)

Speaking of the bulge - dont press it down. It may be the volume button, which you dont want to scratch or stress the DS motherboard.

And as I have previously stated, if it is the plastic oputside slider, it CAn be replaced, ya just gotta pop it back into its track and youre good to go (case has to be opened though). If it is the electronic slider attached to the motherboard, that takes some intricate soldering, which would be a pain (especially since you say you dont have a soldering iron =P)

Aaaand, one last thing - http://gbatemp.net/t98240-ndsl-disassembly-reassembly-guide - the guide I used to disassemble my ds (just in case you havent looked this one over yet, throwin it out there for ya)

 

[Shinigami357]

hmmm, i once opened my old GBA with nothing more than a cuticle pusher (or whatever women call that sharp metal thingy they stick in their toenails) and a scissor. in theory, opening a DS with a proper screwdriver should be straightforward (i think the GBA might be harder to unscrew considering the depth at which the screw is), which is prob what the guy means when he says he fails to see how you managed to mess it up. but humans are fallible after all.

anyway, best of luck getting your DS fixed. just hope that when it popped open, all the internal components didn't get jarred too much.

 

[Zood!]

I sent in my DSLite before, and it cost me 60€ (Germany) to get it fixed. My gf dropped it, and the joint broke, and some little pieces from the shell broke off.
Afaik the will charge you 60 bucks for anything that would require them to open the console - that is because they don't: They will actually replace the whole thing for those 60 bucks! I don't know what they do with all these old consoles... probably that Apple thing

 

[sprogurt]

Without damaging the case just use a drill, my brother did that when i couldn't get some torx screws out of an xbox 360. Failing that just melt around it and buy a new case.

 

[joelozy]

I sent in my DSLite before, and it cost me 60€ (Germany) to get it fixed. My gf dropped it, and the joint broke, and some little pieces from the shell broke off.
Afaik the will charge you 60 bucks for anything that would require them to open the console - that is because they don't: They will actually replace the whole thing for those 60 bucks! I don't know what they do with all these old consoles... probably that Apple thing

Only $60? I guess that's OK, since that's the same fee as Apple (1/2 of price to replace). I think that since the DS Lite is so old, they can replace it because ti costs almost nothing to reproduce. Opening it would cost even more money for labor than just giving a new one. If that $60 includes shippinh, I'll call Nintendo for a repair/replacement as soon as my family moves in 3 weeks. Don't want my DS to be shipped back to someone else's house.

EDIT: For those of you wondering why I won't fix it myself, it's because I don't want to break it even more. I can spare the $60 for repair, because I have money, and I also needed a button replacement (something I clearly failed at).

 

[Dark-Aries]

Take a drill, find a drill bit that's smaller then the screw, start drilling a hole it it, it will break the head off the screw and let you open it. How many times was this option mentioned again? And yes it does work. I've done it on a few DS lites myself because I don't have a triwing screwdriver and use a flathead. (few times meaning twice but still...

)

 

[3doxiemom]

Thanks for this forum! The rubberband did not work - the screwdriver kept going thru it; hubby drilled out the screws. I appreciate your forums for assistance very much!

 

[RchUncleSkeleton]

Also buying on ebay is a terrible idea when you can get a used DS Lite on craigslist for around $50.