Hacking My battle scarred DS.

moogle87

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My DS has been my faithful companion for over a year.

At the moment, the right hinge, or the area where the "on" and "Charging" light come on, cracked and fell off. So the top screen flops around aimlessly unless I support it with my index finger. Both shoulder buttons are becoming less responsive and the A button seems to be very worn from use. And on top of that, there are hinge cracks.

Should I replace the casing and buttons myself or would nintendo do it for me?
 

eltrut

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I feel so lucky that nothing has gone wrong with mine yet, I've had it for going on two years and aside from some scratches nothing to complain about! Do the button (esp. shoulder) only happen to phats?

Also I don't know whether to replace the case or if Nintendo will do it under warranty. Might as well try it yourself, if it works you have a pimpin' DS if it doesn't then you can get the new one you had to anyway.
 

Splych

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Oh yea, also, what kind of DS do you have? The DS Phat or DS Lite. The case I posted was only for the DS Lite, and Nintendo doesn't cover damages if it has been over 1 year, unless you got some extended warranty.
 

Loop

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Hey Splych,
if the unit is within a few months of the end of the warranty, I would definitely contact nintendo and see what their customer relations dept are willing to do for you. In my experience they are usually very helpful. If they won't help you then you have nothing to lose in opening the unit up & having a go yourself!

I have had to replace the case on my NDSL as both of the hinges cracked.
I followed the guide indicated above and bought a replacement case & triwing screwdriver from Dealextreme.
Although the procedure is a bit tricky, its not that hard if you read the guide thoroughly from start to finish before you do it.
Organize your work space before you start and be patient.

I ended up sticking with the buttons and the underneath half of the case as the Dealextreme one wasn't a perfect fit.
My DS is now looking cooler than ever & I'm the envy of every 10 yr old on the subway!

Good luck.
Loop
 

Splych

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Oh that is cool. I would either:
- Contact Nintendo if you aren't confident on replacing the DS Lite Case
- Ask someone else to do it if you aren't too confident once again (People such as the guy that made the guy has a service when replacing you case)
- Do it yourself, if you are sure that nothing bad will happen

That is good if you only need those materials. But I am sure you need other screwdrivers to take apart the DS Lite?

I have a broken hinge on my DS, but not too confident if I were to replace it. Dad recommends to just wait until it fully breaks, then buy a new DS. Unless there is a sale on the DS Lites, he also said go right ahead on buying one. But only use it when your DS breaks xDD
 

thieves like us

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just a reminder that I still offer case replacement services for those who system is out of warranty. if you supply the ds lite and the replacement case, and live in the states, the cost is $20 (including airmail return shipping).

just pm me for details.

for those of you in the uk, I will be on holiday in the london area next week (mar 07-14). if you want my services, just give a shout and we can try and work something out.

I currently have one of each of the following replacement shells on hand:
- crimson / black (missing lcd black frame and shield)
- ice blue
- navy blue (missing blue lcd frame and shield)
- yellow pikachu edition
 

moogle87

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It's a DS lite.
The R button sometimes gets hard to register and the L button pretty much stopped working.

I could probably do it myself. I'm not too horrible with opening up hardware.

And thieves's offer sounds good too. If I get the money, I may just take it up. But how am I ever going to live without my DS for a week or two? I'm not lying when I say it's the only reason that I'm sane today.
 

Splych

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How about DS Emulators? Just not the same saves... Forgot the whole process, but oh well. There was a guide I think, but I lost it.

Try blowing on the L button. Sometimes, it is just dust covering the contact, so cover it with your mouth and start blowing. If this doesn't work, you are gone xDD
 

cocomonk22

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My brother was able to repair his DS Lite himself by getting a new case, and he doesn't really do any disassemblies. Check out the guides to see if you're confident you can do it yourself.
 

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